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How do I create a test
schedule and assign a grade weight for each test?
What
is a test schedule and why is it necessary?
How
do I develop a test schedule?
What
is a grade weight?
How
do I assign grade weights to assessments?
What
is a test schedule and why is it necessary?
The test schedule is one section of a testing plan. A
test schedule is a list of all the formal assessments/tests
in the course. It contains the test number, test name, test
type, the unit corresponding to the test, the lesson number
after which the test is given, the learning objectives covered
on each test, and the grade weight of the test.
A test schedule ensures that all highly and moderately critical
objectives are assessed.
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How
do I develop a test schedule?
Click on the steps below to guide the development of a
test schedule.
- Determine
the natural breaks in the instruction for test placement.
- Determine the
formal assessment types for each break.
- Fill in test
number, test name, and test type.
- Select units
and/or lessons to be covered for each test.
1. Determine the natural breaks
in the instruction for test placement.
The Course Master Schedule (CMS) may be used as a guide. A
CMS is a curriculum control document that lists the sequence
of units and lessons by days or periods for the course. In
this sequence, test periods are indicated. These test periods
should be used to decide after which units and lessons a test
should be given.
Source: NAVEDTRA 135B,
A-5-18, J-3; NAVEDTRA 130A, Volume I, 7-2-9
Keep the following points in mind as
you determine where tests should be placed:
- A test should cover about 40 to
50 hours of instruction, but varies depending on the complexity
of the material. Schedule more frequent tests if critical
skills are necessary before new skills are learned and schedule
less frequent tests if the skills need time to develop.
If the tests are too frequent, short-term memorization may
result.
- Knowledge tests are usually limited
to 10% of the total instructional time.
- Tests should be scheduled so that
a minimum of one overnight period is set aside for student
preparation.
- Tests should cover multiple lessons,
but may cover just one lesson.
Source: NAVEDTRA
135A, 8-A-7-1; NAVEDTRA 135B, A-5-18, J-3
2. Determine the formal assessment
types for each break.
The assessment type should reflect the outcomes (knowledge
or skill) of the LOs that precede the testing break. More
than one testing type may be used when both a knowledge test
and a performance test are necessary. For example, if students
must understand transistor theory before troubleshooting a
particular radar device, it may be appropriate to formally
test students' knowledge on a knowledge test before testing
their skill on a performance test.
- A knowledge progress test
is a test used to measure student achievement of theory
and/or background knowledge. Knowledge progress tests are
given at different points within the course to assess student
progress. They may include multiple choice, true-false,
matching, completion, and essay items.
Source:
NAVEDTRA 130A, Volume I, 8-A-5-1, 8-1-1
- A performance progress test
is given at different points within the course to assess
student progress. Performance progress tests measure the
students' ability to perform a specific skill or behavior
by having them use actual equipment or training devices.
It is a sample work situation in which the student demonstrates
the ability to do and/or complete a task or job. Performance
tests can be a process test and/or a product test. Process
tests focus on whether the student can correctly perform
the steps of the procedure or process. Product tests
focus on whether the student can produce or construct a
product that meets specifications. Combination tests
focus on both the correct performance of the procedural
steps and construction of the product.
Source: NAVEDTRA 130A, Volume I, 8-A-3-1;
NAVEDTRA 135, C-1
- A comprehensive test may
be a performance and/or a knowledge test. It is used to
measure mastery and/or retention of previously tested material.
Within-course comprehensive tests are used in long courses
where it would be impractical to administer one final test.
Final comprehensive tests are given at the end of the course.
Each course is required to have one comprehensive test.
Source: NAVEDTRA 135B, Appendix C-2
- A pretest is the only formal assessment that is
NOT grade weighted. A pretest is a test that occurs before
the instruction is given. Pretests are designed to measure
student mastery of the learning objectives that will be
taught. This information is used to determine if a student
has the knowledge and skill needed for acceleration. Pretests
can also be used to determine if the student
has the required prerequisite knowledge and skills necessary
for the course.
Source:
NAVEDTRA 135B, Appendix C-2
3. Fill in test number, test name,
and test type.
The test number and test name should conform to Navy and command
standards, while the test type reflects the test type determined
in Step 2.
4. Select units and/or lessons to
be covered for each test.
The unit and lesson selections should be based on the units
and lessons that precede the test break and will be assessed
on the test. In the case of progress tests, the units and
lessons will
generally be the units and lessons that followed the last
progress test.
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What
is a grade weight?
When calculating the course grade, grade weighting is
the practice of counting critical assessments more highly
than less critical assessments. Grade weights should correspond
to the relative importance and the number of learning objectives
being assessed on the test. Tests that contain more critical
learning objectives (LOs) should receive a higher grade weight,
while tests with less critical LOs should be given a lower
grade weight. However, the total weight for the course, when
all assessments are added, must always equal 1.00 (100%).
Source: NAVEDTRA
135B, 5-1-3
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How do I assign grade weights
to assessments?
Assigning grade weights is a complex process, especially as
the number of learning objectives (Los) increase. There are
many ways of assigning grade weights and no one process is
necessarily the best. Click on the steps below to guide your
assignment of grade weights.
- Develop the test
schedule. (Completed in
"Create Test Schedule" section of Scheduling and
Grading)
- Determine if the
informal assessments used in the course will be grade weighted.
- Determine the
grade weight(s) of the comprehensive test(s).
- Determine the initial
grade weight for each progress test used in the course.
- Determine the
grade weight of each progress test used in the course.
- Revise all grade
weighted assessments to determine if they have the appropriate
grade weights and that all grade weights sum to 1.00.
- Make sure all
grade weights are in decimal form.
1. Develop the test schedule.
The test schedule should be completed prior to assigning grade
weights. This is created in "Create
Test Schedule" section of Scheduling and Grading. A completed
test schedule contains all of the tests that will be grade
weighted. See How
do I develop a test schedule?
above for more information.
2. Determine if the informal assessments
used in the course will be grade weighted.
Informal assessments may
or may not be grade weighted in the class.
- If they have not been standardized,
the informal assessments cannot be used as a grade weighted
assessment. For example, for a quiz to be grade weighted,
the quiz should have gone through the same developmental
and revision process as the formal assessments in the course.
- If the material is complex and usually
difficult for the students, graded informal assessments
can be used to reduce the students' stress by spreading
the grade weight of the material across many assessments.
- If the formal assessment is constrained
in some way so that a complete assessment cannot occur,
an informal assessment or a series of informal assessments
can be used to completely assess the material.
- If the formal assessments fully
assess the objectives of the course, it may be unnecessary
to grade weight informal assessments.
If the informal assessments will not
be used as part of the grade weight, enter a 0 into the grade
weight box. Generally, informal assessments are not heavily
weighted. In most instances, they should be assigned about
10% or .10 of the course grade. However, this percentage (weight)
can vary depending on the number of informal assessments weighted,
the total number of formal assessments, and the complexity
of the objectives. For instance, if a course has only a few
formal assessments but a large number of informal assessments,
the informal assessments in this course should be weighted
more than they would be in a course with a large number of
formal assessments.
3. Determine the grade weight(s)
of the comprehensive test(s).
Use the following guidelines to determine how to weight comprehensive
tests:
- If there is only one comprehensive
test in the course, it is usually given more weight than
any one progress test in the course.
- If more than one comprehensive test
is given, they should be weighted on the amount of information
they cover and the criticality of the information.
- If the critical objectives of the
course are performance oriented, then knowledge comprehensive
tests may be weighted less than a performance comprehensive
test and/or some other performance progress tests. The
exception occurs when the performance tests are graded SAT/UNSAT.
In these cases, knowledge comprehensive tests should be
weighted more than performance tests.
4. Determine the initial grade weight
for each progress test used in the course.
Divide the unused (not taken up by informal assessments and
comprehensive tests) grade weight by the amount of progress
tests in the course. This is the starting grade weight for
each progress test.
For example, in Course A the grade
weight for quizzes is 0.05 and practical work is 0.05. Also,
there is a comprehensive test that has a grade weight of 0.20.
The total used portion of the grade weight
is 0.30 (0.05 + 0.05 + 0.20). Thus, the total unused grade
weight is 0.70 (1.00 - 0.30). There are five progress tests
in the course. Initially, each progress test should be worth
0.14 (0.70 divided by 5).
5. Determine the grade weight of each progress test used in
the course.
One method of determining the grade weights is to rank order
the tests based on the criticality of the objectives. The
tests that assess more critical learning objectives should
have a higher grade weight. Click on the steps below to guide
you in ranking the tests:
Step 1. For
each test, sum the criticality scores of its learning objectives.
Step 2. Calculate
the average criticality score for the learning objectives
on the test.
Step 3. Rank
the tests based on their averages.
When there are ties, use the total test criticality score
sum as the tiebreaker. In general, the HIGHER the average
and the sum of the ranks, the more critical the items covered
on the test.
Step 4. When
necessary, use personal judgment to slightly shift the ranked
order of the tests.
Step 1. For each test, sum the criticality
scores of its learning objectives.
(Add all of the criticality scores for a learning objective.)
Below are examples on how to sum the
criticality scores.
Examples:
| Test
Name |
Learning
Objectives |
Learning
Objective's Criticality Scores |
Total
Test Criticality Score Sum |
| Progress
Test 1 |
1.1 |
4 |
12
(4+3+5=12) |
| 1.2 |
3 |
| 1.3 |
5 |
| Progress
Test 2 |
2.1 |
8 |
30
(8+4+6+8+4=30) |
| 2.2 |
4 |
| 2.3 |
6 |
| 2.4 |
8 |
| 2.5 |
4 |
| Progress
Test 3 |
3.1 |
4 |
40
(4+4+3+6+6+4+3+2= 32) |
| 3.2 |
4 |
| 3.3 |
3 |
| 3.4 |
6 |
| 3.5 |
6 |
| 3.6 |
4 |
| 3.7 |
3 |
| 3.8 |
2 |
- Progress test #1 has three learning
objectives (1.1, 1.2, and 1.3) with the corresponding criticality
scores of 4, 3, and 5. The total test criticality score
sum is 12 (4+3+5).
- Progress test #2 has five learning
objectives (2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, and 2.5) with criticality
scores of 8, 4, 6, 8, and 4. The total test criticality
score sum is 30 (8+4+6+8+4).
- Progress test #3 has eight learning
objectives (3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 3.8) with
criticality scores of 4, 4, 3, 6, 5, 4, 3, and 3. The total
test criticality score sum is 32 (4+4+3+6+6+4+3+2=32).
Step 2. Calculate the average criticality
score for the learning objectives on the test.
(Average is a sum of the criticality
scores divided by the amount of LOs on the test.)
Below are examples of how to determine
the average criticality score.
Example:
| Test
Name |
Learning
Objectives |
Total
Test Criticality Score Sum |
Average
Criticality Score |
| Progress
Test 1 |
1.1 |
12 |
4
(12/3=4) |
| 1.2 |
| 1.3 |
| Progress
Test 2 |
2.1 |
30 |
6
(12/5=6) |
| 2.2 |
| 2.3 |
| 2.4 |
| 2.5 |
| Progress
Test 3 |
3.1 |
32 |
4
(32/8=4) |
| 3.2 |
| 3.3 |
| 3.4 |
| 3.5 |
| 3.6 |
| 3.7 |
| 3.8 |
- Progress test #1 has a test total
criticality score sum of 12 and three learning objectives.
The average criticality score is determined by dividing
12 (the total test criticality score sum) by 3 (the number
of learning objectives). The average criticality score is
4 (12/4=3).
- Progress test #2 has a test total
criticality score sum of 30 and five learning objectives.
The average criticality score is determined by dividing
30 (the total test criticality score sum) by 5 (the number
of learning objectives). The average criticality score is
6 (30/5=6).
- Progress test #3 has a test total
criticality score sum of 32 and eight learning objectives.
The average
criticality score is determined by dividing 32 (the total
test criticality score sum) by 8 (the number of learning
objectives). The average criticality score is 4 (32/8=4).
Step 3. Rank the tests based on
their averages.
When there are ties, use the total test criticality score
sum as the tiebreaker. In general, the HIGHER the average
and the sum of the ranks, the more critical the items covered
on the test.
Below is an example on how to determine
the ranked order of tests.
Examples:
| Rank |
Test
Name |
Total
Test Criticality Score Sum |
Average
Criticality Score |
| 1 |
Progress
Test 2 |
30 |
6 |
| 2 |
Progress
Test 3 |
32 |
4 |
| 3 |
Progress
Test 1 |
12 |
4 |
- By comparing the averages, progress
test #2 is more critical than progress test #1 and progress
test #3, because progress test #2's average criticality
score is higher than both progress test #1 and progress
test #3's average criticality scores. Therefore, progress
test #2 is ranked 1.
- Progress test #1 and progress test
#3 have the same average criticality scores;
however the total test criticality score sum for progress
test #3 is higher than the total test criticality score
sum for progress test #1. Therefore, progress test #3 is
ranked 2 and progress test #1 is ranked 3.
Step 4. When necessary, use personal
judgment to slightly shift the ranked order of the tests.
Once the test rankings have been determined, add or subtract
grade weight from the initial grade weight of each progress
test based on the test rankings. In general, tests that are
ranked higher should have a larger grade weight than tests
that are ranked lower.
Below is an example of how to determine
the grade weights based on test rankings.
Example:
| Test
Name |
Rank |
Grade
Weight |
| Progress
Test #1 |
3 |
.12 |
| Progress
Test #2 |
1 |
.16 |
| Progress
Test #3 |
2 |
.14 |
Progress test #2 should have the highest
grade weight and progress test #1 should have the
lowest grade weight. Thus, a few points should be added to
progress test #2 and removed from progress test #1. The grade
weight for progress test # 2 is now .16 (.14 + .02), while
progress test #1 is now .12 (.14 -.02).
6. Revise all grade weighted assessments
to determine if they have the appropriate grade weights and
that all grade weights sum to 1.00.
If necessary, change the grade weights of the informal assessments,
the comprehensive tests, and the progress tests to balance
the grade weights for the course. It is important to look
at all of the learning objectives covered by the assessments
and add more grade weight when:
- The knowledge or skills is needed
for day one in the fleet.
- The basic skills used for rest of
course is built upon these learning objectives.
- The student will perform the learning
objectives with little or no supervision in the fleet.
- The knowledge or skill tested in
this section is critical upon arrival to the fleet.
- When the knowledge is more important
than the skill. Rank the knowledge test higher than the
performance test.
- When the performance is more important
than the knowledge. Rank the performance test higher than
the knowledge test.
Make sure to balance all additions
with subtractions and vice versa. Remember, the total grade
weight should not exceed 1.00.
7. Make sure all grade weights are
in decimal form.
Decimals are numerical forms of fractions. Decimals
are calculated by dividing the numerator (the top number in
the fraction) by the denominator (the bottom number in the
fraction).
Examples:
- .27 = 27/100
- .7 = 7/10
- .5 = 1/2
If you have two tests that are equal
weight then each test is worth 1/2 of the grade. The grade
weight for each test is .5 (1 divided by 2 is .5).
If you have a course with five tests
each of equal weight. Each test is worth 1/5 of the grade
of the whole course. The grade weight for each test is .2
(1 divided by 5 is .2).
If you have a test worth 2/3 of the
total course grade, then the grade weight for each test is
.67 (2 divided by 3 is .67).
Percents are fractions in which
the denominator (the bottom number) is always 100. % means
divided by 100. Percents can be converted to decimals by dividing
the percent (numerator) by 100.
Examples:
- 27% = 27/100 = .27
- 70% = 70/100 = .7
- 50% = 50/100 = .5
If a test has a grade weight of .30,
then 30% of the final grade in the course depends on this
test.
If a test has a grade weight of .45,
then 45% of the final grade in the course depends on this
test.
If a test has a grade weight of 1.00,
then 100% (the entire grade) of the final grade in the course
depends on this test.
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