Designing classroom language tests

1. SWEET JUSTINE A. QUIJANO
Presenter

2. the critical questions
the test types
the practical steps to
test construction

3. 1
the critical questions
 What is the purpose of the test?
 What are the objectives of the test?
 How will the test specifications reflect both the
purpose and the objectives?
 How will the test tasks be selected and separate
items arranged?
 What kind of scoring, grading, and/or feedback is
expected?

4. 2
 Language Aptitude Tests
 Proficiency Tests
 Placement Tests
 Diagnostic Tests
 Achievement Tests
the test types

5. 3
A Language Aptitude Test is designed to measure
capacity or general ability to learn a foreign language
and ultimate success in that undertaking. Language
aptitude tests are ostensibly designed to apply to the
classroom learning of any language (Brown, 2004).
the test types

6. 4
Two standardized aptitude tests used in the United
States:
1. Modern Language Aptitude Tests (MLAT)
2. Pimsleur Language Aptitude Battery (PLAB)
the test types

7. 5
MLAT consists of five tasks:
 Number learning: examinees must learn a set of numbers through aural
input and then discriminate different combinations of those numbers
 Phonetic script: examinees must learn set of correspondences between
speech sounds and phonetic symbol
 Spelling clues: examinees must read words that are spelled somewhat
phonetically, and then select from a list the one word whose meaning is
closest to the “disguised” word
the test types

8. 6
MLAT consists of five tasks:
 Words in sentences: examinees are given a key word in a sentence and
are then asked to select a word in a second sentence that performs the
same grammatical function as the key word
 Paired associates: examinees must quickly learn a set of vocabulary
words from another language and memorize their English meanings
the test types

9. 7
A Proficiency Test is a test which measures how
much of a language someone has learned. It is not
linked to a particular course of instruction, but
measures the learner’s general level of language
mastery (Richard, Platt & Heidi, 1993).
the test types

10. 8
A typical example of a standardized proficiency test is
the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
produced by the Educational Testing Service.
The TOEFL consists of sections on listening
comprehension, structure, reading comprehension,
and written expression.
the test types

11. 9
A Placement Test is a test which assigns students to
classes or programs appropriate to their level of
proficiency.
the test types

12. 10
A Diagnostic Test is designed to show what skills or
knowledge a learner knows and does not know.
the test types

13. 11
An Achievement Test measures how successful
students are in achieving objectives of a lesson,
course, or curriculum.
the test types

14. 12
the practical steps to
test construction
 assessing clear, unambiguous objectives
 drawing up test specifications
 devising test tasks
 designing multiple-choice test items

15. 13
the practical steps to
test construction
assessing clear, unambiguous objectives
In addition to knowing the purpose of the test
you’re creating, you need to know as specifically
as possible what it is you want to test.

16. 14
the practical steps to
test construction
assessing clear, unambiguous objectives

17. 15
the practical steps to
test construction
drawing up test specifications
Your specification will simply comprise of:
 a broad outline of the test
What skills you will test
What the items will look like

18. 16
the practical steps to
test construction
drawing up test specifications

19. 17
the practical steps to
test construction
devising test tasks
Test tasks depend on the following factors:
 instructional objectives
Students’ level of proficiency
Instructional activities
Available testing sources

20. 18
the practical steps to
test construction
designing multiple-choice test items
Multiple-choice test is the commonly used
format in measuring student achievements at
different levels of learning.

21. 19
the practical steps to
test construction
designing multiple-choice test items
 stem
 keyed option
 incorrect options/alternatives/distractors

22. 20
the practical steps to
test construction
general guidelines designing multiple-choice test items
 make a test item that is practical or with real-world
application to the students
 use diagram or drawing when asking questions
about application, analysis, or evaluation
 use tables, figures, or charts when asking students to
interpret

23. 21
the practical steps to
test construction
 avoid trivial questions
 use only one correct answer or best answer format
 use three to five options to discourage guessing
 be sure that the distractors are plausible and effective
general guidelines designing multiple-choice test items

24. 22
the practical steps to
test construction
 do not use “none of the above” option when asking
for the best answer
 avoid using “all of the above” as an option
general guidelines designing multiple-choice test items

25. 23
the practical steps to
test construction
 it should be written in a question or completion
form
 do not leave the blank at the beginning or at the
middle of the stem using completion form of a
multiple-choice type of test
guidelines in constructing the stem

26. 24
the practical steps to
test construction
 the stem should pose the problem completely
 the stem should be clear and concise
 avoid meaningless use of words in the stem
 state the stem in positive form; avoid using negative
words like “not” or “except”; underline or capitalize
the negative word if it cannot be avoided
guidelines in constructing the stem

27. 25
the practical steps to
test construction
 there should be one correct or best answer in each
item
 list options in vertical order not a horizontal order
beneath the stem
 arrange the options in logical order and use capital
letters to indicate each option
guidelines in constructing the options

28. 26
the practical steps to
test construction
 options must be homogenous in content to increase
the difficulty of an item
 as much as possible the length of the options must
be the same or equal
 avoid using phrases like “all of the above” or “none
of the above”
guidelines in constructing the options

29. 27
the practical steps to
test construction
 the distractor must be plausible
 the distractors should equally be popular to the
examinees
 each distractor should be chosen by at least 5% of
the examinees but not more than the key answer
guidelines in constructing the options

30. 28
statistical
assessments
Identifies how easy or difficult a test item is to the
group of takers
Formula: IF=No. of students answering the item correctly
For example, if you have an item on which 13 out of 20
respond correctly, then your IF index is 13 divided by 20
or .65 or 65%.
item facility
Total number of students responding to that item

31. 29
statistical
assessments
identifies how well a test item discriminates between
high score recipients and low score recipients
item discrimination

32. 30
statistical
assessments
identifies how (in)effective distractors
are at luring
distractor efficiency

33. SWEET JUSTINE A. QUIJANO
Presenter

34. Thank you!