Selected+Response+Assessment+in+the+Online+Environment

=** Creating a Test Blueprint (Week Four)  ** = = =  Just as a blueprint outlines the fundamental structure of a building, a test blueprint outlines the structure of an assessment. One would never attempt to build a house without a plan. To do so is to risk the construction of a house that does not meet the needs of the occupants; the same is true for an assessment.

Assessments need to reflect the objectives and priorities of the teacher. For example, one of the most common areas of assessment "mismatch" is when we use the test that "comes with the book". This is fine, as long as you follow the teacher's manual step by step, spending the same quantity of time on each component of the text as the test reflects. If not, the assessment is no longer aligned with your objectives and priorities, and isn't a fair measure of student knowledge as a result of your instruction.

Test blueprints are used by each of the 50 states to determine the distribution of questions for NCLB/competency testing. You can view the test blueprint for the State of Missouri at this link: http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/acad/osa/blueprints/. What do these blueprints tell you about the curricular priorities in English/Language Arts and Mathematics?

A blueprint can also act as a study guide for students. If student know the objectives and likely distribution of points within the blueprint they will know where to place their priorities when studying, making their studying more effective and increasing the chance of student mastery of your key objectives. A sample "study guide" blueprint is available at http://www.schreyerinstitute.psu.edu/pdf/Suzannes_resource_pg50.pdf.

While it is relatively straightforward to create a test blueprint (Microsoft Word is the logical choice for tables) the identification of the objectives, the ratio of knowledge to reasoning questions, and the types of reasoning to be assessed requires careful thought.

**Activity:**

 * 1) Read the basic elements of test blueprint construction at @http://www.edtech.vt.edu/edtech/id/assess/blueprint.html.
 * 2) Identify the curricular elements you wish to assess, isolating the knowledge and reasoning elements. You do not need to include all the different reasoning types - two to three will be enough for this activity.
 * 3) Create a blank table in Microsoft Word (or software of your choice) similar to the model in Step One of this activity.
 * 4) Place the goals and objectives down the left hand column.
 * 5) Identify the type and number of questions in the intersection of each column and row.
 * 6) Explain the decisions that you made, i.e. why did you select the number and type of questions for each cell? How did the number and type of questions reflect your curricular priorities?
 * 7) The instructor will review your text blueprint and provide feedback prior to your development of the actual assessment.

=**Creating the Assessment (Week 5) **=  Now that you have your blueprint you can begin developing your assessment. 1. Begin by completing the readings in the folder labeled "Week Five Readings - Creating Selected Response Assessments." 2. Using your test blueprint as a guide create two items for each completed cell on your blueprint. 3. Use the following as a guide:
 * =  ||= == Knowledge == ||= == Analysis == ||= == Synthesis == ||= == Comprehension == ||
 * = ==Objective 1 .== ||= ==true/false (2)== ||= == == ||= == == ||= == == ||
 * = ==Objective 2 .== ||= == == ||= ==multiple choice (4)== ||= == == ||= == == ||
 * = ==Objective 3 .== ||= ==multiple choice (4)== ||= == == ||= ==matching (6)== ||= == == ||
 * = ==Objective 4 .== ||= ==multiple choice (3)== ||= == == ||= == == ||= ==multiple choice (4)== ||

You would need to complete 2 knowledge questions for Objectives One, Three, and Four; 2 analysis multiple choice questions for Objective Two, 2 synthesis matching questions for Objective 3, and 2 comprehension multiple choice questions for Objective 4. This is a total of //**12 questions**// rather than the //**23 questions**//

4. Place your quiz online at one of the following sites. If you have access to another online assessment site, such as Moodle, please feel free to use that in place of the following links. outlined in the sample blueprint.  5. If possible give a trial run of your assessment to a small group of students. Ask students to reflect upon the process of taking an assessment online versus on paper. What did they see as positives? What did they see as negatives? If it isn't possible to give your assessment to students reflect upon the process of giving/grading an assessment online. What do you see as positives? What do you see as negatives? What issues do you see may be raised with online assessment practices?
 * Quia: @http://www.quia.com/web Please note: 30 day free trial, after that subscription
 * ProPROFS Quiz School: @http://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">QuizCenter: @http://school.discoveryeducation.com/quizcenter/quizcenter.html
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">QuizStar: @http://quizstar.4teachers.org/ Please note: 60 day free trial, after that subscription

6. Submit your assessment and reflection to the instructor.

<span style="background-color: #a348a3; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">ONLINE ASSESSMENT

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 196%;">To take online assessment, click here: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 168%;">[]

Since I am presently on maternity leave, I could not give this quiz to students to see if my questions assessed the targets I was looking to assess. However, although this is the first time I have created an online quiz, I do see both advantages and disadvantages with using online assessment in the K-12 classroom. However, most of the disadvantages that I do see, I think can be overcame with some practice and students (and teachers) gaining more familiarity with the process of online assessment. Pros include efficiency with grading, instant feedback to students, use of images and visuals to aid special needs students or visual learners, and use of technology in content areas. The biggest con I see is not getting valid results either because of technical obstacles or cheating.

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