1. BEFORE VIEWING and READING this week’s materials, as a previous test-taker, what is your level of confidence in creating test items for students? Why?

 

     As a previous test-taker, I feel as though I am fairly confident when creating test taking items for students. Having said that, I am not sure if the questions I create are actually good since I never had any formal lessons or guidance on how to make good questions for tests. My confidence is due to several things. I have had some math question training during PD days at previous practicums, which have helped me think about questioning. I also consider my own personal experience and have an understanding of what good open ended/ close-ended questions look like. Lastly, I feel confident due to the knowledge I have gained at the faculty when examining things such as Learning For All and Growing Success. I should also mention that the AT’s that I have had in practicum have been good mentors for me and have reviewed the tests I create with me to help me in the question making process. This has helped me to be reflective and learn about what things need to be considered when creating good test questions.

 

2. These past 16 months we have stressed the importance of authentic assessment practices to optimize your students’ learning experiences. Why are we now introducing tests and creating test items?

 

     Although authentic assessment is the most important piece when considering student learning, there is no avoiding tests in education. Tests are a valid form of assessment and can be good for assessment as, for and of learning. It is a good way to get a glimpse at the information students have retained and to know right away, what they have learned. Testing is also something that can be out of the teachers control when we look at tests such as EQAO. It is something all students will have to face so we should learn to do it well. Tests can either be great or terrible tools, so it is imperative that we learn how to make tests great so that we can help our students to succeed.

 

3. AFTER VIEWING and READING, what are your key take-aways?

 

     A key takeaway I took from the readings on test creation was the importance of the different kinds of test questions. Matching questions provide little opportunity for teachers to assess higher order thinking, while open-ended questions can incorporate higher order thinking skills. Even multiple-choice questions can provide some opportunities for higher order thinking, depending on the way it is structured. Another key takeaway from the readings is that good questions should be challenging to write. Test questions should never always be obvious facts but should provoke discussion and crucial thinking which takes in all of the learning that has happened. A final takeaway from the readings is that tests have positive and negatives aspects and teachers should use their own discretion when giving a test. It can be positive since it is an easy way for teachers to examine the learning. It can be negative due to it giving an invalid assessment of knowledge due to lack of differentiation or test anxiety.

 

4. What specific and practical steps will you personally take to ensure that any test items or test that you create adhere to sound principles of assessment that guide our practice as described in Growing Success?

 

• Examine the classroom profile and find out what type of learners are in the classroom/what kind of differentiated learning is needed

• Make the questions fair and well written. Have peers examine your test to make sure it is consistent

• Allow students to answer the questions in various ways (for example, draw diagrams, write sentences)

• Have different types of questions (knowledge and understanding, communication etc…)

• Offer alternative assessment for those who need it or provide accommodations within the learning environment

• Compare my test questions with some of the resources provided to make sure that it is structured well