Exam 2: What to study for it.
Chapters 7-12
Note:
·
You will need to know well the concepts of reliability and validity.
Everything we talked about for the last four weeks was meant to help you
enhance the validity of your tests, and reliability is an essential prerequisite
for validity.
·
Entries A2 and A3 below are very important. There are lots of questions
about them because there are many item types to compare.
A.
TYPES of test items:
1.
definitions/forms/varieties
within categories (objective-subjective; selection-supply; T/F, MC, etc.),
2.
principles
for selecting one item type over another (relevance, reliability, etc.),
3.
similarities
and differences (form/freedom, purpose in using, advantages/limitations).
B.
Principles/problems in CONSTRUCTING items:
1.
Short-answer,
completion, T/F, matching (compared to more complex
items)
2.
MC-stems,
distracters,
3.
Interpretive--intro,
items, keys,
4.
RR,
ER essays,
5.
RR,
ER performance tasks,
6.
How
to avoid common threats to validity (all the principles for B1-B5 get at
this issue!)
C.
Principles for SCORING items:
1.
selection
type—do weighting or corrections for guessing? Answer: Experts differ somewhat,
but your instructor’s and textbook’s answer is “no.” Just give students plenty
of time to take the test so they can finish all the items.
2.
rubrics
for essays, performance tasks: (a) types (holistic, analytic), (b) principles
for developing/using, (c) impact on reliability and validity
3.
rating
scales and checklists for performance tasks: (a) types of (product vs. process;
behaviorally anchored, numerical, etc.), (b) types of systematic rater errors
(generosity, halo, etc.), (c) principles for reducing errors (use rubrics,
cover names, etc.)
D.
PORTFOLIOS:
1.
definition,
uses/purposes (assessment, instruction, communication, etc.)
2.
4
distinctions in emphasis (assessment vs. instruction, finished vs. working,
accomplishment vs. progress, showcase vs. documentation) and how they relate to
differences in purpose
3.
strengths
and weaknesses relative to other forms of assessment
4.
specifying
guidelines for entries and student role in selecting them