Developing Multiple Choice Questions

Shari AlexanderBarren County SchoolsSummer PD Academy

Comparing KCCT Items for State Assessment and Classroom Use

•Encourage higher-level thinking and application of content (OR)•Allow response flexibility (OR)

•Engage student interest (OR)

•Align with Academic Expectations

•Align with Core Content for Assessment

•Instructions are

•age appropriate

•clear in language and graphics

•achievable and scoreable

•Address state expectations (Academic Expectations and Core Content for Assessment)

•Annual measurement

•Results measure school performance

•Apply statewide sensitivity guidelines

•Evaluate long-term learning

•Address unit and lesson objectives

•Ongoing measurement

•Results inform instructional planning/practice

•Show awareness of local sensitivity issues

•Embed into curriculum and instruction

•Develop in classroom context

Multiple Choice and

Open Response Items

Guidelines for the Development of

KCCT-like Multiple-Choice Items

Advantages of Multiple-Choice Items…Can be used to measure a

wide variety of learningAre reliable and time-efficient

to scoreCan provide useful diagnostic

information about the learning of individual students or groups of students

Disadvantages of Multiple-Choice Items…Difficult to write.Not well suited for measuring

certain types of skills (e.g., the ability to organize and express ideas in writing).

Performance can be influenced by student characteristics unrelated to the subject of measurement, such as reading ability and “test-wiseness.”

Guidelines for Writing KCCT-like Multiple-Choice Items

Be sure there is only one right answer…

Example:When people borrow money from a

bank,they pay back the amount borrowed plus

A. principal.B. taxes.C. interest.D. savings.

Example:The producers at the start of a food chain areA. small animals.B. predators.C. green plants.D. insects.

Guidelines for Writing KCCT-like Multiple-Choice Items

Develop parallel response options…

In a free-enterprise system,

most businesses are

A. owned by factory workers.

B. owned by the national government.

C. owned by private individuals.

D. owned by state and local governments.

In a free-enterprise system,

most businesses are owned

by

A. factory workers.

B. private individuals.

C. the national government.

D. state and local governments.

Put as much of the wording as possible in the stem of the item…

Guidelines for Writing KCCT-like Multiple-Choice Items

Make all options grammatically consistent with the stem of the item…

Someone who is hired

to do work isA. a customer.B. an employer.C. a consumer.D. an employee.

Which activity could Mikedo to improve his TOTALPhysical condition?A. swimmingB. runningC. bicyclingD. dancing

Make sure graphics add to the item…

Include clear, correct, easily understood graphics as required by the item.

Make the incorrect response options plausible Using common misconceptions or errors of

students are good response options to include in an item.

Use other concepts or terms from the grade-appropriate core content.

Avoid humorous or nonsensical response options.

Avoid the use of absolute terms in response options (always, never, all, none, only).

Avoid using the options “all of the above” and “none of the above”.

Avoid negative terms where possible…

State the item stems in positive terms (if possible).

If you have to use negative wording in the stem, it should be in all caps or in bold print to assure that the student is in the proper mind set just before reading the options.

Example of a stem usingnegative wording…Example:Which drink does NOT contain

caffeine?A. fruit juiceB. coffeeC. teaD. hot chocolate

Practice reviewing Multiple Choice items…

Penguins cannot fly

becauseA.their wings are

too smallB.their wings are

too flatC.their wings are

too curvedD.their wings are

too heavy

Penguins cannot fly

because their wings

are tooA.smallB.flatC.curvedD.heavy

Animal tracks can best be found in

A.mud or snow

B.grass

C.water

D.the library

Animal tracks can best be found in

A.mud

B.grass

C.water

D.sand

People in the United

States enjoy freedom of

speech. This freedom is

protected by the

A. Declaration of Independence.

B. Bill of Rights.

C. Emancipation Proclamation.

D. Articles of Confederation.

People in the United

States enjoy freedom of

speech. This freedom is

protected by the

A. The Constitution.

B. Bill of Rights.

C. Emancipation Proclamation.

D. Articles of Confederation.

A tree, chair, or

table that is used as

part of a play is

A. prop.

B. plot.

C. role.

D. character.

A tree, chair, or table

that is used as part of

a play is a

A. prop.

B. necessary to make the play more real.

C. role and actor.

D. character.

When drafting multiple-choice items...

Develop items related to curriculum map, lesson and/or unit of study.

Write the item based on the knowledge, skill and DOK level to be assessed by CCA 4.1.