FIAE Chapter 6

I’ve had multiple-choice tests before where I thought the answer could be multiple choices, but I couldn’t read the teachers mind on which one they were looking for.  Chapter six starts out on a relatable note.  Be clear with test questions.  Tests aren’t guessing games.  Using mixed traditional (multiple choice, true/false, fill in the missing word, etc.) and not-so-traditional questions (analogies, drawings, diagrams, etc.) and prompts can be good ways to test students if done properly.  Also, using mixed “forced choice” and “constructed response” can be an asset for students.  “Forced choices” are questions and prompts provided by the teacher (true/false, matching, and multiple choice) and “constructed responses” are questions and prompts that students must generate information themselves and apply it as necessary (interpret graphs, write essays, short answers, mind maps, flowcharts analogies, or drawings).  Make tests efficient like writing the “T’s” and “F’s” to circle on true/false questions, write definitions on left side and word bank on the right, keep matching on the same page, and keep fill-in-the-blanks items close to the end of a sentence or stem.  Avoid confusing negative like “All of the above except C and E”.  There were some things I didn’t agree with thought.  The book says to make multiple choice answers in a pattern so they are easier to grade, but as a student I found myself recognizing patterns sometimes and second guessing myself thinking “There is no way I did this right, look at that crazy pattern.”  So, I will never make my answers into a pattern even if it would make it easier to grade.  Also, it says to include two special questions and to make one that at first sounds reasonable, but if examined closely is impossible.  Why would I ever want to try and trick my students on a test?  Earlier in this book it said to make tests clear, short, and accurate.  Sounds like a contradiction to me that I will never do.