Week 1: Introduction To Language Testing/assessment
Week 1: Introduction To Language Testing/assessment
Week 1: Introduction To Language Testing/assessment
Introduction to language
testing/assessment
What do you think are the
purposes of assessment?
Give the teacher information about where the Ss are at the
moment, to help decide what they need to teach next;
Give the Ss information about what they know, so that they also
have an awareness of what they need to learn or review;
Assess current teaching
Motivate Ss to learn or review specific material;
Get a noisy class to keep quiet and concentrate;
Provide a clear indication that the class has reached a station in
learning, such as the end of a unit;
Get Ss to make an effort (in doing the test itself), which is likely
to lead to better results and a feeling of satisfaction;
Provide Ss with a sense of achievement and progress in their
learning.
ALTERNATIVE
INFORMAL TESTS
ASSESSMENT
FORMAL
ASSESSMENT
TEACHING
Formal assessment
Alternative Assessments
Evaluates students knowledge or skills in a context that approximates
the real world or real life. The emphasis in on the process as well as
the product.
Examples include .
Model of a Turkish village with a written description.
Family tree with ancestor anecdotes.
Creating an Italian food menu and a meal.
Tests
A method of measuring a persons ability,
knowledge, or performance in a given domain
The instrument, a set of techniques or procedures
Answers the question How much?
Testing helps students better understand
standards and quality in terms of their production.
It is primarily for students.
Alternative Assessment Traditional Assessment -
Testing
Direct examination of student Indirect examination of Ss
performance and knowledge on performance and knowledge; test
real-life like tasks. items represent competence
formative summative
Open-ended, creative answers Focus on the right answer
Continous long-term assessment one-shot standardized exams
(process-oriented) (product-oriented)
Distribution of Normal distribution of scores around Varies, usually nonnormal (SS who
scores the mean know all the material should score
100%)
Purpose of testing Spread Ss out along a continuum of Assess the amount of material
general abilities or proficiencies known, or learned by each student
Test structure A few relatively long subtests with a A series of short, well-defined
variety of question contents subtests with similar question
contents
Knowledge of Ss have little or no idea what content Ss know exactly what content to
questions to expect in questions expect
Dimension two: Purpose/Content
Norm - Referenced Criterion - Referenced
Test Qualities Proficiency Placement Achievement Diagnostic
Relationship to Comparisons with other Comparisons wihin Directly related to Directly related to
program institutions program objectives of objectives still
program needing work
Interpretation Spread of scores Spread of scores Number & amount Number & amount
of scores of objectives learned of objectives learned
Dimension Three: Tasks to be performed
in a test
Direct Tests Indirect Tests
Candidate performs precisely Measures the abilities
the skill being performed
which underlie the skills
Straightforward assessment of
performance and interpretation being measured (e.g.
of scores Testing writing or
Positive backwash effect pronunciation through
Easier with productive skills tasks that require
(i.e. Writing & speaking) recognition, identification
Small sample of tasks and skills
teaching objectives Allows for a representative
(generalizability problem)
sample of tasks and
Better for final achievement
and proficiency testing as long teaching objectives
as a wide sample of tasks is Weak relationship between
used. the performance on the
task and on the skill
Dimension Four: What language
components are tested
Discrete-point Tests Integrative Tests
Testing of one element at a time; Combine many language elements
performance in very restricted in the completon of the task (e.g.
areas of TL use. writing a composition, dictation,
cloze tests)
Teachers should know that the way they teach and the way they test
should go hand in hand. There should be a strong fit between
teaching and testing
Achieving Beneficial Backwash
Test the abilities whose development you want to
encourage
Sample widely and unpredictably (reduce the
guessing factor)
Use direct testing
Base tests on objectives rather than on detailed
teaching and textbook content
Ensure that the test format is known and
understood by Ss and teachers (SS must be
familiar with task types).