The Item Banking Program

Abstract

Teachers are confronted with large classes that often make it difficult to evaluate students on the basis of evaluations based on essay examinations, problems or creative work which permits the students to demonstrate their mastery of concepts and skills in a particular area of learning. As a consequence, a variety of test questions have been devised to sample student knowledge and skills from the larger domain of knowledge contained in a given content area. Multiple choice items, true or false items, sentence completion items, matching items and short essay items have been developed to reduce the time required to evaluate students. The test theory that has evolved around these various types of items indicates that they are quite adequate in reliably assessing differences that exist among students in the domain sampled. Many states, for example, have gone to the use of computerized testing for individuals applying for driving licenses. The individual taking these examinations are presented multiple-choice types of items drawn from a computerized item bank. If the applicant performs at a given level of competence they are then permitted to demonstrate their actual driving skills in a second evaluation stage. Many Area Educational Agencies have also developed banks of items appropriate to various instructional subjects across the school grades such as in English, mathematics, science and history. Teachers may draw items from these banks to create tests over the subject area they teach.