Lesson 2: How to Plan a summative assessment
Page 1
Before developing a question
paper, a plan or specification of what is to be tested or examined should be
elaborated to show the units or topics and the competences to be assessed, the
number of questions in each level of Bloom’s taxonomy and the marks allocation
for each question.
In a competence based curriculum, questions from higher levels of Bloom’s taxonomy and generic competences should be given more weight than those from the knowledge and understanding level.
Assessment specifications
Assessment
Specifications - also known as “Assessment Grid” or “Assessment Blue Print” - is a plan of tests or examinations, indicating the
number of questions or items and their relative weight according to the
learning outcomes across the syllabus.
A good blueprint (plan) should indicate the following:
The proportion of test items in the final form that address each curriculum area
The proportion of items within a curriculum area that assess different skills
The proportion of items that address different cognitive, psychomotor and affective domains
The proportion of structured, semi structured and open-ended questions
Example, see table below:
Table 7: Specifications (plan for a test)
|
CONTENT |
BEHAVIOURAL OBJECTIVES (i.e. OUT COMES) |
|
|||||
|
Remember |
Understand |
Apply |
Analyse |
Evaluate |
Create |
Total |
|
|
Body parts |
1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
10 |
|
The digestive system |
1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
10 |
|
Respiration |
1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
8 |
|
The nervous system |
1 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
10 |
|
The skeletal system |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
6 |
|
Blood circulation |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
6 |
|
TOTAL |
6 |
6 |
10 |
11 |
9 |
8 |
50 |