Test Better, Teach Better

by Popham, W. James

• ISBN13: 9780871206671
• ISBN10: 0871206676
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-08-01
• Publisher: Assn for Supervision & Curriculum

Summary

If you're frustrated by standardized tests that don't give you the information you need to help students achieve in the classroom, then here's a book that explains how to create and use tests to guide everyday teaching practices. A renowned expert on assessment provides you with a "crash course" on the basic principles of testing: How tests can tell you what to teach and how to teach it. What to put on a test and why, including the rules for choosing and writing good test items. The measurement concepts every educator must know in order to design tests that meet tough accountability standards. How to avoid "teaching to the test" and five common mistakes in test writing. Sample test items, tips, and steps guide you in collecting the right testing data, interpreting it, and making sound judgments about whether your instructional practices are achieving the results you want.

Table of Contents

Preface	v
1. The Links Between Testing and Teaching	1	(15)
2. How Tests Can Clarify the Curriculum	16	(13)
3. Too Many Testing Targets	29	(13)
4. Validity, Reliability, and Bias	42	(18)
5. An Introduction to Test Building	60	(12)
6. Selected-Response Items	72	(14)
7. Constructed-Response Items	86	(20)
8. The Value of Affective Assessment	106	(16)
9. Uses and Misuses of Standardized Achievement Tests	122	(17)
10. Instructionally Supportive Standards-Based Tests	139	(10)
11. Collecting Credible Classroom Evidence of
Instructional Impact	149	(11)
Epilogue: Cora in Her Classroom: An Illustration of Instructionally Focused Testing	160	(10)
Index	170	(4)
About the Author	174