Alternate Choice Test Items

1
Alternate Choice Test Items

• Easy to write (?), easy to grade, guessing is
  high
• Good alternate choice tests are actually
  difficult to write
• Many objectives can be tested quickly
• Write items definitely
• Use short statements
• Avoid absolutes (always, all, never, only)
• Alternatives tend, generally, usually
• You may require revision of false statements
  (underline revise)

2
Alternate Choice Test Items

• Trick questions are seldom appropriate
• Avoid double negatives
• Highlight or emphasize negatives
• Avoid double-barreled items
• Write approximately equal numbers of each
  alternative
• Keep statements the same approximate length
• Avoid a systematic order
• Avoid taking statements directly from the text
  and placing them out of context
• Use other symbols other than T/F, G/O, O/Q, N/M

3
Alternate Choice Test Items

• T F - High IQ children always get high grades
  in school
• Guns should not be outlawed unless they are never
  fired
• The Duroc is a red breed of swine with erect ears

4
Matching Test Items

• Easy to grade
• Appropriate for associations between facts
• Emphasize facts and memorization
• Problems when using many scan sheets
• Keep the list and descriptions short (8-12)
  homogeneous
• Arrange in a logical order

5
Matching Test Items

• Use plausible distractors
• Descriptions should be in the left column and
  longer
• Lists should be in the right column and short
  phrases, words, or symbols
• Descriptions should be numbers, lists lettered
• Include more options than descriptors instruct
  as such

6
Completion Test Items

• Easy to write, easy to grade, guessing is low
• Many answers could be correct
• Refer to alternate choice rules
• Avoid grammatical clues
• Write items so there is a single word answer
• A question is usually better
• Omit only key words from statements
• Avoid awkward sentences
• Word so that the blank is near the end of the
  sentence

7
Essay/Short Answer Test Items

• Easy to write, bears to grade, guessing is low,
  bluffing is high
• Also measure communication skills
• Write the items for specific answers
• Grade on evidence instead of opinion
• Avoid giving students options in answering
• Establish reasonable time page limits
• Grade using a scoring scheme
• Rubric

8
Multiple Choice Test Items

• Hard to write, easy to grade, guessing is
  reasonable
• Like alternate choice, items can become tricky
• Use longer stems than choices
• Use only one correct answer
• Use plausible distractors
• Avoid grammatical clues double negatives
• Avoid negative statements
• If used emphasize the negative
• Include 4-5 options Put in logical order
• Avoid None of the Above and All of the Above

9
Multiple Choice Test Items

• Red pigs with droopy ears are __________
• A. Hampshire
• B. Yorkshire
• C. Duroc
• D. Hard of hearing
• E. None of the Above
• F. All of the Above

10
Quantitative Item Analysis

• A numerical method for analyzing test items
  (usually alternate choice, matching, or multiple
  choice)
• Difficulty Index (P) The proportion of students
  who answered the item correctly
• Discrimination Index (D) Measure of the extent
  to which a test item differentiates between
  students who do well and those who do not do well

11
Quantitative Item Analysis

• The Discrimination Index
• Positive Those who did well chose the correct
  answer more than those who did poorly
• Negative Those who did poorly chose the correct
  answer more than those who did well
• Zero No discrimination between those who did
  well and poorly

12
Qualitative Item Analysis

• Are the items based on the objectives?
• Do the distracters distract?
• Is there only one correct answer?
• Or do the students have to find the MOST
  correct answer?