Presented in a workshop/ teacher training program organized by RIE, NCERT, Mysore

1. Testing andEvaluation
Dr. V. RAMADAS
Associate Professor
RIE, NCERT, Mysore
vrdash@gmail.com

2. The unexamined life is
not worth living
-Socrates

3. We are entering the age of the
infinite examination and of compulsory
objectification
-Michel Foucault
Discipline and Punish

4. Measurement,
Assessment and
Evaluation
properties, purposes,
similarities, difference

6. What is a test?
• A tool or procedure used to measure a
particular characteristic
» of a thing, an individual or group of individuals
• Provides information about an individual
» Ability, knowledge, performance, achievement
• All test are means of gathering
information; Not all means of gathering
information are tests.

7. What is Measurement?
• Collection of information in numeric forms
• Assigning numeric values to whatever is
being tested
• Quantity of something.
• Eg. Length, temperature, achievement, intelligence, attitude, aptitude

8. What is assessment?
• A process by which information is obtained
• A test is a special form of assessment
• Assessment includes tests
• All tests are assessment, but not all assessments are tests
• We test/assess to determine whether an objective has been
achieved or not
• Assessment of skill is easy (skill is demonstrable)
• Assessment of understanding is difficult and complex

9. What is evaluation?
• Process of making judgment (value) about
a thing/situation
• Evaluation requires a reliable measurement
or assessment
– Eg. Temperature of this room (290
C)
– Is 290
C is appropriate for learning?
• Evaluation involves:
– Comparison: Between what is intended and what is obtained
– Classification: of objects, situation, people (based on given criteria)

10. Method Vs. Test Vs. Measure Vs.
Assess Vs. Evaluate

11. Assessment v/s Evaluation

15. Types of Test
• Achievement
• Diagnostic
• Aptitude
• Proficiency
• Placement
• Admission
• Summative/formative
• Norm referenced/ Criterion referenced

16. "Anything not understood
in more than one way is
not understood at all."
Let’s look at the test in a
different way

17. • All test are means of gathering
information
• But, not all means of gathering
information are tests

18. Are these tests? Why?
1. When a demographer asks you: “How old
are you?
– You give the information
1. Robinson Crusoe found a footprint on the
beach;
– He got the information that another human
being was on his island

19. All tests contain
a condition of intent
• Tests are planned, arranged and given or
conducted by someone with some
purpose
– A test may involve manipulation of events (Eg. Lab test)
– Manipulation may not be possible or necessary (Study of Planets or Historical events)
• The demographer has a purpose in
collecting the information.
– Still his question is not a test. Why?
• Robinson Crusoe had no intention in
getting the information

20. Representative nature of tests
• A test is a special kind of investigation
• The information collected through a test is
not the it seeks
– Eg. Determining the age of a person lived long ago
• There is difference in the “target information”
and “test results”. ( ‘signifier’ v/s ‘signified’)
• This difference is not there in ‘non-tests’
– Eg. When you tell our age to the demographer

21. The difference between
‘test giver’ and ‘test taker’
• ‘Test giver’ uses test for making decision
or action on ‘test takers’
• Eg. Giving driving license, completion of a course,
admission, fellowship, job, promotion etc.
• Test giver is more powerful than the test
taker (power over)
• This power relations leads to many social
consequences

22. Redefining test
“A test is a representational
technique applied by an agency
to an individual with the intention of
gathering information”
– Hanson (1993). Testing and testing-social consequences of the examined life.

23. Two types of tests
1. Authenticity test
2. Qualifying test:

24. Authenticity test
– To identify some qualitative state of
being of a person (with moral or legal
significance)
• Eg . Drug test, honesty test, chastity test, lie detection etc.
– More prevalent in pre-industrial period
– Still used in modern societies in
different forms

25. Qualifying tests
Measures a person’s ability or
inclination to perform certain activities
Test one’s aptitude/potential or
achieved ability
Two types of qualifying tests:
• General : Eg. Intelligence test, personality test
• Specific: Eg. Skill test for certain occupation

26. • Increased demand fro Qualifying Tests in
modern society
– Due to wide variety if specialized activities

27. Two important
characteristics of tests
1. Tests do not simply report on pre-existing
facts, but they actually produce or
fabricate the traits and capacities that
they supposedly measure
2. Tests acts as techniques for surveillance
and control of the individual in a
disciplinary technology of power.
Hanson (1993). Testing and testing-social consequences of the examined life.

28. Back to our workshop

29. Characteristics of Good Tests
• Validity – the extent to which the test
measures what it intends to measure
• Reliability – the consistency with which a
test measures what it is supposed to
measure
• Usability – the test can be administered
with ease, clarity and uniformity

30. • To be able to prepare a good test, one
should have
– a mastery of the subject matter,
– knowledge of the pupils to be tested,
– skill in verbal expression and
– the use of the different test format

31. Construction of
Achievement Tests
• Planning for the test
• Preparing the test
• Analyzing and revising the test

32. Planning for the test
• Outline subject matter content to be
considered as the basis for the test.
• I identify learning outcomes to be
measured by the test.
• Prepare table of specifications.
• Choose appropriate type(s) of test items
for evaluation of learning outcomes as
summarized in the table of specifications.

33. Preparing the test:
• Write test item s according to rules of construction for the
type(s) chosen.
• Select the items to be included in the test according to
table of specifications.
• Review and edit items according to guidelines.
• Arrange items: decide on a) grouping of items, b)
sequence of items within groups, c) sequence of
groupings.
• Prepare directions for the test; if necessary, prepare
directions for individual items or for sections
• Decide on method of scoring.

34. Analyzing and revising the test:
• Perform test analysis to determine
difficulty, discrimination and reliability.
• Retain, edit as necessary, or discard items
on basis of analysis outcomes.
• Revise the test as a whole if necessary.

35. Major steps in the construction
of achievement tests
• Planning of test
• Preparation of a design for the test
• Preparation of the blue print
• Writing of items
• Preparation of the scoring key and marking scheme
• Preparation of question-wise analysis

36. Design of the test
• Important factors to be considered in
design for the test are:
– Weightage to objectives
– Weightage to content
– Weightage to form of questions
– Weightage to difficulty level.

37. Weightage to objectives
Sl.No Objectives Marks Percentage
1 Knowledge 3 12
2 Understanding 2 8
3 Application 6 24
4 Analysis 8 32
5 Synthesis 4 16
6 Evaluation 2 8
Total 25 100

38. Weightage to form of questions
Sl.No Form of questions No. of Questions Marks Percentage
1 Objective type 14 7 28
2 Short answer type 7 14 56
3 Essay type 1 4 16
Total 22 25 100

39. Weightage to difficulty level
Sl.No Form of questions Marks Percentage
1 Easy 5 20
2 Average 15 60
3 Difficult 5 20
Total 25 100

40. Weightage to content
Sl.No Content Marks Percentage
1 Sub unit - 1 15 60
2 Sub unit - 2 10 40
Total 25 100

41. Blue Print
Objective
s
Form of
Qtn
Content
Knowle
dge
Under-
standing
Applicat
ion
Analys
is
Synthe
sis
Evaluat
ion
Grant
Total
O
S
A
E O SA E O SE E O SA E O SA E O SA E
Sub
Topic- 1
2
(4
1
(2)
2
(4
)
2
(1
)
4
(
1
)
2
(1
)
2
(1
)
15
Sub
Topic – 2
1
(2
)
1
(2)
2
(1
)
4
(
2
)
2
(1
)
10
Total
Marks
3 0 0 2 0 0 2 4 0 0 4 4 0 4 0 0 2 0

42. • Objective based:
– A question should test a pre-determined
objective effectively.
• Instructions:
–It should specify a particular task through
the instructions
• Scope:
–It should indicate the limit and the scope of
the answer (length of answer and time)

43. • Content:
–It should assess the same area of content
which it intends to assess.
• Language:
–It should be framed in a clear, precise and
unambiguous language, well within the
comprehension of the students.
• Difficulty level:
–It should consider the level of the students
–Difficulty level depends upon the content area,
ability to be tested and the time available to
answer it.

44. • Assessing power:
–It must assess between the bright students and
the other students.
• Delimited scope of the answer:
–The scope of the expected answer is clearly
delimited or defined.
• Value points:
–Value points or marks carried by a question as
a whole and its subparts should be clearly
mentioned.