Handouts are available below

Big Idea

Can multiple choice questions be used to assess standards? Yes, they absolutely can. But, to ensure we’re using multiple choice to assess standards effectively, we need to re-examine the multiple choice questions we use and come up with certain types of multiple choice questions we consistently use to assess standards. In this episode, I go over examples of questions I’ve used to assess curricular standards like Questioning and Predicting.

Using Multiple Choice in Standards Based Grading

NOTE: Our transcript is below. Download handouts at the bottom of our page and follow along! Or, watch the video.

Truth be told, I love multiple choice because crafting good multiple choice questions AND good multiple choice responses is both art and science. When I come across a good multiple choice question, there’s just something about it that makes me say “ah-ha, that’s a cool way of testing that idea” – and I think all teachers sort of geek out that way too. That’s how I approach using multiple choice in SBG – I look to see if a question gives me that “ah-ha” feeling.

Thus, there are questions that simply don’t give me that feeling – and these are the stereotypical multiple choice questions that are based on recall – like a question that asks “what is the definition of”. We need to get rid of these questions because they’re more memorization than skill. Having said that, I’m not saying there isn’t going to be content on a standards based test – just that the content will be used differently on our test.

So, we need to come up with some types of questions to use for SBG. And here’s the key I’ve discovered to doing this effectively and efficiently: for each competency I’m assessing, I use the same passage types and types of questioning.

For standards or competencies related to Questioning and Predicting, I give students the passage type known as Dueling Hypotheses – where I bring up multiple hypotheses to a phenomenon and students need to analyze the hypotheses and form predictions off these hypotheses. Here’s a passage I created where I give students 3 hypotheses for the formation of acne, which is of interest to students. One hypothesis says acne is caused by diet. Another states acne is caused by bacteria and dirt. A 3rd hypothesis says acne is caused by cosmetics.

Then, the questions I tend to ask are ones that require students to see which hypothesis will be supported or refuted by specific samples of evidence. For example, if an anti-viral medication were used and Jordan’s face cleared up, which hypothesis would this support?

Thus, since I use a consistent format in questions and passages, students get regular practice on how to analyze and predict the effect of different hypotheses. And, because I’m basing passages on the content I’m assessing, I’m providing a variety of examples and hypotheses to students as well. Also, the consistency in format saves me time in creating standards based questions because I’ve already decided on the types of questions I’m going to ask, which is half the battle when coming up with a test. And isn’t this what we – as teachers – want at the end of the day? To save time?

Check out my handouts, where I also provide an example of how I assess standards or competencies related to Planning and Conducting.

Thanks for reading, and let’s talk science education again soon.

Resources

Handout(s): Ep54 Handout – How to Use Multiple Choice in Standards Based Grading

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