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Constructing Test Items

Multiple-Choice, Constructed-Response, Performance and Other Formats

  • Book
  • © 1998

Overview

Authors:
  1. Steven J. Osterlind

    1. University of Missouri-Columbia, USA

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Part of the book series: Evaluation in Education and Human Services (EEHS, volume 47)

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Table of contents (9 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-vii
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  2. What Is Constructing Test Items?

    Pages 1-16

  3. Definition, Purpose, and Characteristics of Items

    Pages 17-57

  4. Determining the Content for Items: Validity

    Pages 59-105

  5. Starting to Write Items: Practical Considerations

    Pages 107-160

  6. Style, Editorial, and Publication Guidelines for Items in the Multiple-choice Format

    Pages 161-202

  7. Style, Editorial, and Publication Guidelines for Items in Constructed-response/Performance Formats

    Pages 203-214

  8. Style, Editorial, and Publication Guidelines for Items in Other Common Formats

    Pages 215-251

  9. Judging the Quality of Test Items: Item Analysis

    Pages 253-299

  10. Ethical, Legal Considerations, and Final Remarks for Item Writers

    Pages 301-308

  11. Back Matter

    Pages 310-339
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Keywords

About this book

Constructing test items for standardized tests of achievement, ability, and aptitude is a task of enormous importance. The interpretability of a test's scores flows directly from the quality of its items and exercises. Concomitant with score interpretability is the notion that including only carefully crafted items on a test is the primary method by which the skilled test developer reduces unwanted error variance, or errors of measurement, and thereby increases a test score's reliability. The aim of this entire book is to increase the test constructor's awareness of this source of measurement error, and then to describe methods for identifying and minimizing it during item construction and later review.
Persons involved in assessment are keenly aware of the increased attention given to alternative formats for test items in recent years. Yet, in many writers' zeal to be `curriculum-relevant' or `authentic' or `realistic', the items are often developed seemingly without conscious thought to the interpretations that may be garnered from them. This book argues that the format for such alternative items and exercises also requires rigor in their construction and even offers some solutions, as one chapter is devoted to these alternative formats.
This book addresses major issues in constructing test items by focusing on four ideas. First, it describes the characteristics and functions of test items. A second feature of this book is the presentation of editorial guidelines for writing test items in all of the commonly used item formats, including constructed-response formats and performance tests.
A third aspect of this book is the presentation of methods for determining the quality of test items. Finally, this book presents a compendium of important issues about test items, including procedures for ordering items in a test, ethical and legal concerns over using copyrighted test items, item scoring schemes, computer-generateditems and more.

Authors and Affiliations

  • University of Missouri-Columbia, USA

    Steven J. Osterlind

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Constructing Test Items

  • Book Subtitle: Multiple-Choice, Constructed-Response, Performance and Other Formats

  • Authors: Steven J. Osterlind

  • Series Title: Evaluation in Education and Human Services

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/0-306-47535-9

  • Publisher: Springer Dordrecht

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

  • Copyright Information: Springer Science+Business Media New York 1998

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-0-7923-8077-1Published: 31 December 1997

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-94-017-4099-9Published: 03 October 2013

  • eBook ISBN: 978-0-306-47535-1Published: 17 December 2005

  • Edition Number: 2

  • Number of Pages: IX, 339

  • Topics: Assessment, Testing and Evaluation

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