Assessment: Tests and Quizzes

Tests and quizzes generally require learners to respond individually and in writing to questions and problems, and are based on learning materials that have been addressed by the class.

Quizzes, generally, are brief, are administered frequently, and focus on a specific topic that has recently been addressed by the class.

Tests are generally longer than quizzes, and may involve assessment of learners' knowledge of a range of topics. Very often, the tests that yield the most effective measures of learners' achievements are tests that are designed by the teacher. Ready-made tests may be convenient, but they may not reflect the way information has been presented for learning, and they may not reflect the developmental levels, skills, and contextual knowledge of your class.

Tests that use "structured responses" can be very efficient forms of assessment, because they require little time to administer to the children, and they are quickly graded by the teacher. However, while structured-responses tests may be efficient, they are often ineffective - they may test what children have failed to learn, rather than what they've mastered.

Kinds of structured responses include:

- True/false questions
- Multiple-choice questions
- Fill-in-the-blank questions
- Matching
- Labelling (usually of a picture or a diagram)
- Graphing, charting, and drawing

The quiz that follows tests learners' understanding of a science unit on water.

A sample end of unit science quiz

1. Name a:

   • solid ____________________________

   • a liquid ____________________________

   • a gas ____________________________