Diagnostic tests

Diagnostic Tests: Response Analysis

Diagnostic tests assess prior knowledge and skills and come in two forms: response analyses and cognitive diagnostic assessments. Response analyses provide information on mastery and understanding and allow instructors to alter instruction to address students’ misunderstandings. Skills analyses can inform instructors of areas of difficulty when creating review activities, while error analyses may provide information to help plan re-teaching activities (Ketterlin-Geller & Yovanoff, 2009). Quizzes on computational facts such as decimal and fraction conversion can provide insight into which skills each student has mastered or partially mastered and which skills should be reviewed as a class. However, skills analyses do not reveal why the student did not answer the question correctly; therefore, error analyses are necessary for further information (Ketterlin-Geller & Yovanoff). For example, test questions on fraction conversions reveal information about computational skills and strategies.

Diagnostic Tests: Cognitive Diagnostics

Cognitive diagnostic assessments target specific cognitive processes and are used to design remedial programs or additional assistance (Ketterlin-Geller & Yovanoff, 2009). Ketterlin-Geller and Yovanoff offer a sample cognitive diagnostic matrix, where each response item is attached to one or more cognitive attribute. The matrix includes information on which test items the student answers correctly and incorrectly, providing information on possible patterns in cognitive gaps.

These types of assessments can be critical to school and teacher planning since they can provide important information that will allow teachers to plan and sequence their curriculum (or group students) in ways that match the particular strengths and weaknesses for specific groups. This allows teachers (or groups of teachers) to customize their approach or prepare lessons that address particular issues that are likely to vary from group to group. In addition, with enough information over time, teachers can isolate issues and topics that are sources of problems year after year, thus allowing for robust planning and research to address these chronic problems of misunderstanding.