Language Assessment

Chap. 3 Designing Classroom Language Tests

Designing Classroom Language Tests

Critical questions:(1) the purpose(2) the objectives(3) the test specifications(4) five principles(5) scoring and feedback

Test Types

Language Aptitude TestsA LAT measures capacity or general ability to learn a foreign language and ultimate success in that undertaking.Two English language tests: MLAT & PLABProficiency TestsA PT tests overall ability.

Proficiency Tests

PT are almost always summative and norm-referenced and do not provide diagnostic feedback.TOEFL consists of sections on LC, structure, RC, and WE (to include OP in 2005).

Placement Tests

The test items shouldn’t be too easy or too difficulty but appropriately challenging.Placement tests come in many varieties, depending on the nature of a program and its needs.Varieties are such as comprehension and production, written and oral performance, open-ended and limited responses, multiple-choice and gap-filling formats.

Placement Tests

The objective of a placement test is to correctly place a student into a course or level.Other benefits include face validity, diagnostic information on students’ performance, and authenticity.Example: a summer program in English conversation and writing at San Francisco S. U.

Diagnostic Tests

A diagnostic test is designed to diagnose specified aspects of a language. (p. 47)Usually, such tests offer a checklist of features for the teacher to use in pinpointing difficulties.A placement test may also serve diagnostic purposes.Difference between placement/achievement tests

Diagnostic Tests

Achievement tests analyze the extent to which students have acquired language features and have already been taught.Diagnostic tests should elicit information on what students need to work on in the future. They can help a student become aware of errors and adopt appropriate compensatory strategies.

Achievement Tests

An AT is related directly to classroom lessons, units, or even a total curriculum. The primary purpose of an AT is to determine whether course objectives have been met—and appropriate knowledge and skills acquired—by the end of a period of instruction. (p.48)

Test Construction

The first task in designing a test is to determine appropriate objectives.Example: “Students will learn tag questions” (not testable)=> written/oral, understand/produceSelected objectives are on page 50.Test specifications for classroom use comprise (a) a broad outline of the test (b) what skills you will test (c) what the items will look like.

Test Construction

Example: a 30 minute test, including 4 skills.(a, b)Item types and tasks: (p. 51, 52)Elicitation mode Oral Written

Response mode Oral Written

Oral Written

Devising Test Tasks

Important questions:(1) clear directions (2) example item (3) specified objective (4) clear and simple language (5) appropriate distractors (6) the difficulty of each item (7) authentic language (8) learning objectives

Multiple-Choice Test Items

Weaknesses of multiple-choice items:(1) only recognition knowledge(2) guessing(3) restricting what can be tested(4) uneasy to write successful items(5) harmful washback(6) cheating

Multiple-Choice Test Items

Advantages in support of M-C test items(1) conform to practicality and reliability(2) offer an easy and consistent process of scoring and grading(3) Save time and have predetermined correct responses

Multiple-Choice Test Items

Four guidelines:1. Design each item to measure a specific objective.2. State both stem and options as simply and directly as possible.3. Make certain that the intended answer is clearly the only correct one.4. Use item indices to accept, discard, or revise items.

Three Item Indices

Three item indices:Item facility (item difficulty)Item discrimination Distractor efficiency Scoring, grading, and giving feedback Example: In an integrated-skills test, oral interview is 40%; reading, listening, and writing are 20% each. (assign more weight on speaking)

Grading & Giving Feedback

A: 90----100 pointsB: 80----89 pointsC: 70----79 pointsGiving feedback (beneficial)Letter grade/total score=> no feedback (p. 63)Washback is achieved when students can identify their areas of success and challenge.