Composite caesura

Description

The caesura for a test indicates the the percentage of a candidate who has achieved a passing grade. The caesura can be set or adjusted at various points in the creation of a test development. A caesura can be set when creating a new test blueprint, or edited after the test blueprint has been completed. To do this, go to the test blueprint matrix and click on 'Settings'. There are two different types of caesura available: a normal caesura and a composite caesura.

It can be set at different moments of test development, including when setting up a blueprint. Setting up a blueprint and the accompanying caesura is often done prior to creating questions.

Advantages of a composite caesura

A composite caesura is used to give certain parts (feedback categories) a certain weight in a test. It is also possible to make these parts conditional. This means that a candidate is obliged to pass this part in order to pass the test.

Settings of parts

A number of settings are the same as for a normal caesura, see the article 'Add new blueprint'.
Choose 'absolute' or 'relative' for the weighting method.

• Absolute means that each feedback category has the same weight when calculating the score, regardless of the number of points in the total category.
• Relative means that the number of points per feedback does depend on the number that can be achieved per feedback.

Click on 'Add feedback category item' to set up a new feedback category. There are four steps that need to be completed to set up a complete feedback category.

Step 1.

Insert the name of the feedback category here. It is recommended that you use names that are directly traceable to the content of this particular component so that it can be easily recognized and modified.

Step 2.

At this step, select which questions will be used in this section, using a filter. This refers to the questions available in the blueprint (from one or more rules). You can also filter on question properties. It is not mandatory to use a filter.

Step 3.

Set what data will be shown to candidates and other users. When data is enabled for candidates it will automatically be deployed to other roles. The other way around, this is not the case! The score of the candidate will always be visible to higher roles, this cannot be turned off.

Furthermore, it can be indicated when the result will be shown. Select 'Yes' if all questions must be checked to see the score. If 'No' is selected you can set the minimum number of questions to be checked before the score is shown.

Step 4.

• Correction for guessing can be used with any of the three score types.
• Indicate how many decimal places the score should be rounded to.
• There are several rounding methods to choose from. By default, normal rules for rounding will be applied.

Set rounding for parts

For feedback categories, rounding can be done in different ways. This can be important when the score calculation needs to be rounded. The following rounding rules can be set:

Normal rounding rules

Normal rounding rules mean that regardless of the caesura point, the score is rounded in a normal way. This means that a candidate who scores a 5.48 at the caesura point at 5.5 will score a 5.5. A candidate who scores an 8.64 will achieve an 8.6 and a candidate who scores an 8.68 will achieve an 8.7.

Normal rounding rules, round down to the caesura point

This option involves generally using the normal rounding rules except at the caesura point. At the caesura point, the score is rounded down. This means that if you have the caesura point at a 5.5, a candidate who scores a 5.49 has failed the test and will receive a 5.4. A candidate who scores an 8.64 will achieve an 8.6 and a candidate who scores an 8.68 will achieve an 8.7.

Round all scores down

When set to round all scores down, it means that regardless of the caesura point, the score is calculated. A candidate who scores a 5.49 at the caesura point at a 5.5 will achieve a 5.4 rounded down. A candidate who scores an 8.68 will achieve an 8.6, just as a candidate who scores an 8.64 would achieve an 8.6.

Round all scores up

When set to round up all scores, it means that regardless of the caesura point, the score is calculated. A candidate who scores a 5.49 at the caesura point will achieve a 5.5 rounded up. A candidate who scores an 8.68 will achieve an 8.7, just as a candidate who scores an 8.64 will achieve an 8.7.

Overview of feedback categories

For a composite caesura, an overview of all feedback categories is available. To do this, go to the overview of the blueprint, click on the 'Content' tab and then select 'Feedback'. The image above shows an example of a section where only open questions are selected by filtering on that question property.

It is possible to change the order of the different feedback categories. To do so, use the arrow icon on the right, which is used to drag-and-drop a feedback category. If accidental adjustments have been made that are not desired, use the undo adjustments function. This resets the parts to the last saved positions.

Disclaimer: This text was automatically translated from the Dutch version.