Possible Exam 2 Questions

1. a) What are three considerations in the design of an authentic assessment that can affect the validity of the inferences drawn from that assessment? Pick one of the considerations you described and explain how it can affect validity.
b) What are three considerations in the design of a traditional assessment that can affect the validity of the inferences drawn from that assessment? Pick one of the considerations you described and explain how it can affect validity.

2. a) According to the chapter on Constructing Good Tests, identify three possible problems with the design of the following multiple choice question.

b) Explain how you could correct each of the three problems you identified in the question.

Goals, standards and objectives are all statements of what students should know and be able to do. More and more, schools, districts and states are writing extensive sets of these statements. Goals, standards and objectives differ from each other along the dimensions of breadth and amenability to assessment. For example, a standard is different than a goal in that

a. standards typically cover more subject matter and are less amenable to assessment than goals.

b. standards typically are more content than process focused and are more amenable to assessment than goals.

c. standards typically cover less subject matter and are more amenable to assessment than goals.

d. standards typically are more process than content focused and are more amenable to assessment than goals.

3. Write a good multiple-choice question covering material presented in class on assessment. The question should be written to address a level above Knowledge/Remember on Bloom's Taxonomy. Identify the correct answer for your question. Explain how the question addresses the particular level(s) in Bloom's Taxonomy that you believe it assesses.

4. a) Describe two reasons (described in the reading) why a teacher should be cautious about using a standardized assessment as a valid measure of his/her students' learning in the classroom.

b) How might the results of a standardized assessment be useful to a school or district?

5. A teacher comes up to you and says, "Hey, you took that assessment course. Maybe you can help me with this multiple-choice test I am writing. Any advice you can give me?"

a) If you could only tell this teacher three things about how best to construct a multiple-choice test, what would those three things be?

b) Explain how two of the pieces of advice you gave her should help the validity of the test.

c) Explain how one of the pieces of advice you gave her should help the reliability of the test.

6. a) Construct a rubric to assess the Critique 2 assignment I gave you. Include descriptors. The assignment is worth 25 points.

b) Explain why you weighted the criteria the way you did.

c) Explain why you constructed one type of rubric (analytic or holistic) and why that you think that was a better choice of the two for this task.

Note: Question 6 is a DOUBLE question. That is, if I include it on the exam it will be worth 20 points, and I will only ask three other questions on the exam.

7. In what ways and why is a growth portfolio likely to be constructed differently than a showcase portfolio?

8. a) Explain how rubrics can be used to deliver the three elements of effective feedback for student performance discussed in class.

b) Explain how rubrics can also be used to promote and develop student self-assessment skills.