Construction of physics achievement test for Class X CBSE students in Sikkim

The field of science education in India is presently undergoing a notable change. With the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and PARAKH, science education is moving away from rote memorization toward competency-based frameworks. Central to this transformation is the development of scientifically rigorous achievement tests that can objectively measure conceptual understanding, critical thinking and scientific reasoning in the physical world. The present study aimed at constructing and standardizing a Physics Achievement Test (PAT) for Class X CBSE students in Sikkim. The study adopted a quantitative descriptive design. The achievement test was based on four NCERT Physics chapters: Light, Human Eye, Electricity, and Magnetic Effects. A preliminary pool of 77 items were subjected to expert validation and the Item Content Validity Index (I-CVI) was calculated. A pilot study (n=56) enabled the analysis of items through Difficulty Index (DI), Discrimination Index (D), and Point-Biserial Correlation (rpb). The final standardized PAT consists of 46 items. The test had a KR-20 reliability coefficient of 0.90, indicating high internal consistency. Norms were developed (n=260) by using z-scores and percentile ranks. The PAT is a reliable tool for classifying students’ physics achievement into five distinct levels, ranging from “Very High” to “Very Low”. The PAT is an objective measure of learning outcomes. This standardized tool helps educators in finding achievement gaps and identify students who need targeted intervention.