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Types of test items and principles for
constructing test items :
Bloom's taxonomy

Thirayu Inplaeng, Ph.D.(Candidate)

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Types of test items and principles for constructing test items :
Bloom's taxonomy

Diagnosis Test

Diagnosis consists of identifying the nature of an illness or other
problem through the examination of relevant symptoms. In education,
a diagnostic test helps identify a student's learning problems so
teachers can provide instruction to remedy those problems. But do
such tests actually exist?

In fact, few legitimate diagnostic tests currently roam the education
landscape. Legitimate diagnostic tests supply the sort of evidence
that teachers need to make defensible instructional decisions.
Students' performances on those tests let teachers know what
cognitive skills or bodies of knowledge students are having trouble
with. Legitimate diagnostic tests, therefore, are patently practical.
Although they don't tell teachers how to carry out instruction to
rectify deficits in students' achievement—that's where teachers'
pedagogical prowess takes center stage—they do let teachers know
what must be fixed. If they don't, they're not legitimate.

Then there are the pseudodiagnostic tests. Scads of these are
peddled by commercial vendors who recognize that desperate
educators will do almost anything to dodge an impending
accountability cataclysm. And this "almost anything" includes buying
tests that promise to help a teacher raise test scores—even if they
don't. Accordingly, today's educators need to be aware of three types
of pseudodiagnostic tests currently failing to live up to their claims.

(Popham, 2002)
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Placement test

Placement test used to “place” students into a course, course level,
or academic program. For example, an assessment may be used to
determine whether a student is ready for Algebra I or a higher-level
algebra course, such as an honors-level course. For this reason,
placement assessments are administered before a course or program
begins, and the basic intent is to match students with appropriate
learning experiences that address their distinct learning needs.
Placement test is examination to identify a condition or its cause in
individual's specific areas of weakness and strength in order
determine a condition, disease or illness

Placement tests have the purpose of assigning students a specific
level of language ability within the curriculum they wish to be
incorporated to (Hughs, 2003; Harmer, 2007; Brown, 1994). It is
common for book editorialstoinclude placement tests as part of their
textbook pack. However, tests should be created according to
institution’s specific needs(Hughs, 2003). In other words, testing
is a feature of language teaching that may best work if it is
set to fulfill a specific context and the test taker needs. According
to the Educational Testing Service (2007), placement tests carry
advantages such as increased student learning with their
incorporation to their corresponding proficiency level, reduced
student and faculty frustration and increased student retention.
Specific test principles should be cared for to assure test
success such asvalidity, reliability and practicality. These items
are further discussed in the next section.

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Achievement Test

The place and importance of achievement test is sincerely realized
by the teachers and guidance workers to offer guidance and
counselling service to the students at present. Generally achievement
test is designed to assess pupil status in the different school subjects.
At the same time aptitude test gives hints about the prediction of the
subsequent performance of the student in a new on-coming situation.

Keeping this in the mind, Bingham gives opinion that achievement
tests may be regarded as indicators of aptitudes. Analysing this
aspect again Bingham rightly remarks, “It is peculiarly unfortunate
that writers about tests have led the impression in some quarters that
a sharp line must be drawn between tests of achievement and tests
of aptitude. The difference really lies, not in the tests themselves, but
in the uses to which they are put. As a matter of fact, many
achievement tests are at the same time very good tests of aptitude.”

The achievement tests that most people are familiar with are the
standard exams taken by every student in school. Students are
regularly expected to demonstrate their learning and proficiency in a
variety of subjects. In most cases, certain scores on these
achievement tests are needed in order to pass a class or continue on
to the next grade level.

Achievement tests are often used in educational and training settings.
In schools, for example, achievements tests are frequently used to
determine the level of education for which students might be
prepared. Students might take such a test to determine if they are
ready to enter into a particular grade level or if they are ready to pass
of a particular subject or grade level and move on to the next.

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Standardized achievement tests are also used extensively in
educational settings to determine if students have met specific
learning goals. Each grade level has certain educational expectations,
and testing is used to determine if schools, teachers, and students
are meeting those standards.

So how exactly are achievement tests created? In many instances,
subject matter experts help determine what content standards should
exist for a certain subject. These standard represent the things that
an individual at a certain skill or grade level should know about a
particular subject. Test designers can then use this information to
develop exams that accurately reflect the most important things that
a person should know about that topic.

Examples of Achievement Tests
Some more examples of achievement tests include:
A math exam covering the latest chapter in your book
A test in your social psychology class
A comprehensive final in your Spanish class
The ACT and SAT exams
A skills demonstration in your martial arts class

Proficiency Test
The purpose of any proficiency test is to find out whether you have
already got the knowledge and the skills that are taught in a particular
course even though you have not taken the course on our campus. If
you do well on the proficiency test, you can earn academic credit in
the subject, and it is assumed you are prepared to succeed in the
subject’s subsequent courses.

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Academic credit is awarded on the basis of sufficiently high scores
on the ACT and SAT, the Advanced Placement (AP) exams, the
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB) exams, and
certain Advanced Level (A-Level) exams. These tests must be taken
prior to enrolling in a college or university. Your scores will be
evaluated for credit when they are received, and any credit earned
will be automatically posted to your academic record. Some AP and
IB scores earn elective credit, while others earn course credit. All
credit counts towards graduation.

Sufficiently high scores on the proficiency tests that are offered by
our departments can also earn credit. Departmental proficiency
exams are usually administered on campus either the week before
classes start or during the first week of classes in both the fall and
the spring semesters. NOTE: Most of the departmental language
proficiency exams do not award course credit in the language, but
strong performance does fulfill the General Education language
requirement.

Standardized tests

Standardized tests arc carefully constructed tests which have
uniformity of procedure in scoring, administering and interpreting the
test results. A standardised test is generally made by a professional
tester or a group of testers.

Standardized tests are not restricted to use in a school or a few
schools but to larger population, so that many schools can use such
types of tests to assess their own performance etc. in relation to

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others and the general population for which the test has been
standardised.

Characteristics of Standardised Tests:
1. They consist of items of high quality. The items are pretested
and selected on the basis of difficulty value, discrimination power, and
relationship to clearly defined objectives in behavioural terms.
2. As the directions for administering, exact time limit, and
scoring are precisely stated, any person can administer and score the
test.
3. Norms, based on representative groups of individuals, are
provided as an aid for interpreting the test scores. These norms are
frequently based on age, grade, sex, etc.

4. Information needed for judging the value of the test is
provided. Before the test becomes available, the reliability and validity
are established.

5. A manual is supplied that explains the purposes and uses of
the test, describes briefly how it was constructed, provides specific
directions for administering, scoring, and interpreting results,
contains tables of norms and summarizes available research data on
the test.

Uses of Standardised Tests:
1. Standardised test assesses the rate of development of a
student’s ability. It provides a basis for ascertaining the level of
intellectual ability-strength and weakness of the pupils.

2. It checks and ascertains the validity of a teacher-made test.
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3. These tests are useful in diagnosing the learning difficulties of the
students.
4. It helps the teacher to know the casual factors of learning
difficulties of the students.
5. Provides information’s for curriculum planning and to provide
remedial coaching for educationally backward children.
6. It also helps the teacher to assess the effectiveness of his teaching
and school instructional programmes.
7. Provides data for tracing an individual’s growth pattern over a
period of years.
8. It helps for organising better guidance programmes.
9. Evaluates the influences of courses of study, teacher’s activities,
teaching methods and other factors considered to be significant for
educational practices.

Bloom's taxonomy

Bloom's taxonomy is a classification system of educational objectives
based on the level of student understanding necessary for
achievement or mastery. Educational researcher Benjamin Bloom and
colleagues have suggested six different cognitive stages in learning
(Bloom, 1956 ; Bloom, Hastings & Madaus, 1971)

Bloom's cognitive domains are, in order, with definitions:
1. Knowledge

Involves the simple recall of information; memory of
words, facts and concepts

2. Comprehension
The lowest level of real understanding; knowing what is

being communicated
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3. Application
The use of generalized knowledge to solve a problem the

student has not seen before

4. Analysis
Breaking an idea or communication into parts such that

the relationship among the parts is made clear

5. Synthesis
Putting pieces together so as to constitute a pattern or

idea not clearly seen before

6. Evaluation
Use of a standard of appraisal; making judgments about

the value of ideas, materials or methods within an area

A group of cognitive psychologists, curriculum theorists and
instructional researchers, and testing and assessment specialists
published in 2001 a revision of Bloom’s Taxonomy with the title A
Taxonomy for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment. This title draws
attention away from the somewhat static notion of “educational
objectives” (in Bloom’s original title) and points to a more dynamic
conception of classification (Anderson et al., 2000)

The authors of the revised taxonomy underscore this dynamism,
using verbs and gerunds to label their categories and subcategories
(rather than the nouns of the original taxonomy). These “action words”
describe the cognitive processes by which thinkers encounter and
work with knowledge. (Anderson et al., 2000)

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Critical Thinking Activity Re

1. Remembering Retrieving, recognizing, Acqu
and recalling relevant knowledge from long- Disti
term memory, eg. find out, learn terms, Find
facts, methods, procedures, concepts Matc
Reco

2. Understanding Constructing meaning Com
from oral, written, and graphic messages Dem
through interpreting, exemplifying, Diffe
classifying, summarizing, inferring, Find
comparing, and explaining. Understand uses Outl
and implications of terms, facts, methods, Repr
procedures, concepts

elevant Sample Sample Sample Sources
Verbs Assignments or Activities
1. Define each of
uire, Define, these terms: Written records,
inguish, Draw, encomienda, films, videos,
d, Label, List, conquistador, models, events,
ch, Read, gaucho 2. What media, diagrams,
ord was the Amistad? books.
1. Compare an
mpare, invertebrate with a Trends,
monstrate, vertebrate. 2. Use consequences,
erentiate, Fill in, a set of symbols tables, cartoons
d, Group, and graphics to
line, Predict, draw the water
resent, Trace cycle.

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Critical Thinking Activity Re

3. Applying Carrying out or using a Conv
procedure through executing, or Dem
implementing. Make use of, apply practice Diffe
theory, solve problems, use information in betw
new situations Disc
Expe
4. Analyzing Breaking material into Prep
constituent parts, determining how the parts Reco
relate to one another and to an overall
structure or purpose through differentiating, Clas
organizing, and attributing. Take concepts Disc
apart, break them down, analyze structure, gene
recognize assumptions and poor logic, into
evaluate relevancy Illust
Surv
Tran

elevant Sample Sample Sample Sources
Verbs Assignments or Activities

vert, 1. Convert the Collection of
monstrate, following into a items, diary,
erentiate real-world problem: photographs,
ween, Discover, velocity = sculpture,
cuss, Examine, dist./time. 2. illustration
eriment, Experiment with
pare, Produce, batteries and bulbs Graph, survey,
ord to create circuits. diagram, chart,
questionnaire,
ssify, Determine, 1. Illustrate report
criminate, Form examples of two
eralizations, Put earthquake types.
categories, 2. Dissect a
trate, Select, crayfish and
vey, Take apart, examine the body
nsform parts.

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Critical Thinking Activity Re

5. Evaluating Making judgments based on Argu
criteria and standards through checking and Criti
critiquing. Set standards, judge using Inter
standards, evidence, rubrics, accept or Mea
reject on basis of criteria Test

6. Creating Putting elements together to Synt

form a coherent or functional whole; Arra

reorganizing elements into a new pattern or Crea

structure through generating, planning, or Devi

producing. Put things togther; bring together Plan

various parts; write theme, present speech, Rear

plan experiment, put information together in

a new & creative way

elevant Sample Sample Sample Sources
Verbs
Assignments or Activities
ue, Award,
ique, Defend, 1. Defend or Letters, group
rpret, Judge,
asure, Select, negate the with discussion
t, Verify
statement: "Nature panel, court
thesize,
ange, Blend, takes care of itself." trial, survey,
ate, Deduce,
ise, Organize, 2. Judge the value self-evaluation,
n, Present,
rrange, Rewrite of requiring value, allusions

students to take

earth science.

1. Create a Article, radio

demonstration to show, video,

show various puppet show,

chemical inventions,

properties. 2. poetry, short

Devise a method to story

teach others about

magnetism.

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Reference
Anderson, L. W. and Krathwohl, D. R., et al (Eds..) (2001) A Taxonomy

for Learning, Teaching, and Assessing: A Revision of Bloom’s
Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. Allyn & Bacon. Boston,
MA
Armstrong, P. (2010). Bloom’s Taxonomy. Vanderbilt University
Center for Teaching. Retrieved [6-Apirl-2021] from
https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/blooms-taxonomy/.
Bloom, B.S. (Ed.). (1956). Taxonomy of educational objectives: The
classification of educational goals. Handbook 1. Cognitive
domain.New York: McKay.
Bloom, B.S., Hastings, J.T., & Madaus, G.F. (1971). Handbook on
formative and summative evaluation of student learning. New
York: McGraw-Hill.
Phye, G.D. (1997). Handbook of classroom assessment: Learning,
adjustment, and achievement. San Diego, CA: Academic
Press.

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