Thursday, April 8, 2010

ExamView and Summative Assessments

I use the phrase summative assessment very loosely because as long as my class and I have some time together, they can continue to improve upon weaknesses.  But with most of my assessments covering one skill at a time, there may be a need for assessments that check for retainment of concepts (ie. benchmarks, finals, etc.)  Now that I have created assessments for each skill, I want a way to create assessments that combine multiple skills and, ultimately, culminate into and end-of-course-test.  Fortunately, I don't have to re-create the wheel. 

The process is actually pretty simple. 

Export Skills Tests to an ExamView Question Bank
Simply take an existing test and export as a question bank.  This will allow you to use these questions in the creation of future tests. 

Choose Method for Selecting Questions
For this test, I chose to select questions while viewing.  I have a good idea of which skills/standards I want on the test, so I want to be able to look at the question before selecting it. 

Switch Banks to Select Questions
Now that I can view the questions, I just need to be able to switch from one question bank to another. 

And...

Done!
Did I mention, that I'm kind of a fan of this thing?

4 comments:

Craig said...

So do you use multiple choice questions for all your skills tests? If so, do you require the work to be handed in as well? I'm going to be doing SBG next year and I'm just looking for ways to streamline things as well. What version of ExamView do you have?

David Cox said...

Most of my tests are multiple choice, but I mix in some open response questions. I don't currently require the work to be handed in. I'm kind of going back and forth on that one. For the free response questions, I have students explain their process. That's a little clunky, though, because there isn't a good way for students to type "math" into the EVPlayer.

I'm working on incorporating some projects which will require students to formalize their work a bit more.

We use version 6.2.1.

Craig said...

I do love the idea of your streamlined process, but do you ever worry about the validity of multiple choice tests? You could get a student to guess their way to a perfect score on a standard without you actually knowing it. Or do you have a way to verify their solution (other than the work). Sorry for the questions, but I'm just trying to iron out some kinks before I start planning this thing out.

David Cox said...

I'm not too worried, but I do throw some free response questions on the tests to keep em honest. Our district is PI-4 so we are all about the data. the process allows for instant feedback. I am working in incorporating projects and summative assessments that will assess the ability to apply the tools in problem solving situations.