Development

of Classroom
Assessment
Tools

General Principles of Testing

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Measure all instructional objectives.

Cover all the learning tasks.
Use appropriate test items.
Make test valid and reliable.
Use test to improve learning.

Principles of High Quality Assessment

Assessing the performance of every
student is a very critical task for
classroom teacher.
It is very important that a classroom
teacher should prepare the
assessment tool appropriately.

Clarity of the Learning Target

When a teacher plans for his
classroom instruction, the learning
target should be clearly stated and
must be focused on student learning
objectives rather than teacher
activity.
The learning outcomes must be
SMART.

Appropriateness of Assessment Tool

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Objective Test
Subjective Test
Performance Assessment
Portfolio Assessment
Oral Questioning
Observational Technique
Self-report

Different Qualities of Assessment Tool

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Validity
Reliability
Fairness
Objectivity
Scorability
Adequacy
Administrability
Practically and Efficiency

Step in Developing Assessment Tools

1. Examine the instructional objectives of
the topics previously discussed.
2. Make a table of specification (TOS).
3. Construct the test items.
4. Assemble the test items.
5. Check the assembled test items.
6. Write directions.
7. Make the answers key.
8. 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.

Table of Specification (TOS)

Is a chart or table that details the
content and level of cognitive level
assessed on a test as well as the
types and emphases of test items
(Gareis and Grant, 2008).
Provides the test constructor a way
to ensure that the assessment is
based from the intended learning
outcomes.

Preparing a Table of Specification

A. Selecting the learning outcomes to be
measured.
B. Make an outline of the subject matter to be
covered in the test.
C. Decide on the number of items per
subtopic.
D. Make the two-way chart as shown in the
format 2 and format 3 of a Table of
Specification.
E. Construct the test items.

Different Formats if Table of Specification

A. Format 1 of Table of Specification
Specific
Objectives

Cognitive
Level

Type of
Test

Item
Number

Total Points

Solve
worded
problems in
consecutive
integers.

Application

Multiplechoice

1 and 2

4 points

 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
Blooms Taxonomy of educational
objectives.

 Type of Test Item

Identifies the type or kind of test a test
item belongs to.

Item Number
Simply identifies the question number
as it appears in the test.

Total Points
Summarize the score given to a
particular test.

B. Format 2 of Table of Specification (one way table of

specification)
Contents

Number
of Class
Season

Numb Cognitive Level

er of
Items
K-C

Test
Item
Distribut
ion

HOTS

Basic Concept
Fraction

1-2

Addition
Fraction

3-4

Subtraction
Fraction

5-6

Multiplication
and Division of
Fraction

7-12

Application/Pro 4
blem Solving

13-20

C. Format 3 Table of Specification (twoway table of specification)

Content

Class
Sessio
ns

Krathwohls Cognitive Level

Rem.

Und.

App.

Eva.

Creatin Total Item

g
Items Distributi
on

Concept

1-2

Z-score

3-6

T-score

7-10

Stanine

11-6

Percentile
rank

17-22

Applicatio
n

23-30

Total

15

30

Construct the Test Items

In this section, we shall discuss the
different format of objectives type of
test items, the step in developing
objective and subjective test, the
advantage and its limitations.

General Guidelines for Constructing Test

Items
1. Begin writing items far enough or in
advance so that you will have time to
revise them.
2. Match item to intended outcomes at
appropriate level of difficulty to provide
valid measure of instructional objectives.
3. Be sure each items deals with an important
aspect of the content area and not with
trivia.
4. Be sure the problem posed is clear and
ambiguous.

5. Be sure that the item is independent

with all the other 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.
8. Avoid replication of the textbook in
writing test items; do not quote directly
from the textual materials.
9. Avoid trick or catch questions in an
achievement test.
10. Try to write items that require HOTS.

Determining the Number of Test Items

Assessment Format
True-False

Average Time to
Answer
30 seconds

Multiple-choice

60 seconds

Multiple-choice of higher
level learning objectives

90 seconds

Short Answer

120 seconds

Completion

60 seconds

Matching

30 seconds per response

Short Essay

10-15 minutes

Extended Essay

30 minutes

Visual Image

30 seconds

Assemble the Test Items Guidelines

A. Group all test items with similar
format.
B. Arrange test items from easy to
difficult.
C. Space the test items for easy
reading.
D. Keep items and option in the same
page.
E. Place the illustrations near the
description.

Write Directions
Check the test directions for each
item format to be sure that it is clear
for the students to understand.

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.

Make the Answer Key

Be sure to check your answer key so
that the correct answers follow a
fairly random sequence.

Analyze and Improve the Test

Items
Analyze and improve the test items
should be done after checking,
scoring and recording the test.

Different Formats of Classroom Assessment

Tools
Type of assessment tool should
always be appropriate with the
objectives of the lesson.
There are two general types of test
item to use in achievement test
using paper and pencil test. It is
classified as selection-type items and
supply type items.

Selection type or Objective Test Items

Selection type items require students
to select the correct response from
several options. This is also known as
objective test item. Selection type
items can be classified as: multiplechoice; matching type; true or false;
or interpretative exercises.
Objective test item requires only one
correct answer in each item.

Kinds of Objective Type Test

A. Multiple-choice Test
Is used to measure knowledge
outcomes and other types of learning
outcomes such as comprehension and
applications.
Multiple choice item consist of three
parts: the stem, the keyed option and
the incorrect options or alternatives.

General Guidelines in Constructing Multiplechoice Test

1. Make a test item that is practical or with
real-world application to the students.
2. Use diagrams or drawing when asking
question about application, analysis or
evaluation.
3. When ask to interpret or evaluate about
quotations, present actual quotation
from secondary sources like published
books or newspapers.

4. Use tables, figures, or charts when

asking question to interpret.
5. Use pictures if possible when students
are required to apply concepts and
principles.
6. List the choices/options vertically not
horizontally.
7. Avoid trivial questions.
8. Use only one correct answer or best
answer format.

9. Use three to five options to

discourage guessing 10. Be sure that
distracters are plausible and
effective.
11. Increase the similarity of the
options to increase the difficulty of
the item.
12. Do not use none of the above
options when asking for best answer.
13. Avoid using all of the above

Guidelines in Constructing the Stem

1. The stem should be written in
question form or completion form.
2. Do not live the blank at the
beginning or at the middle of the
stem when using completion form of
a multiple-choice type of test.
3. The stem should pose the problem
completly.

4. The stem should be clear and

concise.
5. Avoid excessive and meaningless
use of words in the stem.
6. State the stem in positive form.
7. Avoid grammatical clues in the
correct answer.

Guidelines in Constructing Options

1. There should be one correct answer
in each item.
2. List options in vertical order not a
horizontal order beneath the stem.
3. Arrange the options in vertical order
and use capital letters to indicate
each option such as A, B, C, D, E.
4. No overlapping options; keep it
independent.

5. All options must be homogenous in

content to increase the difficulty of
an item.
6. As much as possible the length of
the options must be the same or
equal.
7. Avoid using the phrase all of the
above.
8. Avoid using the phrase non of the
above or I dont know.

Guidelines in Constructing the Distracters

1. The distracters should be plausible.
2. The distracters should be equally
popular to all examinees.
3. Avoid using ineffective distracters.
4. Each distracters should be chosen by
at least 5% of the examinees but not
more than the key answer.
5. Revise distracters that are over
attractive to the teachers.

Example of Multiple-choice Items

1. Knowledge Level
- The students are required only to recall.

The most stable measures of

central tendency is the _______.
A.Mean
B.Mean and Median
C.Median
D.Mode

2. Comprehension Level
- the students are required to
describe.
Which of the following statements
describe normal distribution?
A.The mean is greater than the
median.
B.The mean median and mode are
equal.
C.The scores are more concentrated
at the other part of the
distribution.

3. Application Level
- the students are asked to apply.
What is the standard deviation of
the following scores of 10
students in mathematics quiz, 10,
13, 16, 16, 17, 19, 20, 20, 25?
A.3.90
B.3.95
C.4.50
D.4.25

4. Analysis Level
- the students are required to
distinguish.
What is the statistical test used
when you test the mean
difference between pre-test and
post-test?
A.Analysis of variance
B.T-test
C.Correlation
D.Regression analysis

Advantage of Multiple-choice Test

1. Measure learning outcomes from the
knowledge to evaluation level.
2. Scoring is highly objective, easy and reliable.
3. Scores are more reliable than subjective type
of test.
4. Measures board samples of content within a
short span of time.
5. Distracters can provide diagnostic information.
6. Item analysis can reveal the difficulty of an
item and can discriminate the good and poor
performing students.

Disadvantage of Multiple-choice Test

1. Time consuming to construct a good item.
2. Difficult to find effective and plausible
distracters.
3. Scores can be influence by the reading
ability of the examinees.
4. In some cases, there is more than one
justifiable correct answer.
5. Ineffective in assessing the problem solving
skills of the students.
6. Not applicable when assessing the students
ability to organize and express ideas.

B. Matching Type Test

Matching Type Test has two column,
the column A which contains the
description and must be place at the
left side while column B contains
options and placed at the right side.

Guidelines in constructing Matching Type of

Test
1. The description and options must be short
and homogenous.
2. The description must be written at the left
side and marked it with Column A and the
options must be written at the right side
and marked it with Column B to save time
for the examinees.
3. There should be more options than
descriptions or indicate in the directions
that each option may be used more than
once to decrease the chance of guessing.

4. Matching directions should specify

the basis for matching.
5. Avoid too many correct answers.
6. When using names, always include
the complete name (first and
surname) to avoid ambiguities.
7. Use numbers for the descriptions and
letters for the options to avoid
confusions to the students that have a
reading problem.
8. Arrange the options into a
chronological order or alphabetical

9. The descriptions and options must

be written in the same page.
10. A minimum of three items and a
maximum of seven items for
elementary level and a maximum of
seventeen items for secondary and
tertiary levels.

Advantage of Matching Type Test

1. It is simpler to construct than a multiplechoice type of test.
2. It reduces the effect of guessing compared
to the multiple-choice and true or false
type of test.
3. It is appropriate to assess the association
between facts.
4. Provides easy, accurate, efficient,
objective and reliable test scores.
5. More content can be covered in the given
set of test.

C. True or False Type

A force-choice test
The students are required to choose
the answer true or false in
recognition to a correct statement or
incorrect statement.

Guidelines in constructing True or False Test

1. Avoid writing a very long statement.
2. Avoid trivial questions.
3. It should contain only one idea in each
item except for statement showing the
relationship between cause and effect.
4. It can be used for establishing cause
and effect.
5. Avoid using opinion-based statement,
it it cannot be avoided the statement
should be attributed to somebody.

6. Avoid using negative or double negatives.

7. Avoid specific determiner such as some,
always, all, none for they tend to
appear in the statement that are false.
8. Avoid specific determiner such as some
sometimes, and may that tend to
appear in the statement that are true.
9. The number of true items must be the
same with the number of false items.
10. Avoid grammatical clues that lead to a
correct answer such as the article (a, an,
the).

11. Avoid statement directly taken

from the textbook.
12. Avoid arranging the statement in a
logical order such as (TTTTT-FFFFF,
TFTFTFTF, TTFFTTFFTT)
13. Directions should indicate where or
how the students should mark their
answer.

Advantage of a True or False Test

1. It covers a lot of content in a short span
of time.
2. It is easier to prepared compared to
multiple-choice and matching type test.
3. It is easier to score because it can be
scored objectively compared to a test that
depends on the judgement of the caters.
4. It is useful when there are two
alternatives only.
5. The score is more reliable than essay test.

Disadvantages of True or False Test

1. Limited only to low level of thinking
skills such as knowledge and
comprehension, or recognition or
recall information.
2. High probability of guessing the
correct answer (50%) compared to
multiple-choice which consist of four
options (25%).

Supply Type or Subject Type of Test Items

Require students to create and
supply their own answer or perform a
certain task to show mastery of
knowledge or skills.
Also known as constructed response
test.

Constructed response test are classified as:

A. Short answer or completion type
B. Essay type items (restricted or
extended response)

Subjective Test Items

Requires the student to organize and
present an original answer (essay
test) and perform task to show
mastery of learning (performancebase assessment and portfolio
assessment) or supply a word or
phrase to answer a certain question
(complition or short item type of
test).

Essay test
Is a form of subjective type of test.
Measures complex cognitive skills or
process.

Kinds of Subjective Type Test Item

A. Completion Type or Short Answers
Test
-

Is an alternative form of assessment

because the examinee needs to supply
or create appropriate words, symbols or
numbers to answer a question or
complete a statement.

Two Ways of Constructing Completion Type

or Short Answer Type Test
Question form; and
Complete the statement form

Guidelines in Constructing Completion Type

or Short Answer Type Test
1. The item should require a single word answer.
2. Be sure that the language used in the statement is
precise and accurate in relation to the subject
matter being tested.
3. Be sure to omit only key words.
4. Do not leave the blank at the beginning or within
the statement.
5. Use direct question rather than incomplete
statement.
6. Be sure to indicate the units in which the statement
requires numerical answers.
7. Be sure the answer of the student is required to
produce is factually correct.

Essay Item
Ability to organize and present their
original ideas.

Type of Essay Items

Extended response essay
Restricted response essay

Restricted Response Essay Questions

Restricted response usually limits
both the content and the response by
restricting the scope of the topic to
be discussed.
Useful for measuring learning
outcomes requiring interpretation
and application of data in a specific
area.

Example of Restricted Response

Describe
two
situations
that
demonstrate the application of the
law of supply and demand. Do not
use those examples discussed in
class.
State the main differences between
the Vietnam War and previous wars
in which the United States has
participated.

Extended Response Essay Questions

Extended response question allows
student to select information that
they think is pertinent, to organize
the answer in accordance with their
best judgment, and to integrate and
evaluate ideas as they think suitable.
They do not set limits on the length
or exact content to be discussed.

Examples of Extended Response Essay Questions

Compare developments in
international relations in the
administrations of President William
Clinton and President George W.
Bush. Cite examples when possible.
Imagine that you and a friend found
a magic wand. Write a story about
an adventure that you and your
friend had with the magic wand.

Types of complex outcomes and related terms

for writing essay questions
Outcomes

Sample Verb

Sample Questions

Comparing

compare, clarify,
describe

Describe the situation

and differences
between Phil. Educ.
And Singapore Educ.
System.

Interpreting

convert, draw,
Summarizes briefly
estimate, summarizes the content of second
SONA of the present
President.

inferring

Derive, draw,
estimate

Using the facts

presented, what is
most likely to happen
when ___?

Applying

Arrange, compute,

Solve the solution set

Analyzing

Creating

Synthesizing

Generalizing

Breakdown,
describe,
differentiate,
list

List and
describe the
characteristics
of a good
assessment
instrument.
Compose, design, Formulate a
draw, formulate
hypothesis about
Mathematics
Attitude
Arrange, combine, Design a scoring
design
guide in
evaluating
portfolio
assessment.
Construct,
Explain the
develop, explain
function of
assessment of

Guideline in constructing essay test items

1. Construct essay question used to measure complex learning
outcomes only.
2. Relate directly to the learning outcomes to be measured.
3. Formulate essay questions that present a clear task to be
performed.
4. An item should be stated precisely.
5. All students should be required to answer the same question.
6. Number of points and time spend in answering the question
must be indicated in each item.
7. Specify the number of words, paragraphs or the number of
sentence for the answer.
8. The scoring system must be discussed or presented to the

Advantage of Essay Test

1. It is easier to prepare and less time consuming
compared to other paper and pencil test.
2. It measures HOTS.
3. It allows students freedom to express
individually in answering the given question.
4. Students have the chance to express their own
ideas.
5. It reduces guessing answer compared to any of
the objective type of test.
6. It presents more realistic task to the students.
7. It emphasizes on the integration and
application of ideas.

Disadvantage of Essay Test

1. It cannot provide an objective measure
of the achievement of the students.
2. It needs so much time to grade and
prepare scoring criteria.
3. The scores are usually not reliable most
specially without scoring criteria.
4. It measures limited amount of contents
and objectives.
5. Low variation of scores.
6. It usually encourages bluffing.

Suggestions for Grading Essay Test

1. Decide on a policy for dealing with
incorrect, irrelevant or illegal responses.
2. Keep scores of the previous read items
out of sight.
3. The students identity should remain
anonymous while his/her paper is being
graded.
4. Read and evaluate each students
answer to the same question before
grading the next question.

5. Provide students with general

grading criteria by which they will
evaluated prior to the examination.
6. Use analytic scoring or holistic
scoring.
7. Answer the test question your self
by writing the ideal answer to it so
that you can develop the scoring
criteria from your answer.
8. Write your comments on their