Wallpaper Modified Testing

The minimum requirement for traditional multiple-choice tests is to mark one option on each question, right mark scoring (RMS). The student is not given the option to omit. The test score indicates luck, guessing, and what the student may know. The score only ranks the student. After experiencing Knowledge and Judgment Scoring (KJS) my students called traditional testing Dumb Testing. Dumb Testing is easy and fast. Reading all the test questions is optional.

Smart Testing (KJS) requires that each question stem is read and visualized (a web of relevant relationships) before looking at the answer options. If the student’s answer matches one of the answer options, that option is probably the right answer for the question. The student has brought something to the test that can be reported using this question.

Knowledge and judgment can be given equal value. The test score is a combination of the knowledge and judgment scores (the quantity and quality scores). Forced guessing is not required. The result is an accurate, honest and fair test score.

Changing from Dumb Testing to Smart Testing requires some experience. This is much like changing from a tricycle to a bicycle. It is scary the first few times. After that it is fun. Over 90% of students voluntarily switch from Dumb Testing to Smart Testing after two experiences.

Until Smart Testing is offered on NCLB standardized tests, there is a way to modify Dumb Testing to obtain Smart Testing information. It comes from wallpapering the answer sheet. It requires a third key (WP KEY   ) for the wallpaper.

The trick is to assign one answer option on each question as the “omit” option BEFORE seeing the test. Students mark only if they can trust the answer to be correct. Instead of, “mark a best answer on each question”, now students only, “mark answers you can use to report what you trust you know or can do”. Near the end of the test, they fill in the remaining marks following the wallpaper design.

The simplest design is the age-old advice: “If you do not know an answer, just mark C”. Any letter option can be selected for the class PRIOR to seeing the test. 

The next most frequent design students have used is the “Christmas tree”: ABCDABCD . . .  and AABABCABCDAAB . . .. Random designs can be used if the pattern is posted for all the students to use at the end of the test.

Wallpapering does not change Dumb Testing (RMS) test scores. Changing a wrong mark to a wallpapered omit is still “wrong” with traditional right mark scoring (RMS).  

Right Mark Scoring clicker data with no wallpaper.   

Right Mark Scoring clicker data with Dumb wallpaper (based on any single answer option).

Right Mark Scoring clicker data with Smart wallpaper (based on student judgment).

Commercial testing companies can still score the tests to produce traditional Dumb Testing student and school rankings.

Wallpapering does change Smart Testing (KJS) test scores. Power Up Plus (PUP) then extracts quantity and quality Smart Testing values (including test maker and test taker views). (See next post.)