Test Creation Assignment
1. a. This course is an introductory Biology course. It is designed to give students a
basic outline of all of the major concepts in Biology, on the molecular and the
macro levels, and describe how both of those levels interact with each other to
create the entirety of the living world. Its major goals are to teach students the
ideas and information behind ecology, evolution, anatomy, and the molecules
involved in all of those. The long term intended learning outcomes of the course
are to get the students interested in further pursuing the concepts taught, either by
taking an upper-level Biology course such as Anatomy or Marine Biology, and to
get students to be more aware of the issues surrounding conservation, medicine,
and general human or ecosystem health.
b. This specific test is designed to assess student learning of the Evolution unit. It
deals with the mechanism of evolution, evidence for evolution, the research
leading up to evolutionary theory, and Earth’s early history. The unit spans four
blocks of instruction and one for formative assessment in the form of review.
c. ILO’s, listed below (2a)
Each of the ILO’s, except for the final one listed, will be assessed on the test.
However, each one will be assessed in a formative assessment during instruction,
either through activities or through writing in students’ composition books. Also,
the students will be comparing structural characteristics of an extinct organism to
living organisms during the unit when they will be “constructing” a fossil skeleton
based on a limited amount of bones given. The formative assessments given are
designed to track progress of student learning. As students understand the
material more throughout the unit, it will be reflected in the assessments,
culminating in their ultimate learning and retention of what has been taught,
which should be shown largely by the test, which contains questions up to the
“evaluation” cognitive level.
d. The three classes that will be receiving this assessment are all introductory
Biology classes, comprising of mostly freshmen and sophomores. The three
classes are very different in their cognitive abilities and their general enthusiasm.
4A is perhaps the most enthusiastic. They have a few students who are on the
upper level of the cognitive scale, and are able to “get it” very quickly. That class
also has a few kids who tend to talk back, and who do not put in as much effort as
the other ones, although they do seem to understand the material when they put in
more effort. The class as a whole also has a tendency to get out of hand, and
much be watched closely for this. 1B has a few students at a lower cognitive
level. In that class, a few students are capable of excelling, but do not always feel
the need to put in the appropriate amount of effort. That class also has one
student with an IEP and an aide, although the aide helps all the students. There is
also a student there who is gifted, and tends to sit in the back with his head on his
desk due to boredom and the early time of the class. Finally, 4B is the most
consistent class. They do not tend to be as enthusiastic, but they do understand
the material more thoroughly than some of the 1B or 4A students. There are a
few students who need to be watched more closely, but overall the class tends to
be quiet and well-behaved. When designing the assessment, I focused on the
students who have difficulty understanding the material due to their general
attitudes. If those students could answer the questions correctly, then the test is
appropriate to give to the class. However, if they would not understand it after
receiving help that leads the student to understanding the material on his or her
own, then the test items are too difficult for those students.
e. The test is used as part of an overall assessment of students’ understanding of
Biology. The evolution unit follows genetics and precedes ecology. The
assessment is a checkpoint along that progression through Biology. If the
students do not understand evolution, then they will have trouble with ecology,
which is based on a struggle to survive that drives the evolution of species. The
test results will indicate if the students are fully prepared for the ecology unit or
whether or not material from evolution needs to be covered more thoroughly.
2. a. ILO’s, (defined by the York County School Division Curriculum Guide)- The
student will be able to:
Describe the Miller-Urey experiment and its importance to the formation
of the first organic molecules on Earth
Describe the Earth’s early atmosphere
Define the endosymbiotic theory and describe the appearance of
prokaryotic and later eukaryotic cells
Define homologous structure
Compare homologous structures of multiple organisms and describe
relationships between them
Compare structural characteristics of an extinct organism, as evidenced by
its fossil record, with present, familiar organisms
Compare and contrast embryonic stages in diverse organisms in the animal
kingdom from zygote through embryo
Construct a timeline of life on Earth
Compare and contrast relative and absolute age of fossils
Compare and contrast Darwin and LaMarck’s theories of evolution
Debate gradualism and punctuated equilibrium
Examine natural selection using peppered moth or “You Are What You
Eat” activity
SOL’s:
BIO.2 The student will investigate and understand the history of biological
concepts. Key concepts include
b) scientific explanations of the development of organisms through time
(biological evolution);
e) the collaborative efforts of scientists, past and present
BIO.7 The student will investigate and understand bases for modern classification
systems. Key concepts include
a) structural similarities among organisms;
b) fossil record interpretation
c) comparison of developmental stages in different organisms
d) examination of biochemical similarities and differences among organisms
BIO.8 The student will investigate and understand how populations change
through time. Key concepts include
a) evidence found in fossil records
b) how genetic variation, reproductive strategies, and environmental pressures
impact the survival of populations
c) how natural selection leads to adaptations
d) emergence of new species, and
e) scientific explanations for biological evolution
b. Table of Specifications (Unit)
ILO
Miller-Urey
Earth’s Early
Atmosphere
Endosymbiotic
theory
Homologous
structure
Homologous
structure
compare
Structural
characteristics
Embryonic
stages
Timeline
Age of fossils
Darwin and
LaMarck
Gradualism vs.
Punctuated
Equilibrium
Peppered moth
History
Classification
Change through
time
Knowledge
Comprehension
X (Describe)
X (Describe)
X (Define)
X (Describe)
Application
Analysis
X (Importance)
Synthesis
Evaluation
X (Define)
X (Describe)
X (Compare)
X (Compare)
X (Compare
and contrast)
X
(Construct)
X (Compare)
X (Compare
and contrast)
X (Debate)
X (Understand)
X (Understand)
X (Understand)
X (Examine)
X (Investigate)
X (Investigate)
X (Investigate)
X (Debate)
c. This test is designed to test a student’s understanding of the basic concepts
behind evolution. Students should know why evolution occurs, how it can be
seen in modern organisms and the fossil record, and the mechanisms behind
populations evolving. The unit is meant to lead into an ecology unit. Evolution is
essential in all of the relationships in ecosystems, and students should have a full
understanding of evolution in order to have a base to learn ecology. This test,
along with formative assessments throughout the unit, is meant to check for that.
d. Each test item lines up with at least one of the intended learning outcomes,
either determined by the county or the Virginia Standards of Learning. Most of
the items in the table of specifications are at the comprehension or analysis levels,
and the test items reflect that. However, there are a few that are at synthesis and
evaluation levels. Those items on the table of specifications are reflected in the
supply-response items at the end of the exam. There are also some items that are
at the knowledge level, particularly those involving defining a set of vocabulary
words. Those are also reflected on the test in the matching section, which is
designed to test learning of essential vocabulary as set forth on the York County
Pacing Guide.
e. The test contains multiple choice, matching, and short answer responses for
answers no more than three or four sentences. The multiple choice questions are
meant to test up to the analysis level. At this level in multiple choice, students are
presented with a situation and have to figure out the solution based on given
responses. The matching section is designed to test vocabulary. Students are
required to learn a set of vocabulary words as given to them by the county. The
matching section only tests vocabulary, which is at the knowledge cognitive level.
However, multiple choice and matching questions do not test at higher cognitive
levels, which are part of the standards defined by the county. These cognitive
levels are limited to a few questions at the end of the test.
(All test items created by Brad Stylman except multiple-choice questions 11, 12,
15, and 17 created by Bonnie Ellis on the 2009 evolution quiz)
f. The two main threats to reliability that I can see on the test are that some of the
items, particularly those in the short answer section, may be too difficult.
Gradualism and Punctuated Equilibrium are difficult concepts for introductory
students to grasp, and I feel that many of my students would not be able to answer
this question. The second threat to reliability lies in having answers contain the
answers to other questions, particularly in the matching section. If a student can
deduce the answer to a vocabulary question in the matching section, then that
student would be able to go back and answer a question that he or she may not
know. However, this is limited based on the fact that there are more options in
the matching section then there are questions to be answered. In the free response
section, reliability is further threatened by grader bias. However, a rubric is used
in the grading of this test to reduce errors in reliability due to grader bias or
changing standards as the test is being corrected.
g. Many of the questions on this test are general enough that a student with a basic
understanding of evolution should be able to answer most of them accurately.
They give hypothetical situations where the student must use his or her
knowledge of evolutionary relationships to answer the question given. However,
a threat to predictive validity lies in the fact that some of the questions on the test
use examples given in class. A student from another class where the teacher did
not use the same example may have a more difficult time answering these
questions. Also, different classes may go over certain items in different levels of
depth, particularly the Gradualism vs. Punctuated Equilibrium debate. Students
from classes that went over these in more depth may have an easier time
answering these questions than students whose classes did not go over these
topics as thoroughly.
h. Like all tests that my cooperating teacher has given, this test is out of fifty
points. Each multiple choice and matching question is worth one point, and each
short answer question is worth five points. To reduce reader bias, a rubric has
been made for the short answer questions.