Ari Data; Markus U K Yewang; Yeheskiel Nggandung; Jacob Abolladaka; Erika Br. Simanungkalit +3 more
This community service program aims to enhance teachers’ competence in developing Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS)-based assessment items to support improved performance in the Computer-Based National Assessment (ANBK) at SMP Negeri Kletek. The main problem faced by the partner school is the limited understanding of teachers in designing assessment instruments that measure higher-order thinking skills, as well as insufficient ability to develop literacy- and numeracy-oriented questions aligned with ANBK characteristics. This condition has resulted in suboptimal learning evaluation quality and limited student readiness for national assessment. The program employed a Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach, emphasizing the active involvement of participants throughout all stages. The implementation included the planning stage through needs assessment and problem identification, the action stage through training and mentoring in HOTS-based item development, the observation stage through evaluation of participants’ work, and the reflection stage to identify achievements and challenges. Data were collected using pre-test and post-test, observation, and reflective discussions. The results indicate an improvement in teachers’ understanding and skills in developing HOTS-based items, as reflected in higher post-test scores. Teachers were able to design competency-based blueprints, contextual stimuli, and analytical, evaluative, and creative questions. This program effectively strengthens teachers’ professional competence and school readiness for ANBK.