2. Assessment and Testing
Assessment: This term refers to the wide and diverse process to value
students’ development.
The test is a method: It is a useful tool for teachers who have to consider
that being the test a method, it includes a set of techniques, procedures or
items managed by the teacher in an appropriate way.
The test must measure: Tests can provide results of students’ progress about
a general ability or about specific skills or competences.
3. Measurement and Evaluation
Measurement is referred as the process to quantify individual´s achievement.
It is relevant to understand two terms: quantitative and qualitative
descriptions.
Evaluation is sometimes confused with testing but, they are not the same,
they have different connotations and uses. If the results of a test (or another
type of assessment procedure) are essential to make a decision about the
learners’ future
4. Formal and Informal Assessment
Informal assessment: Refers to an individual and spontaneous form to
measure students’ progress without any grading criteria. The purpose of
informal assessment is to identify the difficulties and challenges that learner
may face.
Formal assessment: Checks out learners’ performance objectively. It gives
teachers specific and clear information about how much individuals have
learned during a period or cycle.
5. Formative and Summative Assessment
Formative assessment: It helps teachers to identify weaknesses and strengths.
It enables students to manage their self-regulatory skills by forming their own
learning. This assessment let teachers monitor progress so that the learners
achieve their objectives.
Summative assessment: Evaluates formally student’s learning, knowledge,
proficiency or success at the end of a period such as a unit, course, or
program. Sometimes students prioritize this type of assessment because it
provides a grade or score to pass a course, but feedback from summative
assessment could be used formatively to guide their efforts in subsequent
courses.
6. Types and purposes of assessment
Depending on the purpose of the assessment and evaluation instrument,
educators, and administrators design tests. For example, tests to measure
proficiency, tests to place students on the right level in a course, tests to
diagnose the level of proficiency learners have. There are also tests called
teacher-made. These tests measure the level of proficiency students have in
a didactic unit. Brown and Douglas state that the purpose and the objective
of an assessment instrument are the first steps to choose, design, revise or
adapt the procedure educators will finally use.
7. Achievement tests
These tests are administered at the end of a lesson, unit, or course.
Achievement tests also help teachers to diagnose their students. After having
administered the test, teachers may design a program for specific group of
students, those who need improvement.
8. Diagnostic tests
A diagnostic test is administered at the beginning of a program to determine
what skills need to be developed and included. Diagnostic tests give the
teacher or administrator a clear picture on what aspects of the language need
to be covered in a course.
9. Placement test
The principal purpose of a placement test is to place a learner on the right
level of the program or curriculum. A placement test is composed by sample
materials which will be covered in a particular area.
10. Proficiency tests
Proficiency tests evaluate students` general competence. They do not focus
on one specific skill, but on the overall. The Test of English as a Foreign
Language (TOEFL) is one example of a commercialized proficiency test.
According to the CEFR standard (Common European Framework of Reference
for Languages) there are six level widely accepted as the standard to score
proficiency. They present their English language levels descriptions as follows:
English Basic User (A1, A2) A1 (Beginner) A2 (Elementary English)
English Independent User (B1, B2) B1 (Intermediate English) B2 (Upper-
Intermediate English)
Proficient English User (C1, C2) C1 (Advanced English) C2 (Proficiency English)
11. Aptitude tests
An aptitude test measures the ability a person has to learn a language,
specially a foreign or second language before taking a course. These tests can
predict the success a learner may have during the taking of a course.
12. Principles of language assessment
The concepts may be applied to all type of assessment. By using these
principles correctly educators will recognize when a test is good. Practicality,
Reliability, Validity, Authenticity, and Washback effect are the principles we
will addressing. There is no a right order of importance, all of them are
considerably important.
13. Practicality
According to Brown and Douglas practicality deals with the administrative
process involved in assessing an instrument. It includes making, giving, and
scoring a test. Some other detains like cost, time scores, and results are also
addresses.
14. Reliability
Reliability is a term that deals with the consistency of test results. For
instance, same test, same students on two different dates, the results should
be the same.
15. Validity
Validity tests what is proposed to be measured. In other words, validity
involves measure what is supposed to be measured. For example, a writing
test must evaluate the process of writing sentences and words. A reading test
must involve understanding of a text.
16. Autheticity
A test or assignment is said to have authenticity when it is designed to apply
knowledge in new situations. Evaluations are authentic when they focus on
real world events of life. Grant Wiggins (1998) states that an assignment is
authentic if it is realistic, replicates situations of real workplaces and
personal life.
17. Washback effect
The washback effect exists when a test has great influence on the way a
professor teaches. Teachers may find their teaching practices very similar to
the summative evaluation since they want their students to pass
examinations. Washback has great effect of tests on teaching and learning.
Washback offers learners the chance to know the test format in advance,
consequently, students prepare themselves sufficiently. Washback is helpful
for students because they get feedback before exam date and that promotes
language improvement.
