Linda Ch. 6-10

Linda Ch.6-10

In chapter six it is discussing the short-answer type of question. I found the advice of formulating the correct answer and then forming the question to match useful. These types of questions are widely used especially in early elementary grades and in order to really know is their is comprehension of content on the child's part, then the short-answer question must be constructed with care. Given the limitations of simply measuring recall and the likelyhood that the items will be scored erroneously, the chapter was very helpful in supplying ways to assess our own assessment questions. The eleven questions to ask about the short-answer question will be sure to assist in formulating the best test. Some of the eleven questions seem like common sense (like keeping the length of the blanks the same so as not to give a clue to the answer) but they will be invaluable I'm sure.

In chapter seven, which deals with the essay question, I took note of the limitations and advantages but hope to be teaching in the lower elementary grades where I will be limited in the use of this type of questioning. I like that the chapter talked about how the student can be knowlegeable about the answer and yet the amount of time it takes to write out the answer is a limitation. So many times I have taken a test and writen my response only to be limited on the time I could spend on other questions because it took so long for the essay. I am "wordy" and sometimes want to convey my answer with too much information and not enough clarity. I found that online tests (with time limits) make me anxious. If you add to that that i am not a really fast typer-yikes. Back to the essay style questions, I feel as a teacher that these types of questions can be very difficult to grade because of the stated subjectivity and the essays should be used sparingly. If I do teach in the upper level grades, I will be refering to this text I'm sure. The scoring plan was insightful and the advice to be very clear what the capability to be measured is was too. Once again the chapter does a good job of making the advice easy to understand and I like the simplicity of being able to ask myself six questions to see if the essay question is a good one.

In chapter eight, the type of question discussed is multiple-choice. Because this is the most widely used type of question, I found the information helpful, and yet some seemed to be common sense. I think most people know that when it comes to multiple-choice, guessing is a problem and not truly measuring what the person knows is a definate limitation. If the questions are constructed carefully, following the quidelines presented then there will be fewer problems. I do like that it "broadens the traditional definition" and the examples are helpful. One thing of interest is the idea that multiple-choice items take longer to formualte because considerable time is needed to develop alternative answers within each item. In order for it to be a good test, the wrong anwers have to written well as do the correct ones. One consistent thing that is important is that with any type of question, the reading skill required is below the students' ability. I think this is so important, and I'm glad for the reminder to take this into consideration when designing tests.

Chapter nine, figure 9.8 gives question to ask oneself to ensure that the question is a good one. The alternate-choice items are most commonly the true-false type. While easy to construct and grade, the limitations are that guessing is common. The suggestion of correctly anwering false questions with the true answer is something that is common as well. This gives more insight into whether students really understand the concept or not. These types of questions are not only easy to construct but are objectively scored. The most useful advice I found was on page 111 where it states that adjectives and adverbs that imply an indefinite degree should be excluded. I have taken a few tests in the past where the wording is difficult and rereading and rereading is needed to figure out the true question. Suggestions six and eight on the page were helpful as well.

Chapter ten I wish I would have read years ago. I am not always a confident test taker. In the past I would be very anxious and tended to second guess all my answers even if I felt confident in my knowledge before the test began. I hope to remember the struggles of my past and enlist the suggestions in these chapters to create confident test taking students. I often wondered about the computer tests. In the school I am in we give the students a great deal of exposure to taking tests on the computers so they are more confident on state assessments. During the testing days small snacks are given to the students and short breaks are scheduled too. Who knew that taking tests with seperate answer sheets were not good for younger elementary students. Good to know. I can relate to the conditions that depress scores section. In college didn't everyone have at least one professor who assigned a huge exam after a holiday or break? I did. I think the best way to have kids feel o.k. about testing is like the text says, practice and prepare. Just like with any other skill, the more you do it the more confident you'll be in it and the more successful too. We have a gentlemen in our school who teaches "Test Readiness" to all grades. His job is to go to the classroom once a week and teach the skills necessary to perform well on exams. It is extremely beneficial to the students.