The video is the 5 of 10 videos in the SPOC "Writing test items for measuring student progress" produced by the VetRepos project.

In this video, the speaker, Jakob Wandall, explains how to write a good item for formative purposes by focusing on the most important issues: the purpose, the content, and the measurement quality. The video covers different types of multiple-choice item formats, how to write questions, and how to select response categories. The speaker provides examples and explains how to avoid common mistakes in item writing. The most common misunderstandings that teachers face when writing items are also discussed. Furthermore, the video emphasizes the importance of choosing an item format that matches the content to be tested. Four main item formats are suggested: classical multiple -choice item, MC-matrix, cloze items, and open-ended items. Examples are provided to help explain how to write better questions and distractors, as well as how to avoid complex response categories. The video concludes by stating that by carefully choosing the best item formats, one can improve the quality of measurements and enhance learning.

The next video concerns how you as a teacher can assure qualitative review of test items by peers and students before prior to using items in tests.

Further reading

Haladyna, Thomas M. ; Downing, Steven M., Applied measurement in education, 1989, Vol.2 (1), p.37-50,
Haladyna, Thomas M., and Rodriguez, Michael C.. Developing and Validating Test Items. London: Taylor & Francis Group, 2013. Accessed May 9, 2023. ProQuest Ebook Central. (link to ebook)