Designing Classroom Language test and Test Methods

1. Reading Report : Designing Calssroom Language Test and Test Methods
Name :Iin Widya Lestari
NIM : 1304091
Subject : ELT evaluation
A. Introduction
Test is a measurement to measure student’s capability in certain domain. There
are some criteria to a good test namely validity, reliability and practicality.
Validity deals with measuring what supposed to be measured. For example
testing reading comprehension and etc. reliability defined as consistency. It
means that a test can be said reliable if the result of test will be similar even the
rest done twice. However, practicality deals with the procedure of test, the
distribution of the test and etc. those are qualifications of good test. dealing with
language test, of course those criteria have to be applied in designing language
test. As language teachers especially English teachers should understand how to
construct good test, down to the earth and practical as possible in distributing
test and of course the test made based on some considerations and criteria as
good test. theoretically, before constructing test, there are some questions
should be considered and answered such as what is the purpose of the test?, the
objective of the test, how will the test reflect both objective and purpose, what
types of test, the administration of test, how to score, grade and etc. those
questions are important to start conducting language test. in this report, the
writer is going to explain and expose about how to design classroom language
test and the test methods.
B. Disccussion
In designing and constructing language test, there are some steps. First,
determining the purpose and usefulness of the test (by having checklist). Next,
designing clear, unambiguous objective (avoiding ambiguous objective or
instruction, state the objective as explicitly as possible. Then drawing up test
specification (it can be outline of test and other important components such as
description of content, item types, tasks, scoring, and report of the result). Next,
devising test item (note the test development because not all item is clear, so we
need to recycle plan).
Take a look example of listening comprehension section, it must take no
more than 20 minutes. In that section, the students have become accustomed to
taking multiple choice test and quizzes in their classwork. Comparing in oral
production section, for example interview, the teachers can give warming up to
make students relax. So, how to design multiple choice test? actually multiple
choice form has some weaknesses such as only recognize knowledge, guessing
and effect on the score, restricted technique, difficulty in writing successful item,
minimal washback, cheating. But the strengths that multiple choice has two
principles such as practicality and reliability. In designing multiple choice for
listening section, there are some important terminology namely:
a) Multiple choice items are receptive or selective response (choosing from
one set of responses and true false and matching list)
b) Every multiple choice item has a stem , option and alternatives.

2. c) One of those option, the key is correct response whereas serve as
destructors.
There are some guideline for designing multiple choice item such as :
1. Design each item to measure a single objective → considering the destructors A
to lure students who don’t know how frame indirect questions.
2. State both stem and options as simply and directly as possible. →
3. Make certain that intended answer is clearly the only correct one → minimum
context in each steam, a wide variety of responses may be as perceived.
4. (Optional) use item indices to accept, discard or revise items → there are3
indices namely :
1) Item facility (IF)→ item is easy or difficult that proposed by group of test
takers.
2) Item discrimination → item differentiates between high and low ability
test takers. It means that tester can calculate some items should be
discarded and classify the ability of students.
3) Distracters efficiency → the destructors lure a sufficient number of test
takers, especially low ability one.
After designing test, of course tester should try the test out on sample of students
not in the same class. Then after getting the result of try out, you can revise your test
and adjust some items and etc. after conducting and designing test and revising your
test, the next step is administering the test itself. In administering test, test takers
should pay attention the instruction well and come on time. next step is scoring the
test, of course after distributing test, you need to give score and announce the result of
test. Scoring grammar test, calculate a score. Each skills has different and same way in
scoring. Grading is grade the students after having test. then after grading and scoring,
you can give feedback become beneficial washback.
Next, some test methods are available to construct test; Theoretically, test
methods will influence students’ performance. There are some frameworks of test
method facets namely the testing environment, the test rubric, the nature of the input
test taker receives, the nature of expected response to that input, and the relationship
between input and response.
 Test environment → deals with condition of test such as familiarity of
place and equipment of test used, the personnel involved in the test, time
testing and physical condition.
 Test rubric →the expectation of proceed in taking test, the organization of
test such as time allocation, instruction and etc. there are some points
should be considered such as silence part (different response from test
takers),sequence part (from the easiest to the most difficult one), relative
importance of parts (total score, percentage and etc) and time allocation.
 Input and expected response → format and the nature of language. format
(the form of test ) and the nature of language (the distribution of new
information and types of information topic and genre).
 Restriction response → the language used in language test, channel,
format, organization characteristics, grammar, and organization of
discourse.

3.  The relationship between input and response → reciprocal input and
response (feedback as an oral interview), nonreciprocal and input
(without feedback), adaptive input and response (input influenced by
response), description of language test (describing and comparing 2
kinds of tests), language test design (using of table of specification about
the component of ability that will be tasted).
The application of the framework to language teaching is validation of
language test (the validation must be based on detail description both the ability be
measured and the facets of the test methods. The formulation of language testing
research (examining the effect of specific facets such as closed test and etc.
C. Conclusion
In short, designing test especially language test should consider some
aspects such as test takers’ condition, age and etc. there are some steps in
designing test such as determining the purpose and usefulness of test, designing
clear instructions and objective, drawing up test specification and devising the
test. after that the test is ready to be distributed and giving feedback. It means
that in conducting and designing test, testers have to consider some steps and
revise or even analyze the test and then try the test out to make sure that the
criteria of good test have been fulfilled. Instead of that, there are some test
methods that can be applied by the testers beforehand. There are some terms
such as test environment (condition of test such as place, environment and etc),
test rubric (time, clear instruction and etc), input and expected response,
restriction response, and relationship between input and response. After test
takers take test, the testers should give score and give feedback. The purpose is
to inform the test takers about the result of the test.
D. References
Bachman, Lyle F. 1990. Fundamental Consideration in Language Testing. Oxford:
Oxford University Press
Brown, H. Douglas and Priyanvada Abeywickrama. 2010. Language Assessment :
Principles and Classroom Practices. NY : Pearson Education.