Qualities of a Good Test

Table of Content
■ Define Test ■ Table of specification used for
student Benefits

■ Purpose of a Good Test

■ The TOS is a Tool for Every
Teacher
■ Importance of Test Development

■
■ Expert ’s Opinion on (TOS)
Planning of a Good Test

■ Define Table of Specification (TOS) ■ Qualities of a Good Test

■ Purpose of Table of Specification ■ Review of Test by Expert

(TOS)

■ Final Thought
■ Design Table of Specification(TOS)
 Define Test
A test is one form of assessment and refers to procedures
used to measure a learners learning at a specific point in
time.

A test is a major and most commonly used instrument

for the assessment of cognitive behaviors.

The most common type of test is a standardized test

developed to measure skills and knowledge learned in a
given grade level, usually through planned instruction,
such as training and
classroom instruction. (Allan, 1995)
Purpose of a Good Test

■ Tests currently are being used to evaluate students, teacher,

and the entire educational system.

■ A good test can be defined as one that is reliable and valid.

(Linn, 2001)
Importance of Test Development
■ Tests play an important role in evaluation of pupil learning. They provide
relevant measures of many important learning outcomes. The valid
information they provide, however, depends on the care that goes into the
development of the tests. It can help to improve learning by assisting in:

■ Pre-assessing learner’s need.

■ Monitoring learning progress

■ Diagnosing learning difficulties

■ Determining the degree to which the intended learning outcomes have been
attained. (Iqbal , 2001)
Planning of a good Test

■ The main goal of testing is to obtain valid, reliable, and useful

information concerning pupil achievement. This means
determining what is to be measured and then defining it so
precisely that test items can be constructed that evolve the
desired performance. Planning of the test is necessary for valid,
reliable and useful in formations. (Iqbal, 2001)
Define Table of specification

■ A table of specifications is a two-way chart which describes the

topic to be covered by a test and the number of items or points
which will be associated with each topic.
Purpose of Table of Specification

■ The purpose of a table of specification is to identify the achievement

domains being measured and to ensure that a fair representative sample of
questions appear on the test. Teacher cannot measure every topic of
objective and cannot ask every question they might wish to ask.

■ A table of specification provides the teacher with evidence that a test has
content validity, that it covers what should be covered. (Iqbal, 2001)
Design Table of Specification

■ Table of specification typically are designed based on the list of

course objectives, the topics covered in class, the amount of time
on those topics, text books, chapters topics and the emphasis and
space provided in the text.
■ Three steps are involved in creating a table of specification:

■ Choosing the measurement goals and domains to be covered

■ Breaking the domain into key or fairl independent parts concepts, terms,
procedure, and application.

■ Constructing the table.

Frame work of (TOS)
Table of specification used for student benefits

■ Table of specification used for students benefits, including those

with special needs. A table of specification benefits students in two
ways:
■ It improves the validity of teacher made tests.
■ It can improve student’s learning as well.
■ A table of specification helps to ensure that there is a match
between what is taught and what is tested classroom assessment .
■ A table of specification provide the link between teaching and
testing.
 The
■ Table TOS is acantool
of specification for Every
help students Teacher
at all ability levels learn
better.

■ Table of specification can act in the same way as a concepts

map to analyze content areas. Teacher can even collaborate with
students on the construction of the table of specification. What
are the main ideas and topics, what emphasis should be placed
on each topic, what should be on the test? Open discussion and
negotiation of these issues can encourage higher levels of
understanding while also modeling good learning and study
skills.

■ A TOS is one tool that teachers can use to support their

professional judgment when creating or selecting test for use
with their students.
 Expert’s Opinion on TOS
■ Table of specification, sometimes referred to as test blue print, is a table that helps
teachers align objectives, instruction and assessment.(Alde cited Gregory,2006)
Sees table of specification as an activity which enumerates the information and
cognitive tasks on which examinees are to be assessed.

■ Table of specification may be referred to as content of a course or curriculum that

can be broadly defined to include both subject matter content and instructional
objectives. ( Alde cited, Akem 2006) views the table of specification as a guide to
assist a teacher or examiner in the evaluation system.

■ It also suggest what might be covered under each item, take decision on what types
of items to be used.
 Cont…
■ Mehrens and Lehmann (1993) See table of specification as a (blue print) of
a test, the content areas to be covered and the relative emphasis to be placed
on each areas and instructional objectives.

■ Okpala , Onocha and Oyedeji (2003) noted that table of specification

enables the test developers to complete the cells in the table and decide the
percentage of the total number of items that will go to each of the cell.

■ The use of test specifications produces tests of equal difficulty and

discrimination. Besides, their use would also increase test reliability,
validity and test taking strategies and grading consistency.(Bonner,2016)
REVIEW OF TEST
DEVELOPMENT
Characteristics of a good test
Validity
Reliability
usability
 Validity

Does your test actually measure what it is

designed to measure?
Different ways to ensure
Validity
Content
validity
Face validity

Construct Criterion
Validity Validity
 Content Validity
Shows evidence that the test items adequately reflects
the test domain (syllabus)
Goal

To ensure that you comprehensively cover the test

domain of interest
• vocabulary
=====
(A)= =
====== = (B) = =
= = = = ====
= = = ==
====== =
= = =
=====
Face validity
■ Face validity refers to the appearance of the
assessment.
■ Test to a child
If you had a 10 foot piece of string and you cut it in
half, how long would the two pieces be?
■ Test to a carpenter
If you had a 10 foot piece of board and you cut it in
half, how long would the two pieces be?
Construct Validity

■ Shows evidence that a test adequately captures the concept

(construct) that it is designed to capture
Criterion validity

■ It is based on the test and an appropriate

external criterion.
Another test
Criteria
Rating by
an expert

■ Goal is to show that your test scores actually lead

to predicted (e.g.,) behavioral outcomes either
now (concurrent) or in the future (predictive).
Concurrent and Predictive
validity
■ A test of dictionary skill ■ Test to predict
achievements
■
■

■ High Correlation of
results… replaceable
 Factors influencing the validity of a test
■ Clear directions
■ Language
■ Difficulty level of items
■ Time limit
■ Extraneous factors
 Reliabilit
Reliability y
Does your tests have consistent results?

a b le
i
R e l st
te

82% 80% 81%

 Methods of reliability

Equivalent-
Test-retest
form

Cronbach
Split-half alpha

Inter-rater
■ In determining reliability, it would be desirable
to obtain two sets of measures under identical
conditions and then compare the results.
■ The correlation coefficient is used to determine
reliability that indicates the degree of
relationship between two sets of scores intended
to be measures of the same characteristic
■ A positive relationship is indicated by 1.00 and
no relationship by 0.00. Measure of stability in
the 0.80 range is commonly reported for
standardized tests.
 Test-retest Equivalent-form
■ A reliable test should have Two or more different versions
similar scores over time
of an assessment that measure
the same concept.
 Split-half Cronbach alpha
■ The assessment is administered to ■ A method of estimating the
a group of students then is reliability of assessment scores
divided in half ( even and odd) from a single administration is by
for scoring purposes means of formulas
■ . Kuder-Richardson formula 20
(KR-20). Yes or no
■ Cronbach alpha formula. 5
point scale
Inter-rater Factors influencing reliability

■ Two or more raters must

independently score the
• Length of the test
performances obtained in the • Objectivity of scoring
form of test.
• Difficulty of the test
Test 1 Test 2
• Testing conditions
Inter-rater 1 78 90

Inter-rater 2 75 69 • Ambiguity
reliability yes no
Validity & Reliability
Usability

■ The most reliable and valid tests will not achieve anything if
they are not useable or practicable
■ Ease of administration
■ Ease of interpretation and application
■ Ease of scoring
 Final Thought
■ The sum and substance of the whole discussion is that A TOS is one tool that
teachers can use to support their professional judgment when creating or
selecting test for use with their students. The TOS can be used in conjunction
with lesson and unit planning to help teacher make clear the connections
between planning, instruction, and assessment. TOS indicate the levels of
cognitive processing that the examinees will be expected to use in responding
to specific items (e.g., Knowledge, Application).

■ A typical test blueprint is presented in a two-way matrix with the content areas
listed in the table rows and the cognitive Processes in the table columns.

■ The test specifications for an exam program provide essential planning

materials for the test development process. Thorough, thoughtful test
specifications can guide the remainder of the test development process,
especially item writing efforts and test assembly.
■ It is very important for a test to be valid, reliable and useable.
Without these characteristics, a test cannot evaluate and justify
the whole assessment procedure.
THANK YOU