Student tests should include a variety of question types. Selected response questions allow for variety and depth of knowledge. In the book Classroom Assessment Essentials, author Susan M. Brookhart provides guidelines for writing four different types of selected response test questions as follows (pp. 121-131):
- Fill-in-the-blank: Write these as questions if possible. Have a single correct answer. Make sure the question itself is written with a blank or blanks at the end. The blanks should correspond to the words in the response. The blanks should all be the same length.
- True-false: Have a single correct answer. Focus on one important concept. Be sure that your question is unquestionably true or false. Make all true-false questions about the same length.
- Matching: Give clear directions for matches. Keep the matching exercise to ten or fewer items. Keep the content homogenous within the exercise. Keep longer phrases in the premises and keep shorter phrases in the responses. Order the responses in some logical manner (alphabetically, chronologically, etc.). Construct the items in such a way that the process of elimination cannot be used to generate answers.
- Multiple-choice: Have stems that ask or imply a question. Have a single correct or best choice response in the mix. Have choices that are plausible. Use only distractors that are common misconceptions. Avoid “all of the above” or “none of the above” if possible.
As you prepare for next week, think of how you might use these suggestions to create more meaningful assessment questions. You and your students will be glad you did!
Phil Harrison Coaching 