My first test design cwas created to accompany a unit on molecular bonding.  The exam I created utilized binary and multiple choice items, matching, short answer as well as a single essay item.  I included an answer key and alignments to Popham’s kinds of test items.  I employed my unit map outline to help align standards and objectives in constructing this test.

My unit map outlined state academic standards regarding bonding, along with my own personal learning objectives.  Objective writing was tough for me to get a handle on, as we did very little of it in chemistry this term.  I relied on the biology content area Fellows to help me out with this, as they has an objective writing assignment this term.  Once I could differentiate between standards and objectives, this assignment became much more clear to me.  From there, I used indicators of the state standards to help align my unit.  I attempted to use the same bonding standard for all of the assignments in the assessment course, so the assessment methods used on this map relate to other projects I made, including the test writing exam and rubric.

I found it more challenging to write the ten question test than I initially thought it would be.  By the time that I used all of the test writing techniques set forth by Popham (and Stuve), I found myself agonizing over subtleties in the mechanics of my writing.  All told, I spent the better part of four hours completing the assignment.  Integrating Bloom’s Taxonomy of questions seemed like a natural way to ramp up the questions from easier to more difficult.  Bloom’s also helped me in finding verbs to better describe what objectives I wanted to achieve.

This test is a traditional means of assessment as it monitors learner progress, using InTASC 6.  The use of HLP 15 can best applied to this assignment.  Instructional design requires assessment, and various sources may be used in forming an assessment instrument.  This was indeed the case for me as I used several texts and websites in the formation of my instrument.

Please click here to see the full document of my test design.