3 Test Items and 1 Essay Item for Elementary School Unit on Penguins

Below are 3 Test Items and 1 Essay Item for assessing my learning outcomes for an elementary school unit on penguins.

Test Items
 
1.  Penguin Photo and Species Name Matching - Column A has photos of an adult penguin from each species students are expected to be able to identify for Learning Outcome #1 (i.e. Adelie, Chinstrap, Emperor, Gentoo, and King).  Column B has the names of 8 penguin species.  The three extra penguin species options are given to reduce the chance of students just guessing correctly (Kubiszyn, 2009, p. 136).  The species names are also listed alphabetically to make it easier for students to locate the answers (Kubiszyn, 2009, p. 137).

2.  Penguin Identification - Students are presented with images of penguins and asked to circle or otherwise identify one of each of the following species: Adelie, Chinstrap, Emperor, Gentoo, and King.  This is an additional test for assessing Learning Outcome #1.

3. Label Continents with Native Penguin Species Names - Students are given a map showing all continents identified by name.  By using a map with the continent names, the test remains focused on testing the students knowledge of what continent each penguin is native to.  Thus the test remains more valid, as the students are not getting the questions wrong just because they do not know where the continents are on the map.  Using a list of penguin species with letters beside the names, the students are to label the continent each species is considered to be native to.  This test helps assess whether Learning Outcome #3: Students will point out on a map the native continent for each modern penguin species with 80% accuracy has been achieved.

Essay Item 

• In half a page, explain three reasons why different penguins species are endangered?  Be sure to mention at least one specific penguin species affected by each reason you include. - This essay question was developed to help assess Learning Outcome #2: Students will explain three reasons some penguin species are endangered.  This outcome could perhaps be somewhat assessed with a multiple choice test, but an essay item seems more appropriate because the outcome "require supplying information rather than simply recognizing information" (Kubiszyn, 2009, p. 161).

References: 

• Kubiszyn, T. (2009). Educational Testing and Measurement: Classroom Application and Practice (9 ed.). [VitalSource Bookshelf] Retrieved from http://online.vitalsource.com/#/books/9780470571880

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