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Assessment practices play a crucial role in fostering student learning and guiding instructional decision‐making. The ability to construct effective test items is of utmost importance in evaluating student learning and shaping instructional strategies. This study aims to investigate the skills of Ghanaian basic schoolteachers in test item construction. The study focused on the revised Bloom's taxonomy. A cross‐sectional survey design was employed, and a questionnaire was developed and used to collect the needed data. The data were collected from 560 basic schoolteachers selected by using a simple random sampling technique. The participants comprised 280 male teachers and 280 female teachers. The data were collected and subjected to descriptive statistics analysis via mean, and standard deviation. While the p‐value (α ≤ 0.05) was used to determine the differences in the teachers' test item construction skills, the independence t‐test was used to compare the differences between the proficiency of male and female participants. The analysis revealed a notable contrast in how participants perceived their abilities in constructing test items, indicating a statistically significant difference. Specifically, female teachers demonstrated a stronger proficiency in test item construction skills compared to their male counterparts. Also, most teachers prioritised the lower levels within Bloom's taxonomy while crafting test items. Regular in‐service training on test item construction was recommended at the district level for teachers to update and upgrade their skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to examine Turkish teacher candidates' competency levels in writing different types of test items by utilizing Rasch analysis. In addition, the effect of the expertise of the raters scoring the items written by the teacher candidates was examined within the scope of the study. 84 Turkish teacher candidates participated in the present study, which was conducted using the relational survey model, one of the quantitative research methods. Three experts participated in the rating process: an expert in Turkish education, an expert in measurement and evaluation, and an expert in both Turkish education and measurement and evaluation. The teacher candidates wrote true-false, short response, multiple choice and open-ended types of items in accordance with the Test Item Development Form, and the raters scored each item type by designating a score between 1 and 5 based on the item evaluation scoring rubric prepared for each item type. The study revealed that Turkish teacher candidates had the highest level of competency in writing true-false items, while they had the lowest competency in writing multiple-choice items. Moreover, it was revealed that raters' expertise had an effect on teacher candidates' competencies in writing different types of items. Finally, it was found that the rater who was an expert in both Turkish education and measurement and evaluation had the highest level of scoring reliability, while the rater who solely had expertise in measurement and evaluation had the relatively lowest level of scoring reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Medical Entomology Unit of the Institute for Medical Research, Kuala Lumpur, is a laboratory that was certified in 2019 to conduct evaluation of vector control products in compliance to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development principles of good laboratory practice (GLP) laboratory. To ensure the product evaluation practice complies with the GLP principles and corrections are made for improving test procedures, internal inspections by the Quality Assurance team play a crucial role. Before commencing GLP-compliant studies, study plans are developed according to the study objectives and critically examined to ensure they are performed in accordance with the GLP principles. We described the quality of test system, test item and test method used for evaluation of repellent effect of topically applied repellent products in accordance to the GLP test requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims at describing the test item making process in developing OLIVE, Online Listening for Individual Practice. OLIVE is a combination of CALL (Computer Assisted Language Learning) and ICT (Information Communication Technology), which is an e-learning format. It is a web application prepared by Sekolah Vokasi Universitas Gadjah Mada Yogyakarta to enhance listening skill for non-English major students. OLIVE provides supplementary listening materials in the form of test which can be self-accessed online outside the classroom. There are four parts of the listening practice served in OLIVE; Short Conversation, Question-Response, Longer Conversation, and Talks. Meanwhile, the process of the test making includes design, operationalization, and administration.

O objetivo desse estudo foi desenvolver itens de ensaio (IE) liofilizados contendo Salmonella spp., em matriz chocolate, para utilização em ensaio de proficiência (EP). Foi realizada a análise microbiológica de uma amostra de chocolate granulado para verificar se estava livre do micro-organismo alvo. Para monitoramento da qualidade dos IE, realizou-se estudos de homogeneidade e estabilidade em longo e curto prazo, bem como verificou-se a presença de vácuo nas amostras garantindo a eficiência do processo de liofilização. A análise microbiológica do chocolate indicou ausência de contaminação por Salmonella spp., estando apto para ser utilizado como matriz. A técnica de liofilização, com uso de trealose como crioprotetor, se mostrou eficaz para dessecação dos IE produzidos. O lote produzido se apresentou suficientemente homogêneo, pois o micro-organismo estava presente em todos os frascos analisados. O lote se apresentou estável à temperatura de -20ºC (em cinco semanas) e -70ºC (em 26 semanas); na estabilidade de transporte, foi considerado estável a 4ºC (em quatro dias). O lote de IE produzido nesse estudo apresentou qualidade que o torna apto para uso em EP, o que visou contribuir para o aumento da confiabilidade dos resultados das análises dos laboratórios e propiciar subsídios para a identificação e solução de problemas. ================================================ The aim of this study was to develop lyophilized test items (TI) containing Salmonella spp., in chocolate matrix to be used in proficiency testing programs (PTP). Microbial analysis was conducted on samples of granulated chocolate to verify that the sample was free of the target microorganisms. Homogeneity and stability studies in long and short term were carried out to monitor TI quality; the presence of vacuum in the samples was also verified, to ensure the efficiency of the lyophilization process. The results of the microbial testing indicated no contamination by Salmonella spp.; thus, the sample was appropriate to be used as matrix. The lyophilization technique, using trehalose as cryoprotectant, has proven to be effective for desiccation of TI produced. The Salmonella batch proved to be sufficiently homogeneous, because the microorganism was present in all analyzed flasks. The batch was held stable at -20°C (five weeks) and -70°C (26 weeks). As for the transportation stability, the batch was considered stable at 4°C (in four days). The TI produced batch in this study showed a quality level that makes it suitable to be used in PTP, to contribute to the increasing reliability of the test results from laboratories and to provide subsidies for identification of problems and troubleshooting.

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