This is the second article in a series about writing great test items. Last time I discussed the importance of writing test items that align fully with a given standard. In this article, I’ll be talking about the principle of selecting an appropriate context for your item.
Appropriate Use
The most important thing that I’ve learned about using context with test items is that we should use a context only when appropriate. Not all standards are best assessed using items that have a context. Some standards should be assessed with context-free items. Writers must discern when to use a context and when to avoid using one.
This standard from the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics is an example of a standard that I believe should be assessed using context-free items.
5.NBT.02.05: Fluently multiply multi-digit numbers using the standard algorithm.
The purpose of items written to this standard is to evaluate whether a student can multiply a two-digit number. Using a context with items assessing this standard confounds the evaluation of the student’s response. You’ll end up wondering whether students answered the item incorrectly because he/she didn’t understand the context, or because he/she was unable to complete the calculation.
Realistic
After deciding that a standard should be assessed using a context-based item, a writer should identify a context that is realistic. If someone reads the item critically and realizes that the context is unrealistic, then the item will probably inhibit a student’s ability to demonstrate the knowledge skills under evaluation. Over the years I’ve read a number of test items with incredible amounts of snowfall or with pieces of glass that were incredibly big. I’ve also seen items where people go from zero to sixty miles per hour instantaneously. These contexts are all unrealistic and should not be used in large-scale assessment items.
Age-Appropriate
Item writers should also use item contexts that are age-appropriate. If at all possible, students need to have some understanding of an item’s context. This will help students to engage with the item and keep the context itself from interfering with the student’s ability to respond. For example, I wouldn’t recommend that a third-grade item consist of mixing solutions that would only be found in a high school chemistry lab. Younger students won’t have any relevant background to draw from in understanding the situation.
Deciding when to use context in an item and what context to use are important elements of the art of item writing. If you make the wrong choices the student may be confused or misled by the item’s context. If you make the right choices the context provides a meaningful entry point into the mathematics being assessed by the item. This point of engagement ultimately helps the student start the item and persevere in answering the question.
References
National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School Officers, (2010). Common core state standards for mathematics. Retrieved from website: https://www.thecorestandards.org/Math/
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