1.3 What to consider before writing test items

This is the third and last video of the first teaching module of the SPOC on "How to write items for measuring Student Progress".

The video discusses issues that item writers should consider before beginning to write test items. These include test blueprinting, concepts of content, face and construct validity, taxonomic levels to be addressed in the items, writing items for high stakes and low stakes tests, and the use of unambiguous and simple wording.

The speaker explains that blueprinting is necessary for selecting learning goals to address in a specific test and ensuring adequate content validity. The content validity of a test refers to how well the test items cover the content or the learning goals of the subject areas addressed by the test. An aspect of content validity is the so-called face validity, which indicates to what extent a test intuitively appears to be valid and to cover the concepts that it strives to cover, which is important in voluntary tests for getting students to engage. The speaker also discusses the taxonomic complexity of test items and how it can be raised by using the item vignette to describe a specific context for the following question or questions.

Finally, the speaker emphasizes the importance of qualitative review of test items and psychometrical analysis of test responses to ensure high construct validity, which is crucial in large-scale longitudinal testing.

1.3 What to consider before writing test items

Further reading