I admit that occasionally a well-written multiple choice test is all I need to gauge understanding of a lesson. But really, those occasions are few and far between. There’s a reason students groan more when you give open-response tests: they’re challenging instead of the preferred multiple guess.
Here are a few specific reasons why we as teachers need to up our game and give open-ended response tests.
1. The Students Can’t Guess the Right Answer
Here is the turning point when I realized how bad multiple choice tests are. We were reading Night and taking practice state tests we had created based on the book. One of the questions asked about a character and the correct response was Idek. In going over the answers as a class, I called on a student to give me their response.
Student: I don’t even know.
Me: Okay, well what did you put down as your answer? Didn’t you at least guess?
Student: I said C, I don’t even know.
Me: (confused, and looking down at the paper) C is Idek…You think Idek stands for I don’t even know?
Student: Yeah, and it was right? Who’s Idek?
Student B: I thought it was I don’t even know, too! I got it right too!
Me: Why would I have an answer of I don’t even know and why would you select it?!
But it was a moot point because miraculously their strategy had worked for them. It pained me to give them credit for their answer and I questioned every other answer they got right. Was it all just a guess?
2. You Can’t Assess Higher Dimensions of Learning with Multiple Choice
I’ll use Animal Farm here as my example. In the past I’ve given a quote from the text that demonstrates a form of propaganda. The students need to determine which type of propaganda is used by selecting the correct answer from the multiple choice list given. Beyond the fact that students can just guess, it also lets them off easy and doesn’t really cover their understanding of propaganda (DOL 2).
Below is the newly revised question. Now the students need to be able to construct support which upgrades this question to DOL 3 – constructing support.
3. Multiple Choice Tests are Made to Trick People
The art of creating a great multiple choice test is in the ability to create enticing incorrect answers. Without them, the correct answer is too obvious. But in creating them, it just feels wrong – like I am trying to trick my students into selecting the wrong answer. For me, personally, it makes me second guess myself. I read the question and have the right answer in my mind, but then I see three answers I like in the list of answer choices. Suddenly I’m not so sure. Had I been able to just write out my initial answer, I would have been better off.
Let’s stop trying to trick out students and just let them tell us what they know.
4. With a Rubric Grading Open-Ended Responses Doesn’t Take Too Long
One of the reasons many teachers still use multiple choice tests is because they are quick to grade and they don’t have any gray areas. It’s right or it’s wrong. A quick trip through a scan-tron and you’ve graded all your tests in just a few minutes. I’m not saying you can grade 100 open-ended response tests in just a few minutes, but if you have a rubric to follow the grading does go quickly. A rubric also helps keep grading consistent. Using the same question from above, here is my sample rubric I use to grade the students on that one question.
5. Your Students Will Get Serious About Studying if You Take Away the Multiple Choice Format
Any time I give a test the students want to know what kind of test I’m giving. If I say multiple choice they all look relieved and go about their day as usual. When I tell them it’s open-ended response, the panic sets it. I don’t mean panic-attack stress, but it has an effect on them. They actually feel the need to go home and study the material since they know they can’t just wing it.
Creating a rubric for open-ended responses is not easy and it takes a lot of time. But once you do it, it’s over. You can use the same test for the next few years as long as you’re teaching the same material.
Still a little unsure? Here’s a link to my Animal Farm test through TeachersPayTeachers.com
