A makerspace is a place where people create artifacts while sharing ideas, equipment, and knowledge. In so doing, makers develop a range of knowledge and skills, such as creativity, problem-solving, collaboration, and self-regulation, to help them achieve their goals. These skills are broadly touted as key for learning and transferable across…

This article examines the issue of the quality of teacher-produced tests, limiting itself in the current context to objective, multiple-choice tests. The article investigates a short, two-part 20-item English language test. After a brief overview of the key test qualities of reliability and validity, the article examines the two subtests in terms…

A standardized exam for program-level assessment can take the form of 1) a customized exam developed in-house by faculty and linked explicitly to program-level learning goals; or 2) a standardized exam developed externally by assessment experts and linked to a set of somewhat broader and more generalizable learning goals. This article discusses…

With the increasing amount of testing taking place in classrooms, teachers may question how appropriate those assessments are for the growing numbers of English language learners (ELLs) in the United States. One of the assessment options for classroom teachers is the informal reading inventory (IRI), which is the most frequently used assessment…

The purpose of this paper is to share the effectiveness of the word study program "Words Their Way" (Bear et. al., 2008) to improve spelling retention of first graders in a regular education classroom in the Spring of 2012. After implementing a traditional spelling program and seeing students continuously spell previous spelling words…

As the field of education moves forward in the area of assessment, researchers have yet to come to a conclusion about definitions of commonly used terms. Without a consensus on the use of fundamental terms, it is difficult to engage in meaningful discourse within the field of assessment, as well as to conduct research on and communicate about best…

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of Total Physical Response by Storytelling and the traditional teaching method on a foreign language in a selected high school. The sample consisted of 30 students who were randomly selected and randomly assigned to experimental and control group. The experimental group was taught using Total…

This National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) module is designed to help teachers understand test reliability requirements. Focus is on the reliability of scores from teacher-made achievement tests used for interpreting norm-referenced scores. Reliability, factors affecting scores, reliability estimation methods, reliability's relation…

Despite their richness, student portfolios and other assessment records see little use beyond the individual teacher. The current system also limits use of teacher-gathered assessments by other interested parties. For school-related decisions, standardized test scores should be considered in conjunction with teachers' assessments. (MLH)

The definition, nature, limitations, and strengths of multiple-choice test items are reviewed; and recommendations on the development and use of such items are presented. Many teacher-made multiple-choice tests can be significantly improved. Suggestions for layout organization and an interpretive approach to relationships among items on one test…

Essay tests, despite their limitations, have a number of strengths and, therefore, appropriate uses in higher education, as long as users are aware of the limitations. Essay questions (extended response and restricted response) are designed to assess student learning. There is considerable agreement in the educational measurement literature about…

Outlines some practical procedures for assessing test quality. Tests are relevant when learning outcomes have been correctly defined, when test content is aligned with instructional objectives, and when test and instructional formats are similar. Reliable tests follow administration, scoring, and interpretation procedures and consider difficulty…

By asking several questions, educators can ensure that instructional decisions are based on data from sound assessment instruments. Teachers must consider an instrument's purpose, its effects on improving instruction, its strengths and weaknesses, variables affecting student performance and teacher perception of performance, and what to do…

This paper demonstrates how an analysis of the "Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing" (1985) can define the body of knowledge needed by teachers for the effective use of tests in classroom instruction. Procedures are described for identifying standards relevant to teachers' roles and their behavior. (SLD)

Elementary teachers often spend so much time on reading, writing, and mathematics that science gets short shrift. Since science instruction is weak, testing is disappointing. This article suggests ways to improve large-scale and teacher-controlled science assessments. A sidebar lists questions to ask about tests. Includes 12 references. (MLH)