Multiple Choice (MC)Constructed Response (CR)

MSL / Common Assessments

Common Exams will:◦contain MC items that consist of four-

response-options. ◦often require the student to read, interpret,

and/or analyze stimulus material.

Students will have forty-five minutes to respond to the Multiple Choice section.

Multiple Choice (MC) items

Assessment is a vital component of the teaching and learning process.

A thorough understanding of test item construction is very useful when building an effective assessment.

This tutorial will address that need.

The Purpose of this Tutorial

Avoid writing complex selected response items.

Minimize student reading time—always avoid excessive verbiage.

Format the items vertically, not horizontally.

General Guidelines

Avoid errors of grammar, abbreviations, punctuation and spelling.

Avoid tricky or misleading items. Do not use contractions. Do not use first or second person.

General Guidelines

Items must be based on NC Essential Standards / Common Core and written to the appropriate grade level.

Write items that measure important or significant material instead of trivial material.

Keep the testing vocabulary consistent with the expected grade level of the students tested.

Teach at or above the level where students will be assessed. The RBT cognitive levels are found in the Essential Standards.

Content Guidelines

Write items in the question format. Always end stem with a question mark.

Word stems positively. Do not use any negative phrasing, such as words like NOT or EXCEPT.

Write the items so that the central idea and any common elements are included in the stem instead of the foils

Stem Construction Guidelines

Each item must contain four foils (A,B,C,D)

Order the answer choices in a logical order, such as ascending or descending value of numbers, chronological order, etc.

To the extent possible, foils should be homogeneous in content and length.

General Foil Development

use the following as foils: all of the above, none of the above, I don’t know.

use specific determiners such as ALWAYS, NEVER, TOTALLY and ABSOLUTLY.

have more than one best (correct) answer.

Do Not . . . .

Use plausible distractors. The best (correct) answer must clearly be the best (correct) answer and the incorrect responses must clearly be inferior to the best (correct) answer. But, no distractor should be obviously wrong.

Ex: Which was President Abraham Lincoln’s main goal throughout the Civil War?A. Preserve the UnionB. Break the South’s dependence on cottonC. End British control of the westD. Ensure a peaceful solution to the Cold War

Which distracter is obviously wrong?

Distractor Development

To the extent possible, use the common errors made by students as distractors.

True phrases that do not correctly answer the stem may be used as distractors.

The use of humor should be avoided in the stem and foils.

Distractor Development

All groups should be portrayed accurately and fairly.

Avoid references to stereotypes regarding gender, age, race, ethnicity, religion, physical ability, or geographic location.

Do not use jargon, slang, or demeaning characteristics.

Mention ethnicity, marital status, or gender only when necessary.

Consider carefully any references that may give an advantage or disadvantage to students depending on their geographic location

Guidelines for Fairness / Sensitivity

Use clear and concise language. Use short, common names from various cultures.

Consider how words, charts, and other visuals are arranged.

Simplify sentence structures and avoid complex sentences.

Guidelines for EC Students

Specific things to consider:◦Try to avoid using the phrase “of the following.” The phrase can be troublesome for EC students especially deaf students. Try to use “Which _____ is …” or “Which is…”

Guidelines for EC Students

◦Try to avoid using the phrase “According to the chart…” A phrase such as “using the _____....” should be used to direct the student that a chart/graph should be used when answering a question.

Guidelines for EC Students

Common Exams will ask students to show their conceptual knowledge of concepts through written expression.

Students will have forty-five minutes to respond to the Created Response section.

Constructed Response items

Students will be given stimulus material and be asked to analyze, assess, and create a written response based on the provide prompt.

Students will be assessed based on an holistic scoring rubric.

Constructed Response items