Developing Multiple
Choice Questions
Shari Alexander
Barren County Schools
Summer PD Academy
Comparing KCCT Items for State
Assessment and Classroom Use
•Encourage
higher-level
thinking and
application of
content (OR)
•Address state expectations
(Academic Expectations and
Core Content for Assessment)
•Allow response flexibility (OR)
•Annual measurement
•Engage student interest (OR)
•Results measure school
performance
•Align with Academic Expectations
•Apply statewide sensitivity
guidelines
•Evaluate long-term learning
•Align with Core Content for
Assessment
•Instructions are
•age appropriate
•clear in language and
graphics
•achievable and scoreable
•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 learning
 Are
reliable and time-efficient to
score
 Can
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.
Guidelines for Writing KCCT-like MultipleChoice Items
Develop parallel response options…
Example:
The producers at the start of a food
chain are
A. small animals.
B. predators.
C. green plants.
D. insects.
Guidelines for Writing KCCT-like MultipleChoice Items
Put as much of the wording as
possible in the stem of the item…

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.
Make
all options grammatically consistent
with the stem of the item…
Someone who is hired
to do work is
A. a customer.
B. an employer.
C. a consumer.
D. an employee.
Which activity could Mike
do to improve his TOTAL
Physical condition?
A. swimming
B. running
C. bicycling
D. 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 gradeappropriate 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 using
negative wording…
Example:
Which drink does NOT contain caffeine?
A. fruit juice
B. coffee
C. tea
D. hot chocolate
Practice
reviewing
Multiple Choice
items…
Penguins cannot fly
because
A. their wings are too
small
B. their wings are too
flat
C. their wings are too
curved
D. their wings are too
heavy
Penguins cannot fly
because their wings
are too
A. small
B. flat
C. curved
D. heavy
Animal tracks can
best be found in
Animal tracks can best
be found in
A. mud or snow
A. mud
B. grass
B. grass
C. water
C. water
D. the library
D. sand
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.
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.
A tree, chair, or table
A tree, chair, or
that is used as part of
table that is used as
a play is a
part of a play is
A. prop.
A. prop.
B. necessary to make
the play more real.
B. plot.
C. role and actor.
D. character.
C. role.
D. character.
When drafting multiplechoice 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.