PRE-POST TESTINGDefinition: Tests administered upon an agreed upon "entry point" and "exit point." These tests can be standardized or locally-developed and test for broad general education learning or within a specific discipline or course. These might also be performance-based. Examples: Any standardized or locally developed test which is given at an agreed upon entry point, or exit point. Costs: If using a standardized test, costs will include the purchasing, administering and scoring of the tests (see costs associated with standardized tests). If using locally developed tests then the costs will include development, validation, and scoring for the tests (see costs associated with locally developed one-shot items). Advantages:
Useful method for measuring the "value-added" by a program of study
The "after-only" design of documenting learning is a weak approach because positive change cannot necessarily be attributed to the effectiveness of a program.
Pre-tests serve several purposes: knowledge of the current status of a group may provide guidance for future activities as well as the basis of comparison for a post-test results; administering a test of entry behavior can determine whether assumed prerequisites have been achieved. Disadvantages:
Hard to discern if the positive change charted in a pre-post test is due to learning in the classroom or simply natural maturation.
Due to students dropping out, the post-test results may be higher because those who remain are more successful or persistent.
Problems with statistics: if the control group scored so low that they can only go up, or the control group that scored so high little improvement will be indicated in the post-test scores.
If using the same test for both the pre- and post-test, some argue that students will absorb knowledge just from taking the test and will attend more readily to the content.
Concentrates on value-added rather than outcomes assessment.
Tendency to teach to the post-test. Implementation Suggestions:
Use alternative approaches to pre-post tests:
non-equivalent control group design;
Time-series design;
Causal modeling.
Divide student sample randomly into two subgroups. Give one subgroup test form A at the pre-test and give the other subgroup test from B at the pre-test. Then switch for the post-test. This could provide two independent measures of gain.
The post-test mean for the second subgroup (on test form A) minus the pre-test mean for the first subgroup (on test form A).
The post-test mean for the first subgroup minus the pre-test mean for the second subgroup-both on test form B. An unbiased estimate of the average gain is the average (or weighted average if the sample sizes are different) of these two differences.
Pre-tests are useful in identifying the course of action necessary to achieve the desired outcomes, but it isn't necessary to then match the post-test to the pre-test. Recommendation: Research indicates that the pre/post-test concept is wrought with problems. The main question to be asked is whether we want to assess value-added, or assess learning outcomes. References/Examples: Krumwiede, Robert. "Pre and Post Tests" Online posting. 26 Aug. 1996. Assess-Assessment in Higher Education. assess@lsv.uky.ed. Micceri, Ted. "Pre and Post Tests" Online posting. 20 Aug. 1996. Assess-Assessment in Higher Education.assess@lsv.uky.ed. "Pre/Post Assessment." Institutional Effectiveness. Assessment. University of Kentucky. July 19, 2002. http://www.uky.edu/Assessment/mpre.shtml "The Pros and Cons for Pre and Post Testing."http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/ae/pdf/ie_prepost.pdf (file size 8K)You must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader software to access this page Whitney, Douglas. "Pre and Post Tests" Online posting. 20 Aug. 1996. Assess-Assessment in Higher Education.assess@lsv.uky.ed.
