Web Resources on Student Evaluation & Assessment

Using Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs). Specifies the ideal characteristics, basic assumptions and benefits of using CATs. Suggests practical steps for getting started with CATs and general guidelines for success, including how to adapt your course to include assessment, selecting when and how often to assess, and using the results of assessment. Includes dozens of examples. 10 links

Mastering General Concepts in Testing and Evaluation. Covers the use of tests for individual diagnosis, measuring students achievement and grading. Differentiates between norm- and criterion-referenced measurements and their scoring. Includes in-depth guidelines for the development and use of standardized educational and psychological tests. Reviews psychometric aspects of test design and scoring, including item response theory. 6 links

Constructing Tests and Writing Test Items. Discusses test planning, construction, analysis and revision. Reviews the advantages, disadvantages and use/misuse of various test items, as well as the learning outcomes assessed, feedback provided and likelihood of cheating for each item type. Provides guidance on writing various test items, including common item flaws and do's and don'ts. Gives examples of test blueprints. Describes the strengths, limitations and use of essay questions, including how to construct and score them. 17 links

Analyzing Tests & Test Items. Emphasizes the importance of conducting item and test analyses on norm-referenced tests and provides a detailed overview of the classical measures of item difficulty and the discrimination index. Includes needed sample sizes, basic steps, and interpretation of the item analysis reports. Also covers item response theory, including the Rasch model. 5 links

Addressing Grading Issues and Practices. Topics include general grading strategies, minimizing students' complaints about grading; and evaluating your grading policies. Compares norm-based, criterion-referenced and other methods of grading. Discusses how to set passing levels on high-stakes tests. Provides guidelines for grading essays. Recommends methods for grading class participation, group learning activities and clinical practice courses. 10 links

Finding and Evaluating Tests and Measurement Tools. Provides tips on how to locate published and unpublished educational and psychological tests, including access to searchable databases of test collections and/or test publishers. Provides dozens of examples of instruments used to assess general graduate medical education competencies. Reviews criteria and questions to ask when evaluating and selecting standardized tests. 7 links

Evaluating Clinical Performance. Access dozens of links on clinical evaluation organized into three major categories: Overviews of Clinical Evaluation; Evaluating Clinical Performance and Competence; and Representative Clinical Assessment Tools and Methods. Includes dynamic searches of the Medline database on clinical competency evaluation and the Objective Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE). 52 links