Online Course
Nurs 791 - Instructional Strategies and Assessment
Module 10: Test Planning to Item Development
General Rules for Item Writing
Assessment of learning is a demanding activity with relevant responsibilities for all involved as you saw in the Code of Fair Testing Practices in Education.
A major goal is to assess learning in ways that allow learners every opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned. One of those ways is writing “good” items to include on tests.
In their zeal to demonstrate their skill in item writing, some of those new to writing items may tend to write items that are unnecessarily complex. Careful attention to avoiding this pitfall is to aim to write the best items possible.
Oermann and Gaberson suggest ten general rules that can help in doing this:
1. Every item should measure something important. |
2. Every item should have a correct answer. |
3. Use clear, concise, precise, grammatically correct language. |
4. Avoid using jargon, slang, or unnecessary abbreviations. |
5. Try to use positive wording. |
6. No item should include irrelevant clues to the correct answer. |
7. No item should depend on another item for meaning or for the correct answer. |
8. Eliminate extraneous information unless the purpose of the item is to determine whether students can distinguish between relevant and irrelevant data. |
9. Arrange for a critique of items. |
10. Prepare more items than the test blueprint specifies. |
As you read the discussion they present with each of these rules, you will see a number of strategies that can be very helpful to keep in mind in writing “good” items.
Keep in mind that any effort put into developing highly complex, or “trick” questions is a waste! Avoiding doing this will allow you to put your efforts into developing “good” items.
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