JUSTIFICATION OF METHODS OF FUTURE AGRARIAN ENGINEERS’ ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS ASSESSMENT TESTING

The article presents the methodology of future agrarian engineers' academic achievements assessment testing. The urgency of its development is due to the lack of sufficient quantity of methodological scientifically substantiated recommendations for the creation of valid tools for the evaluation of learning outcomes. The purpose of the article is to justify based on the provisions of modern theories of didactic measurements the methodology of future agrarian engineers' academic achievements assessment testing as a valid method of checking and evaluating the results of stu-dents' studying. To solve the tasks stipulated in the article, the theoretical and empirical methods and the method of mathematical statistics were used. The methodology consists of four units: organizational-preparatory, designing-expert, reflexive-diagnostic and final-technological, each of which involves certain stages (the total number of stages is thirteen). They include defining the purpose of the test and testing tasks, structuring the content of the training material or compiling the register of knowledge elements, choosing the type of testing tasks, developing test sets and preparation of the test, expert evaluation of the testing tasks by teachers, checking the test with a control sample of students, as-sessment testing results analysis, selection of valid test tasks for the base set, taking a final test, preliminary test quality check, validity and reliability testing, analyzing assessment testing results. The proposed methodology of assessment testing of academic achievements of future agrarian engineers provides the opportunity to realize valid test control, which meets the quality criteria when determining the level of learning outcomes. When using this methodology the developers of tests have the possibility not intuitively, but purposefully, on the scientific basis to establish the base of valid testing tasks, to design a test, to conduct testing and evaluation procedure and to obtain objective, reliable results of checking the students' academic success. The proposed methodology of future agrarian engineers' academic achievements assessment testing was verified during 2010-2017 on the basis of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine and Mykolaiv State Agrarian University. With the help of this methodology, there were developed the tests for the evaluation of academic achievements of students in 24 disciplines, which were applied for the assessment of knowledge of 875 students from the first to the fourth years of study (taking Bachelor program) majoring in Agronomy, Horticulture and viticulture, Plant protection and quarantine.