MPDP 2010Session 2: FORMAL ASSESSMENT -

TESTING

Testing

• Testing is a form of assessment, where test or exam conditions are established.

• Useful to assess linguistic factors.

Types of Tests / Reasons for Testing

• Placement tests: to ascertain level.• Diagnostic test: to identify particular needs.• Progress test: to monitor the learning process,

periodic tests (formative).• Achievement test: to monitor the learning

process, at the end of the course (summative).• Proficiency: to evaluate student overall

performance.

Criteria to judge a Test

• Validity: a test is valid when it is perfectly clear what is to be assessed and the test assesses that and not something else.

• Reliability: a test is reliable if it gives consistent results. under the same conditions and with the same performance by students, the assessment produces the same or similar results.

Criteria to judge a Test

• Practicability: a test must not be too time-consuming (in class or in preparation); must be practical in terms of physical resources (such as tape-recorders, photocopying, etc.).

• Accountability: we should be able to provide learners, parents and authorities with clear indications of what progress has been made, and if not, why that is so; to explain the rationale behind the assessment.

So what makes a good test?

• That it assess exactly what is intended.

• That it gives consistent results.• That it is practical.• That it allows the indication of

progress.• That it reflects teaching:

communicative.

Writing a good Test

• Think about tests of English you have taken in the past. Which do you think were the best or worse and why?

• Activity based on language testing.

• Read the memo.• Examples of comprehension checking questions.• Think of one question for the oral test and write it on

the worksheet.• Find a partner. Exchange questions. Add two more

questions.• Exchange questions with other pairs of students until

you have a total of 10.

The Test

Communicative Testing

• We teach “communicatively” but we test “traditionally”.

• What IS communicative testing?

• Communicative testing means testing in context.

What´s the difference?Circle the correct answer

1. Do you like __________? a. swimming b. to swum c. swim

2. Where ________ live? a. does she b. she does c. she

3. I _________ speak French. a. no speak b. doesn’t c. don’t

4. What __________? a. does he do b. does he c. he does do

Write the correct forms of the words in parentheses.

Alice: Where (1)______ you _________ (live)?

Bart: Acapulco.Alice: My brother (2)___________ (go)

there every summer on vacation, but he (3)_________(not speak) Spanish.

Bart: Acapulco (4)_________ (attract) tourists from all over the world. Many people there

(5)___________(speak) English very well. What about you,

(6)______ you ________(speak) Spanish?

• Alice: A little.

Traditional VS Communicative Testing

TRADITIONAL

• Memorization of grammar rules

• Recognition of correct answer

• Limited language knowledge

COMMUNICATIVE

• Ability to use rules in a realistic context

• Ability to produce accurate language

• Ability to improvise language to communicate ideas clearly.

Writing a good Test

Content Validity• Assessment should be based on a content analysis of

the text being used.• You must test only material students have seen.• The only common denominator is the textbook.• Analysis of percent of time spent on each topic

(grammar structure, vocabulary item, function, etc.).

Content AnalysisFunctions (10 points):Talking about imitation products Talking about food and food festivalsDiscussing the movie industry Making a business plan

Grammar (5 points):Nouns in groupsIndefinite Pronouns

Vocabulary (10 points):Food Business language

///// //////// ////////// /////////

////////

////////

8109532

35

8

53

8

8 / 32 =__%

25%31%28%16%

25% X 10 = ___pts

2.5 pts3 pts3 pts1.5 pts

37% 2 pts 63% 3 pts

63% 6 pts 37% 4

pts

Final Content Analysis(P1) 1st Parcial (I: 1, 2 , 3, 4)Grammar BE: all persons, IWQ, Y/N, short ans,, contractions 3 points

Subject and object pronouns, possessive adjectives 2 points Simple present 4 points

Demonstratives, one/ones, which 3 points 15 pts How much 1 point

Comparative 1 point What kind? 1 point

Functions Introducing self/ someone; Ask about someone: name,place of origin, exchange personal info, spelling)

5 points

Describing work/school; asking for and giving opinionabout jobs

2 points

Talking about daily schedule 1 points Talking about and giving opinion about prices 2 points

Talking about preferences, comparing, buying andselling

3 points 20 pts

Talking about likes and dislikes 2 points Giving opinions 2 points

Making invitations; accepting/rejecting; giving excuses 1 pointVocabulary Names and titles 1 point

Time (expressions 1 point Jobs and workplaces 2 points 5 pts

Collocations and materials 1 pointReading True/false, comprehension questions , ads and pic-

tures, charts, choose the title5 points 5 pts

Listening Charts 5 points 5 pts

Some DONT´S in Testing

• DON´T #1Never take exercise sections from

textbooks and use them to test. The purposes behind textbook exercises and examinations are the same as those between “in class practice” and “during exam” activities. The exam sections have different purposes and, therefore, different structures.

Practice vs TestingIn class practice During exam

Goals

Content

Learner activity

Teacher activity

Class-room climate

learning feedback on learning

process oriented product orientedopen ended close ended

ss know material students might not knowsuccess-oriented success/failure orientedpeer teaching no peer teaching

helps performance gives tasks

cooperative competitiverelaxed tenseintrinsic motivation extrinsic motivation

Ideally, an exam will balance...

• Accuracy and fluency• Production and recognition• Objective and subjective sections

Fluency and Accuracy

Fluency• The ability to produce written and / or spoken

language with ease• Communicate ideas effectively• The ability to use vocabulary chunks (phrases) to

facilitate communication

Accuracy• Ability to produce grammatically correct sentences

Production and Recognition

• ProductionStudent writes more than one wordCan be creative / involves more “mental” workMore than one answer may be possible

• RecognitionStudent recognizes correct answerNot creativeOnly one correct answer

Objective and Subjective Sections

• SubjectiveThere is more than one possible answerCorrector must be trained and experiencedThere can be surprisesStudents can protest grading• ObjectiveThere is only one answerAnyone can correct the examNo surprisesNo argument from students

Writing Test Items

Multiple choice items

1) What are the primary colors?

a) black and whiteb) purple, green, and orangec) red, yellow, and blued) khaki and olive

stem

answer and distractors

Writing Test Items

Multiple choice items

• 1) The primary colors are _______________ .

a) black and whiteb) purple, green, and orangec) red, yellow, and blued) khaki and olive

Writing Test Items

Multiple choice items • Scoring is reliable; good for listening tests.• The technique tests only recognition knowledge.• Guessing may have a considerable but unknowable

effect on the test scores.• The technique severely restricts what can be tested.

It is very difficult to write successful items. • Cheating may be facilitated.

Writing Test Items

Multiple choice items • How can you improve the following test

items?

Writing a good Test

YES/NO and TRUE/FALSE items• Advantages: good to test large amounts of content.

• Disadvantages: too easy!

• What should we ideally use them for?

Writing a good Test

Gap Filling items• It has the advantages of short answers but it does not call for

significant productive skills • Good way of reinforcing new grammar and vocabulary, but ...

A: What will he do ?B: I think he _______________resign.

A: I wonder who that is .B: It ____________be the doctor A: How can you be so certain.

• Can you think of and name some other types of test items?

• Advantages and disadvantages?

Cloze passages / completionOrderingFinding mistake

Test Items

What should have more value?

• Give more points to…Production items• Give fewer points to…Recognition items• Give partial credit in…Fluency / Production sections• Use fractions only if your teachers are

mathematical

Partial Credit?

Correct answer: What’s your name?Student writes: What you name?

Correct answer: If you invited me, I’d go.Student writes: If you invite me, I go.

Correct answer: I went to the movies yesterday.Student writes: I go to the movies yesterday.

I go to the movies.

Writing a good Test

You and only you can decide what a good test is, based on what it is that you want to evaluate and your knowledge of your students´ process.

Knowing the theory will certainly help!

Thank you!

Happy Teaching!Jimena Lizalde

jlizalde@grupomacmillan.com

Define “testing”.

How many types of tests do you know?

List them and define them.

Define “test validity”.

Define “test reliability”.

Define “test practicability”.

Define “test accountability”.