Article:Table Specification

PLANNING THE UNIT TEST

• Start with curriculum guide
• then ope rationalize by writing up series of objectives
• can do a quick review of writing Behavioral Objectives, if you would like.

SPECIFICATIONS CONSTRUCTION

• A table that shows what will be tested (and taught)
• Theoretically, a completely detailed table of specifications would have every learning objective listed for every lesson for the whole year
• things haven't gone quite that far here in Alberta
• not sure there is really a point to having a document that lists every single fact students are to know
• not only is this too inflexible -- because it wouldn't allow for any room for teacher to respond to student needs,
  
  it is also reductionism
• try to reduce learning to individual skills, misses that education is more than the sum of its parts
• part of difference between training and education I talk about in Social Context

• currently this totally detailed approach is dominant one in England
• some movement toward that end of the continuum here: "competency based" education is an attempt to move towards defining education in terms of a finite number of specific competencies
• so we do not need that level of detail --> main topics for year, main concepts for a unit plan good enough

Sample Table of Specifications

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	Bloom's Taxonomy
Subject Content	Knowledge & Comprehension	Application	Analysis, Synthesis &Evaluation	TOTALS
Topic A	10%	20%	10%	40%
Topic B	15%	15%	30%	60%
TOTALS	25%	35%	40%	100%

• usually a two sided chart used in construction of tests
• content down one side, cognitive levels across the top
• common format in Alberta, but no rule: could have content across the top, Bloom' down the side
• usually group Bloom' categories: in this example, knowledge, understanding, and higher mental activity
• I prefer grouping knowledge/understanding (because straight recall usually too simple to count as real learning) and than application, then analysis, synthesis and evaluation as higher level
• for more on Bloom's Taxonomy, please see Glossary

• Content usually much more detailed than this, but will use two categories here to keep illustration simple
• totals tell you at a glance what percentage of course emphasis given to each topic and what percentage lower and higher level mental processes

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Here is an example of more detail

CONTENT	Economic Growth: USA			Economic Growth: USSR				CANADA: Respondind to Change			TOTAL
PROCESSES	Industrialization	Market Economy	Quality of Life	Geography	Industrialization	Centrally Planned Economy	Quality of Life	Technology	Mixed Economy	Quality of Life
KNOWLEDGE AND COMPREHENSION Recall Facts Understand Concepts and Generalizations	17%			17%				18%			52%
PROCESS SKILLS A Locating Interpreting Organizing	8%			8%				8%			24%
PROCESS SKILLS B Analyzing	Etc...

• Example of running content across the top, Bloom' down the side
• notice that some curriculum' translate Bloom into subject specific taxonomy, but principle is the same

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Table of Specifications Relates the Outcomes to the Content and Indicates the Relative weight of each area

• weight is usually based on how much time devoted to teaching concept
• but also how important it is that students remember, transfer to other contexts, courses --> some important ideas may be easy to teach but still important to include
• also determined by type of material --> don't put a lot of weight on higher mental activity category for unit on memorizing state capitals --> don't put a lot into recall for drama class on risk taking and creative dance
• weight -- start simple --> four topics, divide into 4, then maybe add bit more to topic you are particularly interested in, or figure students will be interested in, etc.

Sample Table of Specifications
For
Art History and Appreciation

	Bloom's Taxonomy
Subject Content	Knowledge & Comprehension	Application	Analysis, Synthesis &Evaluation	TOTALS
Art History	40%	5%	5%	50%
Art Appreciation	5%	5%	40%	50%
TOTALS	45%	10%	45%	100%

Rationale:

• Both topics equally important so = 50% each
•  
• art history requires more memorization of names and dates, so relatively more weight on knowledge and comprehension than on analysis, synthesis, or evaluation.
•  
• art appreciation requires student to analyze art object and synthesize personal response to produce critique (evaluation), so this unit will have relatively more weight on higher mental activities
•  
• table achieves overall balance between lower and higher mental activities
• weight usually given in %, but you can use marks (e.g., 50) if you like
• usually out of 100%, but might make two separate blueprints, one for 70 multiple choice, and second 30% for written response
• Acts as a:
• blueprint for teaching --> don't just start teaching page one on day one, or suddenly discover that its Easter and you're still on first unit --> need to figure out how much time you're going to allocate per unit, per concept within units
• blueprint for the test
• So that we get:
• representative sample of course content -->not all random sample
• this is important so that you don't just choose questions from last two weeks before exam

• representative sample of skills, cognitive levels across content
• not just rote memorization; or just high level stuff
• often sabotage great course by teaching high level skills (sculpting, acting, playing solo) then giving rote memorization test (date that Mozart composed 43rd symphony) that does not reflect actual time spent
  
  kids learn quickly what actually &#34counts"is stuff on test, so if you have rote memorization test, don't try to get class discussion going!

• analyze results by level and content area
• if students getting all lower level questions but missing higher level, then you're not doing your job; if all have got answers to one unit but not another, may have to reteach that unit, etc.

Do classroom teachers actually do this?

• No, but most of them have not had the benefit of your training.
• Part of my job when I worked for Student Evaluation branch was to do inservice workshops at PD days and teacher conventions and on item writing committees; teachers were always surprised and pleased by this obvious concept.
• So more teachers are doing this each year.
• Now, most principals will want to see your year plans, and expect some evaluation planning as part of it.
• It is becoming a standard part of unit planning

Strictly speaking there is a difference between a Table of Specifications and a Blueprint:

• Specifications refer to a plan of what is to be taught/tested by weighting
• A blueprint is the plan of the specific test, i.e., which questions test which concept
• So same specifications could give rise to several different blueprints
• But mostly we use terms interchangeably.

Sample Blueprints For
Art History and Appreciation

	Bloom's Taxonomy
Subject Content	Knowledge & Comprehension	Application	Analysis, Synthesis &Evaluation	Total # of Items
Art History	1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8	9	10	10 (50%)
Art Appreciation	13	12	11,14-20	10 (50%)
Total # of Items	9 (45%)	2 (10%)	9 (45%)	20 (100%)

	Bloom's Taxonomy
Subject Content	Knowledge & Comprehension	Application	Analysis, Synthesis &Evaluation	Total # of Items
Art History	1,2,3,4,5,6, 7,8,9,10,19,20, 21,22,23,24	11,14	12,13	20 (50%)
Art Appreciation	15,16	17,18	25-40	20 (50%)
Total # of Items	18 (45%)	4 (10%)	18 (45%)	40 (100%)

·  NOTE how the same Table of Specifications can give rise to any number of different Test Blueprints - the same proportions on each test, but different questions

PHYSICS 30 DIPLOMA EXAM BLUEPRINT

The following table is used by Alberta Education in reporting Diploma exam results.

Distribution of Questions by Percentage of Total Mark

	Cognitive Level
Concept&#178	Knowledge	Comprehension and Application	Higher Mental Activities	Exam Emphasis %
Nature and Behavior of Light	6	12	5	23
Electric and Magnetic Fields	6	16	5	27
Electromagnetic Radiation	4	8	3	15
Structure of Matter	5	11	4	20
Modern Physical Theories	4	8	3	15
Total	25	55	20	100

Sociology Specifications Table

	Learning Outcomes
Subject Content	Knowledge & Comprehension	Higher Mental Activities	Totals
I. Introduction	0%	2%	2%
II. Sociological Perspectives 1. Overview of Sociological Paradigms A) Consensus Theories B) Conflict Theories C) Interaction Theories	8%	12%	20%
III. Schooling & Political Eco. 1. Schooling & the Human Capital Model 2. Education Policy in Canada 3. The Alberta Context	8%	10%	18%
IV. Educ., Social Mobility, & Equality of Ed.Opp. 1. Social Mobility 2. Equality of Educational Opportunity 3. Educational Assessment and the Social Construction of Individual Differences 4. Schooling, Social Reproduction & Legitimation	5%	30%	35%
V. Hidden Curriculum 1. Content 2. Process	2%	18%	20%
VI. Professionalism	2%	3%	5%
TOTALS	25%	75%	100%

• class time spent discussing Hidden Curriculum = 20%
  
  - so I have a term paper on hidden curriculum worth 20% of course grade
•  
•  

•  

V. Hidden Curriculum 1. Content 2. Process

10% (2%)

90% (18%)

100% (20%)

•  
• -structure the assignment so that 10% deals with their understanding of concept of hidden curriculum; 90% on higher level thinking.

Reference:

http://www.uleth.ca/edu/runte/tests/specf/specf.html

2. www.biz.colostate.edu/MTI/summer/.../3-2Grading.pdf - United States