Republic of the Philippines

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
REGION I
SCHOOLS DIVISION OFFICE I PANGASINAN
BINMALEY I
 Republic of the Philippines
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
REGION I
SCHOOLS DIVISION OFFICE I PANGASINAN
DISTRICT OF BINMALEY I

District Training-Workshop on Test Construction

September 7, 14 & 21, 2018
teacher’s guide.
Table of Specifications

“Classroom tests provide teachers with

essential information used to make
decisions about instruction and student
grades. A table of specification (TOS) can
be used to help teachers frame the
decision making process of test
construction and improve the validity of
teachers’ evaluations based on tests
constructed for classroom use.”
- Fives and DiDonato-Barnes (2013)
Table of Specifications (TOS)

A table of specifications or TOS is a test

map that guides the teacher in
constructing a test. (Navarro and Santos,
2012)

A TOS, sometimes called a test

blueprint, is a table that helps teachers
align objectives, instruction, and
assessment.
(Notar, Zuelke, Wilson, & Yunker,2004)
Table of Specifications (TOS)

A TOS is one tool that teachers can use

to support their professional judgment
when creating or selecting test for use
with their students.
The TOS can be used in conjunction
with lesson and unit planning to help
teacher make clear the connections
between planning, instruction, and
assessment.
- Fives and DiDonato-Barnes (2013)
Table of Specifications (TOS)

The TOS can help teachers map the

amount of class time spent on each
objective with the cognitive level at
which each objective was taught thereby
helping teachers to identify the types of
items they need to include on their
tests.
- Fives and DiDonato-Barnes (2013)
Table of Specifications (TOS)

A plan prepared by a teacher as a

basis for test construction that
determines the topics to be covered
and the number of items or points
which will be associated in each topic
distributed to the three domains of
learning.
 Importance of TOS

 useful to organize the planning process of

designing a test which allows the teacher
to determine the content of the test.

 helps teachers align objectives,

instruction and assessment

 ensures proper emphasis given to all

elements of a course of study
 Importance of TOS

 ascertains content validity

 clearly defines the scope and relates

objectives to the content in order to
ensure a balanced test items.

 it helps to provide for optimal learning on

the part of students and optimal teaching
efficiency on the part of the teacher.
Significance and Components
of Table of Specifications
- Kubiszyn and Borich (2003) as cited by Melchor (2013)
1. A table of specifications (TOS)
consists of a two-way chart or grid
relating instructional objectives to the
instructional content.
- The column of the chart lists the
objectives or levels of skills to be
addressed
- The rows list the key concepts or
content the test is to measure
Significance and Components
of Table of Specifications
- Kubiszyn and Borich (2003) as cited by Melchor (2013)

2. A table of specifications identifies not only the

content areas covered in class but also the
performance objectives at each level of the
cognitive domain of Bloom’s Taxonomy.

3. A table of specifications is developed before the

test is written. In fact, it should be constructed
before the actual teaching begins.
Significance and Components
of Table of Specifications
- Kubiszyn and Borich (2003) as cited by Melchor (2013)

4. The purpose of a TOS is to identify the

achievement domains being measured and
to ensure that a fair and representative
sample of questions appear on the test.

5. A TOS benefits students in two ways – it

improves the validity of teacher-made tests,
it can improve student learning as well.
 Significance and Components
of Table of Specifications
- Kubiszyn and Borich (2003) as cited by Melchor (2013)

6. A TOS helps to ensure that there is a match between

what is taught and what is tested.
- Classroom assessment should be driven by classroom
teaching which itself is driven by course goals and
objectives
- TOS provides the link between teaching and testing
(University of Kansas, 2013)
Constructing the Table of Specifications

To align the assessment process with the

K to 12 Basic Education Program, the
adapted Cognitive Process Dimensions by
Anderson and Krathwohl (2005) will be
adopted in constructing the table of
specifications (TOS) for summative
assessment specifically for the quarterly
examinations.
Cognitive Process Dimensions by
Anderson and Krathwohl
Bloom's Revised Taxonomy
 DepEd Order No. 8, s. 2015

POLICY GUIDELINES ON CLASSROOM

ASSESSMENT FOR THE K TO 12 BASIC
EDUCATION PROGRAM
Adapted Cognitive Process Dimensions
Per DepEd Order No. 8, s. 2015
Distribution of Test Items per
DepEd Order No. 79, s. 2003
 Tips in Preparing the TOS

 Weigh the appropriateness of the distribution of

checks against the student’s level, the importance
of the test, the amount of time available.

 Use a cognitive taxonomy that is most appropriate

to your discipline, including non-specific skills like
communication skills or graphic skills or
computation skills if such are important to your
evaluation of the answer.
Arnel O. Rivera, Test Construction: The Art of Effective Evaluation
http://www.slideshare.net/ArnelSSI
 Tips in Preparing the TOS

 It is best to identify major ideas and skills rather

than specific details.

 Match the question level appropriate to the level of

thinking skills

 Don’t make it overly detailed.

Arnel O. Rivera, Test Construction: The Art of Effective Evaluation
http://www.slideshare.net/ArnelSSI
 Tips in Preparing the TOS
 The following array shows the most common
assessment methods used at various cognitive levels.
Tips in Preparing the TOS
Tips in Preparing the TOS
Table of Specifications (TOS) Format
Table of Specifications (TOS) Format
Steps in Constructing TOS

1. In Column A, list all the

topics/learning competencies covered
within the prescribed term.

A B C D E
 Steps in Constructing TOS

2. In Column B, indicate the number of teaching

days or hours spent for each topic/learning
competency.

A B C D E

45
48
 Steps in Constructing TOS

2. In Column C, compute for the percentage

allocation for each topic using the formula

Weight (%) = No. of Days (Column B) x100

Total No. of Days

A B C D E
 Weight (%) = No. of Days (Column B) x100
Total No. of Days

No. of Days Taught

Weight (%)= 3 = 0.066 x100 =6.6

45 =7%
Weight (%)

Total No. of Days

 Steps in Constructing TOS
4. In Column D, compute the number of test items per topic using the
formula below:

No. of test items = % Allocation (Column C) X total no. test

items
Note: The total number of test items will be determined by
the subject teacher.

A B C D E
No. of test items = % Allocation (Column C) X
total no. test items
Total test items

.07 x 50 = 3.5 or 4

No. of test items

% = 7  100 = 0.07
 Steps in Constructing TOS
5. In Column E, determine the item placement based
on the number of items (Column D) align to the
behavioral domains.
Easy (60%) = No. of items per learning competency X 0.60
Medium-level (30%) = No. of items per learning competency X 0.30
Difficult (10%) = No. of items per learning competency X 0.10

A B C D E
Sample Table of Specifications
Sample Table of Specifications

Division Training Workshop in Test Preparation and Administration

Lingayen I Central School Library, Lingayen, Pangasinan ● November 14-16, 2017
Sample Table of Specifications
RENATO N. JABONALLA
Master Teacher I
BUENLAG ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Construct or prepare a Table of
Specifications (TOS) for the Second
Quarter Examination of the assigned
learning area.
“Sometimes, we overlooked
the beauty around us for
the reason that we are so
bundled up in life. What we
need then is to keep under
lock and key to whiff the
roses as well.”
- Harhar 
 REFERENCES

DepEd Order No. 79, series 2003

DepEd Order No. 82, series 2003

DepEd Order No. 73, series 2012

Deped Order No. 8, series 2015

Downing, S. M., T. M. Haladyna (editors), Handbook of Test Development,

Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 2006

Tarrant, M., J. Ware, A. Mohammed, An assessment of functioning and

nonfunctioning distractors in multiple-choice questions: a descriptive
analysis, http://www.springerlink.com/content/e8k8618552465484/fulltext.pdf,
2009
Division Training Workshop in Test Preparation and Administration
Lingayen I Central School Library, Lingayen, Pangasinan ● November 14-16, 2017
 REFERENCES
Alade, O.M. and Omoruyi, I.V. (2014). Table of Specification and Its
Relevance in Educational Development Assessment. European Journal of
Educational and Development Psychology Vol.2, No.1, pp.1-17, March 2014

Devine, M. & Yaghlian, N. Test Construction Manual (Construction of

Objective Tests). Accessed November 3, 2017 from www.cte.cornell.edu

Rivera, A. (2016). Table of Specifications with an Overview of Test

Construction. Accessed November 3, 2017 from
http://www.slideshare.net/sirarnelPHhistory

Rivera, A. (2016). Test Construction: The Art of Effective Evaluation.

Accessed November 3, 2017 from http://www.slideshare.net/ArnelSSI
 REFERENCES

Anderson, L.W. (Ed.), Krathwohl, D.R. (Ed.), Airasian, P.W., Cruikshank, K.A., Mayer, R.E.,
Pintrich, P.R., Raths, J., & Wittrock, M.C. (2001). A taxonomy for learning, teaching, and
assessing: A revision of Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives (Complete edition).
New York: Longman.

Fives, Helenrose & DiDonato-Barnes, Nicole (2013). Classroom Test Construction: The
Power of a Table of Specifications. Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 18(3).
Available online: http://pareonline.net/getvn.asp?v=18&n=3

Notar, C.E., Zuelke, D. C., Wilson, J. D. & Yunker, B. D. (2004). The table of specifications:
Insuring accountability in teacher made tests. Journal of Instructional Psychology, 31, 115-
129.

Ivanova, V. Construction and Evaluation of Achievement Test in English. Accessed

November 3, 2017 from http://sci-gems.math.bas.bg/jspui/bitstream/10525/1554/1/adis-may-
2011-276p-285p.pdf

https://polguart.wordpress.com/2010/03/17/module-3-teacher-made-test-construction/