Deck 8: Teacher-Made Tests of Achievement

Question 1

An example of a "supply" format for a test item is a(n)

A) matching item.
B) distractor.
C) essay question.
D) comprehension question.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Almost any matching question can be

A) changed to an essay question.
B) called discriminatory.
C) transformed to a multiple-choice item.
D) dropped from a test without losing validity.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The two primary potential advantages of teacher-made tests are related to

A) speed of administration and comprehensiveness.
B) curriculum match and sensitivity.
C) reliability and standardization.
D) inexpensiveness and efficiency.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

An example of a "select" format for a test item is a(n)

A) matching item.
B) distractor.
C) essay question.
D) comprehension question.

Question 5

In developing their own tests, teachers must use standardized procedures (such as consistent directions, criteria for scoring, and procedures) in order to be able to

A) get norm-referenced scores.
B) use them with students who are handicapped, as well as with students who are gifted.
C) generate enough test items.
D) compare student performance over time.

Question 6

An accurate characterization of teacher-made tests might be that they are

A) less variable than standardized tests in their reliability and validity.
B) often subjected to public scrutiny.
C) designed to assess achievement within specific curricula.
D) not reliable or valid.

Question 7

Probably the most frequent format used in teachers' assessment of mathematics skills is

A) "see-write."
B) "see-say."
C) "hear-write."
D) "hear-say."

Question 8

Teacher-made tests are appropriate for making decisions related to

A) placement of students in instructional groups.
B) general aptitude.
C) eligibility for special education.
D) determining discrepancies between aptitude and achievement.

Question 9

If you had to develop a true-false test, it would be important to

A) include more true items than false items.
B) make false responses longer, to trick the student.
C) use specific qualifiers, such as "all" or "always."
D) avoid sweeping generalizations.

Question 10

The best way to be sure that a teacher-made test covers the content of instruction is to

A) have the teacher take the test.
B) develop a table of specifications.
C) field-test the test.
D) check for scorer agreement.

Question 11

In current practice, the assessment of written language skills for advanced students usually involves

A) counting correct words written.
B) computer analysis.
C) holistic judgments of content.
D) objective scoring systems.

Question 12

Informal reading inventories are

A) standardized, norm-referenced tests that are independent of curriculum content.
B) examples of a bottom-up assessment approach that begins with very specific skills.
C) useful in determining a student's independent reading level.
D) unreliable and should not be used in classroom assessment.

Question 13

The most problematic aspect of supply questions is the

A) difficulty in developing questions.
B) difficulty in scoring.
C) time required for students to complete them.
D) failure to assess knowledge objectives.

Question 14

Probably the most appropriate test format to use with a student who does not read or write independently is

A) "see-write."
B) "see-say."
C) "hear-write."
D) "hear-say."

Question 15

Increasing the difficulty of matching questions by providing more options than stems or by using an option more than once is

A) a way to increase the validity of items.
B) a procedure that is not recommended.
C) an acceptable procedure for increasing test discrimination.
D) appropriate for older students only.

Question 16

The assessment of critical thinking skills usually is

A) incorporated into social-studies tests.
B) too complicated to assess in any format other than essay questions.
C) delayed until students are in secondary-level or even postsecondary education.
D) assessed in the same way as understanding of information is assessed. ​

Question 17

The use of single summative measures in classroom assessment of student achievement tends to

A) magnify minor technical inadequacies.
B) provide information for modifying instructional sequencing.
C) generate adequate information for assessing student performance.
D) give an informative estimate of progress toward objectives.

Question 18

In deciding what content to include in a test, a guiding principle is to focus on

A) important facts or relationships if the domain is complex.
B) the most difficult facts and relationships if assessing a narrow range of skills.
C) those facts and relationships that the students are most likely to miss.
D) the facts and relationships that most interested the students.

Question 19

The two basic parts of a response set in a multiple-choice item are

A) stem and distractors. ​
B) keyed response and distractors.
C) stem and keyed response.
D) stem and options.

Question 20

Fill-in supply items are useful for assessing

A) knowledge objectives.
B) the application of principles.
C) synthesis objectives.
D) skill performance.

Question 21

List three guidelines that teachers should follow in preparing multiple-choice questions. ​

Question 22

For determining starting places for instruction and for assessing maintenance and generalization of previously learned material, __________ assessments are preferred.

Question 23

In most cases, __________ questions simply should not be used.

Question 24

The only way a teacher can know that test questions are good is to __________ them and make revisions based on the results. ​

Question 25

Teachers generally make up tests to ascertain the extent to which their students have learned or are learning __________.

Question 26

In supply formats, it is generally best for teachers to prepare criteria for a __________ at the time they prepare the question.

Question 27

When making decisions about referral or initial placement in a reading curriculum, teachers often develop __________. ​

Question 28

For day-to-day monitoring of instruction and selecting short-term instructional objectives, __________ assessments are preferred.

Question 29

__________ questions are a variant of multiple-choice questions in which a set of stems is to be associated with a set of options simultaneously.

Question 30

Because students who are taking teacher-made tests generally are given the same materials and directions, and because the same criteria are used in scoring, teacher-made tests cannot be considered __________.

Question 31

Teacher-made tests should not be considered to be __________ if that term is taken to mean haphazard or casual.

Question 32

Multiple-choice questions have two parts: a __________ that contains the question and a response set that contains the correct answer (the keyed response) and incorrect options called __________.

Question 33

Regardless of the test format used, the primary consideration is that the test questions are a __________ of the materials being assessed.

Question 34

Commercially prepared tests are rarely designed to assess achievement within specific __________.

Question 35

Fair assessment implies that the way in which a question is asked is __________ and __________ by the student.

Question 36

Teachers need tests that are __________ to small changes in knowledge.

Question 37

The most commonly used method to assess spelling achievement is the dictation test in __________ format.

Question 38

If one had to decide, without any other information, whether to use a multiple-choice format, a matching format, or a true-false format, which format would be the best to select?

Question 39

The most useful questions for assessing instructional objectives at a comprehension level or higher are __________ questions.

Question 40

In order to conduct frequent assessments that are meaningful, the tests that are used for assessing the same objectives must be __________.

Question 41

What are the two basic aspects of reading that are usually assessed?

Question 42

What type of format is used in a test item that replaces a word with a blank line and requires the student to replace the blank line with an appropriate word?

Question 43

Describe three ways in which reading comprehension might be assessed in beginning readers.