FTCE Professional Education Practice Exam

To increase the reliability of test scores, what action should a teacher take?

1. Increase the number of items on each test

2. Use standardized tests

3. Decrease the frequency of the test

4. Give retests after prompts

The correct answer is: Decrease the frequency of the test

Increasing the reliability of test scores typically involves actions that help to ensure consistency in what the test measures. One effective way to achieve this is by increasing the number of items on each test. When more items are included, it provides a broader range of information about a student's understanding of the material, leading to a more stable score. This larger sample size reduces the impact of any single question's performance variability, thus enhancing the overall reliability of the scores. Using standardized tests can also contribute to reliability since they are designed with consistency in mind; however, they do not necessarily reflect the specific content or teaching methods used in a classroom, which may limit their applicability. Decreasing the frequency of tests can lead to inconsistent measures of student performance, as it may not capture a student's growth or retention over time effectively. Providing retests after prompts can help gauge improvement but could also introduce biases and factors that may not reflect true learning. Increasing the number of items, therefore, is a straightforward and effective approach to improving the reliability of test scores by providing more comprehensive assessment data.