UNIT TEST/ACHIEVEMENT TEST

 UNIT TEST/ACHIEVEMENT TEST

Teaching and testing are the integral part of educational system. Testing is implicit in teaching some of the stages, which may be properly marked for testing procedures.

1.       During teaching.

2.       At the end of teaching a daily lesson.

3.       At the end of teaching a unit.

4.       At the end of the term.

5.       At the end of the year/curriculum.

   A test at the end of a teaching unit is known as the unit test.

Usually the test / Examinations are held based on the entire syllabus. A unit test is not a random assessment of questions. It is preplanned, systematic and scientific test.

A unit test is a test which is constructed, administered and assessed by a teacher after teaching a particular unit to the students.

Characteristics of Achievement test:

1.       Unit test is an Evaluation tool for measurement of pupils and knowledge achievement and to improve by giving feedback.

2.       It is based on a single unit.

3.       It is administered at the completions of the unit.

4.       It is clear from the above evidence that a unit testing is an integral part of teaching process. Unit testing makes instruction a dynamic process through continuous evaluation and regular feedback.

Steps for setting up a Achievement test:

      The steps for setting up a good and meaningful unit test are,

 A) Planning (Design) of the test:

1.       Unit Analysis

2.       Content Analysis

3.       Weightage to content.

4.       Weightage to type of questions.       

5.       Weightage to objectives.

6.       Weightage to difficulty level.

7.       Preparation of Blue print.

B) Editing the Achievement test:

1.       Construction of items

2.       Selection of items

3.       Grouping of test items.

4.       Instructions of Examinee.

5.       Sections in the question paper.

6.       Preparing a marking scheme and scoring key.

C)  Reviewing the Question Paper:

1.       Question-wise analysis.

2.       Critical evaluation of the test.

D)  Administering the Test:

E) Interpret the test results:

1.       Score the answer scripts.

2.       Item analysis (After the test)

F) Statistical Treatment:

1.       Based on measures of central tendency values.

2.       Based on quartile points.

3.       Based on frequency polygon & histogram.

A) Planning (Design) of a unit test:

As it is obvious that, a planning made carefully to begin with, the design of the test is prepared so that it may be used as an effective instrument of evaluation. A proper design would increase the validity, reliability, objectivity and suitability of the test.

           The following aspects have to be looked up on while planning for a unit test and they are.

1.  Unit analysis:

       Here the teacher must analysis the whole unit into its sub-units, sub-units may be listed under sub headings and must be organized logically.

2. Content analysis:

      The content analysis must be done for each one of the sub unit separately by listing the important facts, concepts, principles, generalizations etc.

3. Weightage to objectives:

     The relative importance of each objective is to be considered. For informative subject Mathematics the objectives are knowledge understanding, application and skill. The main task here is to decide the weightage to be given to the different objectives include in the unit plan. This weightage should be decided by a committee of experts, including the classroom teacher.

 

Sl.No	Objective	Marks	Percentage
1	Remembering	5	10%
2	Understanding	15	30%
3	Applying	20	40%
4	Skill	10	20%
	Total	50	100%

 

4. Weightage to content:

The content of a unit is taught in the classroom by providing suitable learning experiences. All the subject matter will not have equal importance. Therefore, in order to test the understanding of the content, a proper weightage must be given looking into the nature, scope & importance of the content. The content weightage must be given in such unit wise and teacher must see no content/sub unit should left out.

 

Sl.No	Sub Units	Marks	Percentage
1	Concept of sets	5	10%
2	Set notation	5	10%
3	Types of sets	15	30%
4	Sub sets	5	10%
5	Union set	5	10%
6	intersection of set	5	10%
7	Venn diagram	10	20%
	Total	50	100%

 

5.  Weightage to type of questions:

For testing different abilities and subunits, different forms of using traditional form the essay questions.

              In order to test various learning out comes we have to use objective type, very short answer type, short answer type and easy type questions. We have to use these types of questions must given weightages on the basis of their adequacy etc. So that they can achieve our Instructional objectives.

Sl.No	Type of Questions	No. of Questions	Marks	Percentage of marks
01	Objective	25	9	18%
02	Short answer Type	8	16	32%
03	Essay type	3	25	50%
	Total	36	50	100%

 

6.  Weightage to difficulty level:

                 It is an accepted fact that in a class room there are 3 types of pupil’s average above, below average; accordingly, the test should not be difficult not too easy. The test should provide suitable opportunity to the bright, medium and weak students in class. The teacher expected to classify the items in three levels-difficult average and easy.

Difficulty level	Marks	Percentage
Easy	15	30%
Average	25	50%
Difficult	10	20%
Total	50	100%

 

 

 7. The Blue-Print:

         The blue print is a 3-dimensional chart showing the weightage given to objectives, content and types of questions in terms of marks.

   The blue print serves many useful purposes.

1.       It helps to improve the content validity of teacher made tests.

2.       It defines as clearly as possible the scope and emphasis of the test.

3.       It relates objectives to content.

4.       It acts as a guide to construct the unit test.

 

  Blue print

 

Content

Knowledge

Understanding

Application

Skill

Total

Sub Unit I

Sub Unit II

Sub Unit III

 

B) Editing the unit test:

Once the design is thoroughly prepared. The next step is to edit the test in the form at question paper. In editing the test, the following points to be keep in the mind.

1.  Construction of items:

       A teacher must construct or prepare number of questions on the unit. The items must be of variety. Like essay type, very short answer type, short answer type and objective type etc. The construction of test items it is necessary to identify the objectives and its specification that the item intends to measure. The items should over all sub units.

2.  Selection of test items:

       The teacher must select the relevant item according to blue print, based on objectives content coverage, type of question required. They should have scoring key and marking scheme for better clarify.

3.  Grouping of Test items:

We have to group the selected test items into different categories depending on the type of items.

4.  Instructions to Examinee:

      There are two types of instruction in the question paper

1.       General instruction

2.       Specific instruction

            The general instruction must be given in the beginning of question paper.

a)       This paper has two/three sections (A, B, C)

b)       All questions in the section is compulsory

c)       About time, medium of answering.

              The specific instructions enable the examinee to understand how to respond to a question.

5.  Sections in the Question Paper:

   Generally, the objective type items grouped under section a short answer in section B, Essay type in Section C.

6. Preparing marking scheme and scoring key:

  The marking scheme should be prepared for the essay and short answer type of questions only the important points to be written in the expected answer in scheme. The expected answer must be allotted with certain amount of time.

       The scoring key must be prepared for the objective type items.

C) Reviewing the question paper:

   1) Question wise analysis:

    Each Question must be considered separately and analyzed in terms of its sub unit, objective and specifications type of question marks allotted, time limit for answering.

                The purpose of Question wise analysis also to know the strength and weaknesses of question paper, To tally the question paper with blue print, to determine the content validity and for the satisfaction of paper setter.

 

Sl No.	Sub Unit	Objectives	Specification	Type of Q.	Marks	Time Limit	Difficulty Level

 

2)  Critical Evaluation of the Test:

It is done to ensure the correctness, relevancy working and distracter of the item. All the Questions must be free from grammatical errors and relevant to the unit taught, age level of examinee and the distracter are homogenously given in objective questions.

         The question paper must cover the whole content. The test paper must be graded according to their difficulty level.

  No guess work should be encouraged.

D)  Administer the test: 

The revised question paper should be administered to the students. The teacher gives instruction to students and he should see teacher should supervise the unit test.

E) Interpret the test results:

Score the answer script:  Each student’s answer is numerically quantified and a list of individual students score in prepared.

The item wise analysis is done to know the validity of each test item separately and then the item difficulty index is calculated.

 

F) Statistical Analysis:

The raw scores obtained from the scoring of the test papers. After that construct a table of frequency distribution. In this table, the teacher takes appropriate class intervals and relevant frequencies. After preparing the table the teacher calculates central tendency i.e., Mean, Median and Mode. By the calculation of central tendency, we interpret that if Mean < Median the test is negatively skewed and easy if mean > median the test is positively skewed and difficult, if mean = median then the test is average.

        After the teacher calculates Quartile division, i.e., Q1, Q2, Q3 on the basis of QD’s we can interpret that if Q3-Q2 < Q2-Q1, the test is negatively skewed and easy, if Q3-Q2 > Q2-Q1, the test is positively skewed if Q3-Q2 = Q2-Q1 the given test in average.

On the basis of these calculations, the teacher can draw the graphs of frequency polygon and histogram.                             

Use of an Achievement Test:

1.       They help in knowing the learner’s achievement.

2.       They are useful to know the weaknesses and strengths of students.

3.       They are helpful in classifying the students.

4.       They help in deciding the effectiveness of teaching.

5.       They help in knowing the objectives are achieved (or) not.

6.       They become the part of continuous evaluation.

7.       They help to teacher to improve his teaching effectively.

8.       They help in development of self-confidence in facing the examinations.