The University of Akron
Computer Center
Test Scoring System User’s Guide
Book One
INTRODUCTION
The objective of the Test Scoring System is to provide fast turnaround for tests
completed on University Standard Answer Sheets. (Basic statistics, student answer sheets and
additional output to research purposes are available upon request.)
The instructor also has an option to elect the Computer Center to keep final summarization and
grade determination (if desired) at semester-end.
There are two Test Scoring manuals which provide information about the Test Scoring System
and output. BOOK ONE: explains how to complete forms to get information out of the Test
Scoring System. BOOK TWO: Explains the output you receive from the Test Scoring System.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at the Computer Center x7175.
IMPORTANT FACTS BEFORE YOU BEGIN
Tests are delivered and picked up at the INPUT /OUTPUT (I/O) window, Room 101 of the
Computer Center according to the following schedule:
MON-FRI
TEST SCORING and
FINAL SUMMARY
DELIVERY
8 A.M. - 2 P.M.
After 2 P.M.
FINAL MAINTENANCE
File
Maintenance
PICKUP
2 Hours after drop off
10 A.M. Next working
day
Takes up to 24 hours
I/O Window phone: (330) 972-7175
 NOTE: Processing times during Finals Week, and the Semester Breaks may vary.
Please check with the I/O window for current times.
I/O Window Hours:
Fall / Spring Hours:
Monday thru Thursday
Friday
8:00 A.M. – 9:30 P.M.
8:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.
Closed Saturday and Sunday
Summer Hours:
Monday thru Friday
8:00 A.M. – 4:30 P.M.
Closed Saturday and Sunday
A ticket will be issued to you when you drop off tests or maintenance for processing. This ticket
must be presented at the I/O Window before we can release your tests. This is the best way to
provide additional security for your data.
STANDARD ANSWER SHEET (TS2F0001)
Special rules apply to the handling of the Standard Answer Sheet. They are as follows:
1.
Soft lead no. 2 pencil must be used – ballpoint ink is prohibited.
2.
The grid marks, not the Arabic lettering, on the Standard Answer Sheet are read
by the computer. It is recommended, however, that both the grid and the ‘human
readable’ areas be filled out.
3.
Do not spindle, staple, fold, or mutilate the sheets.
4.
Avoid stray marks and completely erase any miss marks.
5.
Test Scoring sheets, which are not correctly filled out, will be rejected by the NCS
mark sense reader. These rejected sheets will be given back to you unchanged.
Our control clerks cannot correct rejected sheets. It is your responsibility to
correct and resubmit any incorrect sheets.
The Standard Answer Sheet has three distinct uses:
1.
9 sheet (Answer Key)
2.
8 sheet (Section Divider Sheet)
3.
Student Answer Sheet
All three of these must be submitted for each test.
Careful attention must be given to the methods for filling each of these out and to the order in
which they must be placed.
Failure to follow these rules will result in delayed turnaround.
STUDENT ANSWER SHEET
The following fields are to be filled in by the student. This information needs to be very
accurate.
1. Student ID Number – This is the student’s University of Akron identification number,
that is also located on the back of their Zip Card. The students must put zeros in front of
their ID since some ID’s end with zeros. When accumulating test’s, throughout the
semester, these ID’s MUST be the same for every test, since that is what the
accumulation process uses to summarize the test. If a student leaves the Student ID
Number field blank, it will be converted to all zeros. If the Student ID Number is
converted to all zeros or left blank it will not be accumulated.
2. Dept/Crs/Section – If there is a zero (0) in the number, it must be filled in also.
3. Test Number – Not necessary unless you wish to keep track of test sheets by number.
4. Test Form – If there are two or three different test forms used, the correct one must be
selected. If left blank, we will assume test form ‘A’.
5. Name – Fill in boxes and grids.
6. Signature –Optional
7. Reponses – Only one answer for each question. If more than one response is given, it
will be treated as ungradeable and no score will be issued. It will then be your
responsibility to calculate that student’s final score and update the file through
maintenance if you are keeping the scores on file.
ANSWER KEY (9 SHEET)
1. Student ID – 999-99-9999 is the only number you can use on the Answer Key.
This number must not be used by any student.
2. Dept/Crs/Section – This field identified which class the answer key will be used
for. You may submit, in the same batch, tests from different classes only if they
all have the same Department and Course, i.e. only the Sections may vary. You
may use the same answer key for more than one Section. To do this, the
Dept/Crs/Section number on your answer key must match the first Section
Divider Sheet. Failure to do so will result in delayed turnaround.
3. Test Form – This identifies which form of a test this particular key is for. If it is
left blank, we will assume for ‘A’. You can submit up to three different tests
without separating into piles the test ‘A’s from ‘B’s and ‘C’s. The only
stipulation is that the same number of questions must be used on each test.
Make an answer key up for each test and mark the test form area to indicate which
test each key applies to. With each of these three keys, you may also have an
alternate answer key (see alt. ans. option below). Therefore, the minimum
number of answer keys is one with a maximum of six (three separate tests, each
with an alternate key).

Note: You cannot have a ‘B’ (or ‘C’) key unless you have an ‘A’ (or ‘B’) key
as well.
4. Alt.ans.option – This system does not allow two correct answers per question, but
it does allow an alternate answer for each question. Ex.: either ‘A’ or ‘B’ is
correct – have an alternate, make out a separate answer key and mark only those
responses which will need the alternate answer. Also needed in this answer
key is a mark in the option field called ‘ALT ANS’. Please use only one alternate
answer key per test form.
5. Test number – Not necessary, but you may find it helpful.
Now fill in the actual answers for each question. Only one entry per question is
permitted. If a particular question is not to be graded, then leave it blank on the
answer key – a blank response by the instructor is not a valid answer, as the student’s
response will not be graded. If more than one answer is filled in for one question,
the entire batch of sheets will be rejected.
SECTION DIVIDER SHEET (8 SHEET) (top
Sections are divided by Section Divider Sheets. You need one per section. These are
identifiable by all 8’s in the Student ID area.
1. Student ID – This field must be filled with 888-88-8888 on the Divider Sheet. This
number must not be used by any student.
2. Dept/Course/Section – This field must be accurate, as it is used for validation purposes.
If you have more than one section, the Dept/Course/Section on the first divider sheet
must match the Dept/Course/Section on the Answer Key.
Remember – there must be one Section Divider Sheet for each section taking a test.
SAMPLE ANSWER KEY
REQUIRED SHEET ORDER
The correct placement of the answer keys, section dividers and student sheets is critical and
errors made here can cause tests to be graded incorrectly and a substantial delay in turnaround
time.
First, collect all your answer keys (you can have up to 6). Place each alternate key (if you have
any) directly behind the regular key it belongs to. Since the first key must always be an ‘A’ key,
place the ‘B’ key(s) behind these and the ‘C’ key(s) immediately behind the ‘B’ key(s).
Next, place one Section Divider Sheet (8’s sheet) behind the keys and follow that up with the
student sheets for that section. Then another 8’s sheet and corresponding student sheets for
each remaining section to be processed.
Batch this group up with one Test Scoring Request Form (explained next) and you are ready to
run.
It is important that all bubbles on the sheets are completely gridded. If the bubbles are not
completely gridded and your sheets reject and are not processed, then you must make the
corrections and resubmit the sheets. Because we must assure that test sheets are not tampered
with once they are submitted to the I/O window, our Control Clerks will not correct gridding
errors.
TEST SCORING SERVICES REQUEST FORM
INTERNAL USE ONLY
(Please read the reverse side of this form before completing this form)
I/O Window phone number 330-972-7175 PLEASE PRINT LEGIBLY
Receipt Number
1. Instructor
Name
1
Instructor’s Email Address
Instructor’s Phone Number
2. Department/Course/Section
21
25
3. Course Title
A
1=
28
Date
Test
2=
Maintenance (if maintenance DO NOT complete rest of form)
31
B
Last Question Used
32
C
Scoring Method
1=
2=
3=
Raw Score (Number Right)
Correct Score ( R-(W/4) )
Percentage Score ( R/max )
Sequence of Output
1=
2=
3=
Alphabetic
Student ID number (with name)
Student ID number (without name)
35
D
36
E
Are tests being accumulated?
1= Yes
2=No
37
F
If item E is YES, enter the test number (01 thru 18)
38
G
If item E is YES, do you want a list of each student and all their scores? 1= Yes 2=No
40
H
Frequency distribution and additional statistics?
1= Yes
2=No
If item H is YES, do you want sections
1=Separate
2= Combined
Individual student answer sheets?
1= Yes
2=No
41
I
42
J
43
K
44
Would you like the data in a text file so you can do additional analysis?
1= Yes
2=No
Note: if you have never before requested the data in the electronic format, please read the notes
on the back of this form.
If you marked Yes (“1”) in item K, please mark a 1 in this box (item L).
L
45
Following is a summary of how to complete the Test Scoring Services Request Form. If this is your first time using
the Test Scoring system please visit the website http://www.uakron.edu/its/hoss/operations/docs/test_sco.pdf for
complete instructions and explanations of the system. You may also email TEST-SCORE@lists.uakron.edu with
specific questions.
After your test has been processed, the green scan sheets will be returned to you. Please RETAIN these sheets as
they contain information such as student signature and other data, which the Test Scoring system CAN NOT retain
once the test has been processed. If the test needs to be re-run we will need these sheets.
1.
Enter the instructor’s name.
2.
Enter the department, course and section number of the course. If you have multiple sections, enter the first
(lowest) section number. This section number MUST match the section number on the Answer Key(s) (9
sheet).
3.
Enter the course title and date.
Item A. Indicate whether you are requesting test services or maintenance services.
Item B. Enter the last question number on the test. (Ex: if 29 questions were on the test, enter 029).
Item C.
Enter scoring method.
Item D. Enter sequence of output.
Item E.
Accumulation is the process of allowing test results to remain on the system until the end of the current
semester (or summer session). Please note that if you wish to accumulate the scores for the students, the
student MUST use the same Student id number EACH time they take a test. For further information
please email TEST-SCORE@lists.uakron.edu.
Please note that once a test is scanned, the results will ONLY remain on the system if you are
accumulating.
Item F.
If you responded to option E with a ‘1’, provide us with the number of this test. You may accumulate up
to 18 tests.
Item G.
If you responded to option E with a ‘1’, and you would like a listing with all your students and their
scores for each test, place a ‘1’ in the space provided.
Item H.
A ‘1’ will provide you the following for each test form used; item analysis, average score/response,
mean, std. deviation, biserial and point biserial correlation, t-value, Kuder-Richardson Reliability
Coefficient, and a frequency distribution of the final scores. Alternate keys are not considered when
calculating statistics; therefore if you use alternate keys, your statistics may not be completely reliable.
If you are running a test for three or less people, the statistics cannot be calculated. For further
information refer to the website listed above.
Item I.
A ‘1’ will provide you one set of statistics for each section processed. A ‘2’ will combine all sections
processed to come up with one set of statistics.
Item J. A ‘1’ will provide each student with a sheet showing their responses/and the correct responses.
Item K.
Check this item if you want the data in a text file so that you can do additional analysis on the results.
You must also send an email message to
TEST-SCORE@lists.uakron.edu, so that we can arrange the transfer of the data
to you. NOTE: This data will ONLY BE AVAILABLE to you for 10 DAYS from the time you drop
the test off for processing.
MAINTENANCE
This section is useful only for those instructors who are accumulating test scores (responded with
a ‘1’ to item E on the request form).
Maintenance becomes necessary when for some reason a student’s name, Student ID, or test
score (or combination of the three) was created on the file incorrectly. To make the needed
corrections, fill out Test Scoring Maintenance Form (TS2F0003) as explained below.
To ensure security when submitting file maintenance, one Test Scoring Services Request Form
(TS2F0004) must be completed for each different section requiring maintenance. We also
require that each Test Scoring Maintenance Request Form (TS2F0003) be signed by the
instructor.
REQUEST FORM COMPLETION FOR MAINTENANCE
Upon submitting maintenance for processing, one Test Scoring Services Request Form
(TS2F0004) is required for each Test Scoring Maintenance Request Form completed.
The only areas on the request form that need to be completed for maintenance are:
1. Instructor Name
2. Dept/Course/Section – must be accurate
3. OPTION A – must be ‘2’.
4. Leave the rest of the form blank
REMEMBER: If you are updating two student’s records; one from section 001, and one
form section 002 from the same Dept and Course, you will need to complete TWO Request
Forms; one for each section.
FINAL SCORE CALCULATION – SUMMARY REQUEST FORM (TS2F0005)
This section is also useful for those instructors who keep their scores on the Computer Center
files.
This form will enable you to request a final score calculation for each of your students. It also
gives you the option of assigning selected weights to the scores, dropping low scores,
eliminating particular tests, and allowing us to help you determine a student’s grade based on a
grading scale chosen by you. A frequency and histogram of the final scores are also available by
request.
COMPLETING THE SUMMARY REQUEST FORM (TS2F0005) PAGE 1
The underlined subheadings correspond to the same sections of the Summary Request Form.
DEPT/CRS – This must be the same dept/crs the tests were saved under.
BEG-SECTION, END-SECTION – The first and the last section to be summarized. Make sure
all sections in this range are taught by you; otherwise you will receive and other instructor’s
data. (It could affect your grading scale).
NAME – name to be used on the reports.
A. SECTION GRADING OPTION:
If you select a ‘1’, Beg – Sec must be the same as End – Section
If you select a ‘2’, Beg – Sec must be less than End – Sec and each section will be
graded independently.
If you select a ‘3; Beg – Sec must be less than End – Sec and the scores from all sections
will be combined when calculating the statistics (mean, std, dev), Frequency, and
histogram. If the Computer Calculated Curve option is chosen, the scores from the
combined sections will be used to calculate the standard deviation, which in turn is used
to determine each grade. If the Computer Calculated Curve option is not chosen, a ‘3’
here will do nothing more than influence the method in which your frequency and
histogram (if requested) are printed.
B. SEQUENCE OF OUTPUT WITHIN DEPT/COURSE/SECTION ORDER:
(‘1’,’2’, OR ‘3’) – remember, each section will automatically be listed separately
regardless of the option chosen for ‘A’.
C. HISTOGRAM/FREQUENCY OF FINAL SCORES:
(‘1’ or ‘2’) – A ‘1’ here and a ‘2’ in item ‘A’ would give you one frequency/histogram per
section. A ‘1’ here and a ‘3’ in item ‘A’ will give you all sections combined.
D. COMPUTER ASSIGNS GRADES:
(‘1’ or ‘2’) If you select a ‘1’, complete item ‘E’.
E. COMPUTER ASSISTED GRADING OPTIONS: (CHOOSE ONE)
‘1’ Your curve means you will provide us with the actual cutoff points allowed for each
grade.
‘2’ ‘Computer Calculated Curve’ means you will supply us with a standard deviation ratio
(we calculate std.dev. then multiply it by your ratios) which is then added or subtracted from
the mean score to come up with the actual cutoff points.
When filling in the entries for either curve, if you decide not to use some of the letter grades
(Example: you decide not to give any ‘-‘ grades), simply leave those entries blank.
COMPLETING THE SUMMARY REQUEST FORM (TS2F0005) PAGE 2
This page has been divided up into three groups to give you many different combinations of
weighting, dropping, adding, or averaging the scores. You may use one or all of them depending
on your needs. Please take the time to check over your entries here because a misplaced or
erroneous number can drastically alter the scoring calculations. NOTE: The four options
available in each group pertain to the tests in that group only. As with the instructions for Page 1
of the Summary Request Form, the underlined subheadings below correspond to the information
on the form.
F.NUMBER OF TEST REQUIRED FOR EACH STUDENT (00-18)
If a student has taken fewer of the tests in this group than specified here, his name will be
placed on a special list. If the computer is to assign grades, he will receive an
‘incomplete’.
G. NUMBER OF LOW SCORES TO BE DROPED (00-17)
This tells us how many of the lowest scores in this group to drop. A missed test is
counted in and can be dropped in this manner.
H.WEIGHT FACTOR FOR THIS GROUP (01-10)
Usually only used when using other test groups – this is multiplied by the Test Group
Score (explained next) for the Weighted Group Score.
.
I. SCORE CALCULATION OPTIONS FOR THIS GROUP
‘1’ – all weighted scores (other than those dropped) are added together to get the Test
Group Score.
‘2’ – all weighted scores (other than those dropped) are added together and then divided
by the sum of the weights of the tests not dropped. This is then the Test Group Score.
TEST NUMBERS FOR THIS GROUP (01-18) AND RESPECTIVE WEIGHTS (1-9)
Simply fill in the test number’s of each test you want used in the test group plus the weight you
want this test to have (the score and the weight will be multiplied together to come up with a
weighted score).
FINAL SCORE CALCULATION OPTIONS:
Use only if more than one group is used.
‘1’ – all Weighted Group Scores are added together to come up with the Final Score.
‘2’ – all Weighted Group Scores are added together then divided by the sum of the Group
Weight Factors (items ‘H’, ‘L’, and ‘P’) to determine the Final Score.
ITEMS WORTH NOTING
Students responding to questions with more than one answer will not be rejected from the system
entirely. Instead, we will grade all other questions and provide you (and the student if student
listings are requested) with the # RIGHT, # WRONG, and # OMITTED. We will also give a
count of the number of questions NOT GRADED because of multiple responses. These
students’ scores will not be calculated. It will then be your responsibility to determine these
students’ scores. If you are keeping the scores on the file, you must also submit maintenance to
update the file.
When completing the answer key(s), the entire Department/Course/Section area must be filled in
to match the Department/Course/Section on the request form (TS2F0004). Blanks in the Section
area are not valid. Tests submitted incorrectly cannot be processed.
When entering the test # for accumulation (item F on the Test Scoring Services Request Form)
enter from 01 to 18. Student’s scores are rounded to two decimal digits.
To ensure greater security when submitting file maintenance, one Test Scoring Request Form –
TS2F0004 must be completed for each different section requiring maintenance. We will also
require that each Maintenance Request – (TS2F0003) be signed by the instructor.
Using Test Forms ‘B’ and ‘C’ without having an answer key, as Test Form ‘A’ is no longer
valid. You must submit the answer keys as explained below.
First, collect all your answer keys (you can have up to 6). Place each alternate key (if you have
any) directly behind the regular key it belongs to. Since the first key must always be an ‘A’
key(s) immediately behind the ‘B’ key(s) followed by the ‘C’ key(s).
Next, place one Section divider Sheet (8’s sheet) behind the answer key(s) and follow that up
with the student sheets for that section. Then another 8’s sheet and corresponding student
sheets (in that order) follow for each remaining section to be processed.
CHARACTERISTICS OF ADDITIONAL OUTPUT
If you responded yes ‘1’ to option K on the Test Scoring Services Request Form (TS2F0004),
you will receive the following information on tape.
1.
Tape
DSNAME = SQ0.TS2D0015
RECORD LENGTH = 250
BLOCKSIZE = 1250
FORMAT OF RECORD – all fields are character fields unless otherwise noted.
Pos.
Field
1-4
5-7
8-10
11-19
20-32
33-39
40-40
41-41
42-44
45-47
48-50
51-53
54-58
59-238
239-250
Dept.
Crs.
Sec.
Student ID #
Last Name
First Name
Middle Initial
Test Form
# Right
Numeric
# Wrong
Numeric
# Omitted
Numeric
# Not Graded
Numeric
Final Score
Numeric with 2 decimal places
Answers (1-180) *See Note
Blank
*NOTE:
Answers are in the following format:
If response was:
A
B
C
D
E
Omitted
Mult.Response
Field Type
Your output will contain:
1
2
3
4
5
0
9