The Processes in Test Development

• A teacher should have a plan for test development so that he will be guided as he chooses the contents
from which the items will be drawn as well as the behavior that he need to assess. Clear objectives can
guide him when he decides as to what content and behavior he needs to assess. The same objective
should be the basis of selecting appropriate test items formats.
• Steps in developing assessment tools
1. Examine the instructional objectives of the topics previously discussed.
2. Identifying test objectives.
3. Make a table of specifications (TOS).
4. Construct the test items.
5. Assemble the test items.
6. Check the assembled test items.
7. Write directions.
8. Make the answer key.
9. Analyze and improve the test items.
• Examine the Instructional Objectives of the Topics Previously Discussed.
• The first step in developing an achievement test is to examine and go back to the instructional objectives
so that you can match with the test items to be constructed.
• Identifying Test Objectives
• An objective is defined as the statement of the expected behavior that the students should display after
the teacher has taught the content or subject matter. The teacher should identify the objectives to be
assessed. The objectives should be clearly stated in terms of the cognitive, affective, or psychomotor
domains of learning. Therefore, in test developments, the teacher should see to it that the test assesses
specific domains of learning.
• Table of Specification (TOS)
• It is a test blueprint that serves as a teacher’s guide as he construct the test.
• A chart or table that details the content and level of cognitive assessed on a test as well as the types and
emphases of test items (Gareis and Grant,2008).
• It is a plan to help teachers decide the subject matter in which to test. Instructional objectives specify the
actual learning behavior, and test items are then designed to elicit those behavior (Chase,1999)
• Importance of TOS
• It is very important in addressing the validity and reliability of the test items.
• It provides the test constructor a way to ensure that the assessment is based from the intended learning
outcomes.
• It is also a way of ensuring that the number of questions on the test is adequate to ensure dependable
results that are not likely caused by chance.
• Importance of TOS
• It is a useful guide in constructing a test and determining the type of test items that you need to
construct.
• By just looking at a table of specification, one can judge whether the test has covered all the topics that
were taught, or whether all contents and behaviors are well represented.
 • It will help the teacher to limit the coverage of the test and identify the necessary skills or cognitive
level required to answer the test item correctly.
• Elements of the TOS
1. Content or subject matter
2. Behavior criteria
3. Item placement
4. Number of items
5. Percentage of items
• Preparing a table of Specification
1. Selecting the learning outcomes to be measured
• Identify the necessary instructional objectives needed to answer the test items correctly. The list of the
instructional objectives will include the learning outcomes in the areas of knowledge, intellectual skills
or abilities, general skills, attitude, interest, and appreciation. Use Bloom’s Taxonomy or Krathwolh’s
2001 revised taxonomy of cognitive domain as guide.

• Preparing a table of Specification

2. Make an outline of the subject matter to be covered in the test.
• The length of the test will depend on tghe areas covered in its content and the time needed to answer.
• Preparing a table of Specification
3. Decide on the number of items per subtopic.
• Use this formula to determine the number of items to be constructed for each subtopic covered in the test
so that the number of item in each topic should be proportioned to the number of class sessions.
• Example on how to compute the number of items in each topic.
Number of item for each topic: Synthetic division
Number of class session discussing the topic: 3
Desired number of items: 10
Total number of class sessions for the unit: 10
• Preparing a table of Specification
4. Make the two-way chart
5. Construct the test items.
A classroom teacher should always follow the general principles of constructing test items. The test item
should always follow correspond with the learning outcome so that it serves whatever purpose it may have.
• DIFFERENT FORMATS OF TOS
• Groundland (1990) lists several examples and format on how a tabl of specification should be prepared.
• DIFFERENT FORMATS OF TOS
a. Format 1 of a Table of Specification
Specific Objectives refer to the intended learning outcomes stated as specific instructional objective covering a
particular test topic.
Cognitive level pertains to the intellectual skill or ability to correctly answer a test item using Bloom’s
Taxonomy of educational objectives. We sometimes refer to this as the cognitive demand of a test item.
Type of Test Item identifies the type or kind of test a test item belongs to. Examples of entries in this column
could be “multiple-choice, true or false, or even essay.”
Item Number simply identifies the question number as it appears in the test.
Total Points summarize the score given to a particular test.
• Format 2 of a Table of Specification (one-way table of specification)
• CONSTRUCT THE TEST ITEMS
• GUIDELINES FOR CONSTRUCTING THE TEST ITEMS
Kubiszyn and Borich (2007) suggested some general guidelines for writing test items to help classroom teachers
improve the quality of test items to write.
1) Begin writing items far enough or in advance so that you will have time to revise them.
2) Match items to intended outcomes at appropriate level of difficulty to provide valid measure of
instructional objectives. Limit the question to the skill being assessed.
• GUIDELINES FOR CONSTRUCTING THE TEST ITEMS
3.) Be sure each item deals with an important aspect of the content area and not with trivia.
4.) Be sure the problem posed is clear and unambiguous.
5.) Be sure that the item is independent with all other items. The answer to one item should not be required as a
condition in answering the next item. A hint to one answer should not be embedded to another item.
• GUIDELINES FOR CONSTRUCTING THE TEST ITEMS
6.) Be sure the item has one or best answer on which experts would agree.
7.) Prevent unintended clues to an answer in the statement or question. Grammatical inconsistencies such as a
or an give clues to the correct answer to those who are not well prepared for the test.
• GUIDELINES FOR CONSTRUCTING THE TEST ITEMS
8.) Avoid replication of the textbook in writing test items; do not quote directly from the textual materials. You
are usually not interested in how well students memorize the text. Besides, taken out of context, direct quotes
from the text are often ambiguous.
9.) Avoid trick or catch questions in an achievement test. Do not waste time testing how well the students can
interpret your intentions.
10.) Try to write items that require higher-order thinking skills.
• DETERMINING THE NUMBER OF TEST ITEMS
• Checklist For Constructing Test Items
• Assemble The Test Items
• There are two steps in assembling the test
1. packaging the test
2. reproducing the test
• Guidelines in Assembling the Test
a) Group all items with similar format
All items in similar format must be group so that the students will not be confused.
b) Arrange test items from easy to difficult.
The test items must be arranged from easy o difficult so that students will answer the first few items
correctly and build confidence at the start of the test.
c) Space the test items for easy reading
• Guidelines in Assembling the Test
d) Keep items and option in the same page.
e) Place the illustrations near the description.
f) Check the answer key.
g) Decide where to record the aswer.
• Check the Assembled Test Items
• Before reproducing the test, it is very important to proofread first the test items for typographical and
grammatical errors and make necessary corrections if any. If possible, let others examine the test to
validate its content. This can save time during the examination and avoid destruction of the
concentration of the students.
• Write Directions
• Check the test directions for each format to be sure that it is clear for the students to understand. The test
direction should contain the numbers of items to which they apply; how to record their answer; the basis
of which they select answer; and the criteria for scoring or the scoring system.
• Make the Answer Key
• Be sure to check your answer key so that the correct answers follow a fairly random sequence. Avoid
answers such a TFTFTF, etc., or TTTFFF for a true or false type, and A B C D A B C D patterns for
multiple-choice type. The number of true answers must be equally the same with false answers and also
among the multiple –choice options.
• Analyze and Improve the Test Items
• Analyzing and improving the test items should be done after checking , scoring and recording the test.