The document provides information about language testing and assessment. It discusses the evolution from first generation tests, which focused on grammar and translation, to second generation tests incorporating structuralism, to current third generation tests emphasizing a communicative approach. Third generation tests combine discrete and integrative elements, using authentic materials and assessing both receptive and productive skills. The document also discusses principles of test construction, including validity, reliability, and practicality. It provides examples of different types of language tests and their purposes.

1. IN HONOUR OF
ANA MARÍA ARMENDÁRIZ
Third Generation
Tests
Cristina Magno
cmagno@ungs.edu.ar
Marisa Hoffmann
mhpec@hotmail.com

2. What is a test?
A test is a sample of an
individual’s behavior/ performance , i.e.,
a series of tasks (e.g., items) used to
obtain systematic observations
presumed to represent attributes or
characteristics.

3. A language test refers to ….
Any kind of measurement,
examination or technique
which intends to describe the
testee’s foreign language
proficiency

4. WHEN DO YOU
TEST?

5. BEFORE A COURSE STARTS?
DURING THE COURSE?
WHEN THE COURSE FINISHES?

6. WHY DO YOU TEST?

7. TO CHECK THE LEARNERS ARE
STUDYING?
TO CHECK HOW EFFECTIVE THE
TEACHING HAS BEEN?
AS BACKWARD OR FORWARD TOOL?

8. BACKWARD
AND FORWARD PURPOSES
To gain an overview of what
students bring to new instruction
and thus plan and identify
potential difficulties to be faced

9. BACKWARD AND FORWARD PURPOSES
to diagnose what individual
learners know
 to determine the pace of
classroom instruction

10. BACKWARD AND FORWARD PURPOSES
to take better decisions
about grouping students in
the class

11. BACKWARD AND FORWARD
PURPOSES
 to share information with
boards of education,
parents, and the general
public through the media

12. BACKWARD AND FORWARD PURPOSES
to measure the
effectiveness of instruction
and learning
 to help make promotion
and retention decisions

13. PRINCIPLES OF MEASUREMENT EVIDENCE
AND EVALUATION
measurement evidence:
differentiating degrees of a trait by
description or by assigning scores
Evaluation: interpretation of the
description or scores
“The systematic analysis of evidence”
( Shepard, 2000)

14. Teachers and
administrators need to have
analysis skills to effectively
interpret evidence and make
value judgments about the
meaning of the results.

15. DIFFERENT WAYS OF
MEASURING
EVALUATION
ASSESSMENT
TESTING

16. EVALUATION
looking at all the factors that
influence the learning process,
ex: syllabus objectives, course
design, materials, methodology,
teacher performance and
assessment

17. ASSESSMENT
It involves measuring the
performance of students and
the progress that they are
making. It helps us to be able to
diagnose the problems they
have and to provide them with
useful feedback.

18. ASSESSMENT
1) Informal assessment
2) Formal assessment (testing)
3) Self assessment

19. INFORMAL ASSESSMENT
observation of everyday
performance
collecting data about our students’
performance
in normal classroom conditions
intuitive assessment in all activities
performed in the classroom

20. FORMAL ASSESSMENT
At the end of the course
Or
Along the course

21. FORMAL ASSESSMENT
commonly administered in class by the
teacher, in order to assess learning.
 not so formal
 limited to the context
 for purposes internal to the class
 assess a narrow range of language
 assess either objectively or subjectively
 to assist teaching
 often backward looking.

22. FORMAL ASSESSMENT
synonymous of “testing”
1) external examinations (KET, PET, FCE, etc)
2) administered to many students
3) under standardized conditions
4) assess a broad range of language
5) marked objectively or under standardized
subjective marking schemes
6) administered at the end of a course.

23. FORMAL ASSESSMENT
Formative to evaluate the effectiveness
of learning at a time during the course
forward looking, concerned with future
language learning
Summative on several contents marked
as ‘pass’ or ‘fail’
Scriven (1967:43)

24. SELF ASSESSMENT
the students themselves assess their
own progress.
a) as a complement to self
instruction
b) to build autonomous learners
c) to give learners an opportunity to
reflect on their learning.
Dickinson (1997)

25. What we test is related to our
purpose in testing
Before course Aptitude test
Placement test
During course
Diagnostic test
Progress test
Achievement test
After Course Proficiency test

26. APTITUDE TESTS
to determine an individual’s ability to
acquire a second or foreign
language.
large scale tests taking a long time to
administer
different facet of language
also forward-looking tests,

27. PLACEMENT TESTS
to decide the students’
placement into appropriate
groups
quick to administer and to mark
administered at the start of a
new phase or language course

28. DIAGNOSTIC TESTS
usually syllabus based
to determine the students’
areas of strength and
weaknesses in relation to
the contents to be covered in
the course.

29. PROGRESS TEST
forms part of the formative
evaluation of the courses
provides continuous feedback to
both the teacher and the learner
are usually written and
administered by a class teacher
look back over recent work

30. ACHIEVEMENT TESTS
at the end of a relatively long period
of learning
the content derives from the syllabus
that has been taught over the period
of time
large scale tests, covering a wide
range of language and skills

31. PROFICIENCY TESTS
based on a theory of language
proficiency
and the specific language abilities to
constitute language proficiency
often related to specific academic or
professional situations where English is
needed. (TOEFL, KET, PET, FCE,
CAE, IELTS, etc)

32. DESIRABLE FEATURES IN TESTS
VALIDITY
RELIABILITY
UTILITY
DISCRIMINATION
PRACTICALITY

33. VALIDITY
The extent to which a
test measures what it
intends to measure
and nothing else

34. RELIABILITY
To provide consistent results when
administered under similar
conditions.
it shows the consistency of the
scoring of the test,
both between different raters, and
between the same rater on
different occasions

36. UTILITY
To provide a lot of feedback to
assist in the planning of the
rest of a course or future
courses.

37. DISCRIMINATION
The ability to distinguish
between stronger and weaker
students.

38. PRACTICALITY
How efficient the test is
in physical terms.
in equipment required
in time to set, administer
in time mark
…

39. THE LINGUISTIC APPROACH
WE TAKE ON LANGUAGE
LEARNING
WILL DETERMINE THE
GENERATION OF THE TEST

40. FIRST GENERATION TESTS
REFLECT THE
GRAMMAR TRANSLATION
APPROACH
FOCUS ON ACCURACY
DEVOID OF CONTEXT
SUBJECTIVE SCORING

41. SECOND GENERATION TESTS
REFLECT THE
STRUCTURALIST APPROACH
FOCUS ON DISCRETE LANGUAGE
THEMATIC ORIENTED
OBJECTIVE ASSESSMENT

42. Are these samples
suitable for communicative
purposes?
Do you feel any areas are
missing in these examples? If so,
which?

43. OLLER (1973)
The primary function of language is
COMMUNICATION
Thus, language should be tested in
terms of communicative abilities

44. BACHMAN (1990)
Communicative ability
Learners´competence
+
capacity for implementing
+
executing that competence in
CONTEXTUALIZED communicative
language use.

45. Candlin (1985)
Creating meaning
“a coming together of organized
knowledge structures with a set of
procedures for adapting this
knowledge to solve new problems of
communication that do not have
ready-made and tailored solutions.”

46. Bachman & Palmer (1996)
Language is multicomponential
Factors other than language
should be put to test employing
both quantitative and qualitative
methodologies in interrelated
areas.

47. Metacognitive strategies
Grammatical knowledge
Textual knowledge
Pragmatic knowledge
Topical knowledge
Background knowledge

48. THIRD GENERATION TESTS
REFLECT THE
COMMUNICATIVE
APPROACH
Authentic material
Contextualized
Global and discrete items

49. WEST (1990)
Tension between principles of language testing
COMPETENCE vs. PERFORMANCE
USE vs. USAGE
INDIRECT TESTING vs. DIRECT TESTING
RECEPTIVE SKILLS vs. PRODUCTIVE SKILLS
DISEMBODIED LANGUAGE
vs. CONTEXTUALIZED LANGUAGE

50. WHEN CREATING
TESTING MATERIAL

51. BEAR IN MIND
BACKWARD LOOKING ASSESSMENT
vs.
FORWARD LOOKING ASSESSMENT
NORM REFERENCED ASSESSMENT
vs.
CRITERION REFERENCED
ASSESSMENT

52. .
THE DEVELOPMENT AND
IMPLEMENTATION OF BENCHMARK
SYSTEMS AND FRAMEWORKS THAT TAKE
AN ASSET-BASED APPROACH TO
LANGUAGE ASSESSMENT FOCUSES
MAINLY ON WHAT THE LEARNER “CAN DO”

53. Canadian Language Benchmarks
(CLB)
Common European Framework of
Reference for Languages

54. 3 G TESTS COMBINE
DISCRETE POINT APPROACHES
+
INTEGRATIVE APPROACHES
AUTHENTIC DISCOURSE
+
RECEPTIVE SKILLS

55. SO AS TO COMPLY WITH THE
SYLLABUS
INCLUDE DISCRETE POINT TENCHNIQUES
(GR + VOC)
 To measure the range and degree of mastery
ESTABLISH PRODUCTIVE SKILLS
 related to objectives and contents

56. HUERTA-MACIAS (1995)
HMAYAN (1995)
Through techniques on a daily classroom
routine basis
emulate real-life tasks which aim at evaluating
what learners CAN produce
integrate rather than recall and repeat

57. Pappamihiel & Walser (2009)
“Traditional ways of assessing
language acquisition are
inadequate in today’s world”

58. LANGUAGE ACQUISITION
IS
A COMPLEX, NONLINEAR AND
COMMUNICATIVE ENDEAVOUR

59. NEW TRENDS

60. AS TEACHERS
WE NEED TO ASK OURSELVES
How do I help
them grow from
I
AN Y where they are
C
W PM ? now?”
HO EL ILS
H P
PU

61. It means recognizing students’
abilities to understand, use
and produce language in a
variety of forms, for a variety
of purposes

62. IT MEANS GIVING GRAMMATICAL
ITEMS, VERBS AND
VOCABULARY LISTS LESS
IMPORTANCE THAN THEY HAVE
BEEN HOLDING SO FAR.

63. IT MEANS BALANCING STRUCTURE
AND MEANING
Non Pre- Communicative Structured Authentic
communicati communication language communication communication
ve learning language practice
practice
Focus
on
gramma
-tical Focus on
accurac meaning
y

64. SUGGESTION OF A
THIRD GENERATION
ACHIEVEMENT TESTING

65. THE TEXT
published in December 2009 by
the World Health Organization
which is available at
http://www.who.int/features/factf
iles/climate_change/en/ as the
triggering element

66. THE SUBJECTS
a group of young adults at upper
intermediate course in reading.

67. Designed to be taken in a situation
where the learners have completed an
eighty hour course where the
following topics and grammatical
items have been covered.

68. TOPIC GRAMMATICAL ITEMS
GLOBALIZATION Revision of tenses and
verb forms
Narrative tenses: past
simple and continuous;
Past perfect simple and
continuous; The future in
the past.

69. TOPIC GRAMMATICAL ITEMS
EnviroHealth Connections: Food/Nutrition
Noun phrases. Plural
expressions in
compound adjectives,
compound nouns;
prepositional phrases,
participial clauses.
Modals to express
probability, obligation,
permission, ability and
willingness. Abstract
nouns and relative
clauses.

70. TOPIC GRAMMATICAL ITEMS
Mind, body and spirit Adjectives and adverbs.
Patterns with
comparatives and
superlatives. As: as versus
like; as…as for
comparisons.Use and
non-use of passive forms.
Particles which add
meaning to verbs.

71. TOPIC GRAMMATICAL ITEMS
21st Century lifestyles. Adjective order. The position
of adverbs. Adverbs and
expressions of opinion. Verb
patterns: reported speech.
Verb patterns. Conditional
sentences: mixed
conditionals; tense usage
for fact versus non-fact.
Hypothesizing (I wish/ if
only; as if/though; It’s

72. Strategies to understand the gist of the
passage and/or get detailed
understanding such as:
predicting and anticipating, skimming
and scanning, locating key words and
topic sentences,
recognizing grammatical and lexical
cohesive devices,
inferring meaning of unknown words
from context and relating them to their
morphology and their position in the
sentence.

73. MEASURING CRITERIA
for the reading section
1. Reading for comprehension
and application of reading
strategies
2. Use of reading strategies
3. Critical reading

74. MEASURING BANDS
This correction and marking criterion
makes the instrument more
trustworthy especially in terms of
inter- and intra- rater reliability and,
on the other hand, gives the task the
necessary validity component to
make sure we are testing what we
intend to test

75. Band scales
Include a number of divisions, or
“bands”, of possible student
performance, and descriptors for
each band
They assure some degree of
reliability in assessments of
student performance

76. Reading for comprehension and
application of reading strategies
Band 1-2 Can get the gist of a multipurpose authentic text
1 point
Band 3-4 Can understand main ideas, and some important
2 points details of a multipurpose authentic text.
Band 5-6 Can understand main ideas, and most important details
3 points of a multipurpose authentic text.
Band 7-8 Can understand main ideas, secondary ideas and
4 points almost all details of a multipurpose authentic text.
Band 9-10 Can understand main ideas, secondary ideas and all
5 points details of a multipurpose authentic text as well as
identify the purpose of the text.

77. Use of reading strategies
1-2 point 1-2 Can do search, skimming and scanning
points
Band 2 3-4 Can use low-level inference and handle some
points ambiguity.
Band 3 5-6 Can guess the meaning of an unknown word, phrase
points or idiom from the context.
Band 4 7-8 Can use inference to locate and integrate several
points specific pieces of abstract information across
paragraphs or sections.
Band 5 9-10 Can search through information and use high level
points inference to locate and integrate several specific
pieces of abstract information (explicit and implied)
from various parts of text.

78. CRITICAL READING
Band 1-2 Can make a general comment or give an opinion on an
1 point authentic text
Band 3-4 Can sufficiently grasp the meaning of text to paraphrase or
2 points summarize key points.
Band 5-6 Can paraphrase or summarize key points and draw
3 points conclusions.
Band 7-8 Can synthesize and critically evaluate various pieces of
4 points abstract information.
Band 9-10 Can interpret, compare and evaluate both the content and
5 points the form of written text.

79. MEASURING CRITERIA FOR
WRITING
1. Task accomplishment and
organization
2. Grammar and range of
structure
3. Spelling, punctuation and
range of vocabulary

80. Task accomplishment and organization
Band 1 2 point Can write full sentences related to the topic requested but
does not integrate them cohesively.
Band 4 points Can convey information related to the topic requested and link
2 sentences to conform coherent and cohesive paragraphs but
does not respect text type conventions.
Band 3 6 points Can write the text type requested accordingly responding to
conventions and organization in a coherent and cohesive way
Band 4 8 points Can write an effective, stylistically complex text responding to
conventions and organization in a coherent and cohesive
way.
Band 5 10 Can write an effective, stylistically complex text responding to
points conventions and organization in a coherent and cohesive way
and is aware of audience.

81. Grammar and range of structures
Band 2 point Can write simple sentences in which the extent of grammatical
1 mistakes hinders comprehension and exhibits word order
difficulties
Band 4 points Can write correct though relatively simple sentences and
2 shows difficulties regarding word order.
Band 6 points Can write complex sentences containing mistakes not related
3 to earlier stages where the order is reasonable.
Band 8 points Can write complex sentences using the target structures
4 appropriate to this level and to this task though not in
completely accurate way
Band 10 Can write complex sentences using the target structures
5 points appropriate to this level and to this task accurately. Makes use
of the appropriate tone and register.

82. Spelling, punctuation and range of
vocabulary
Band points
1 2 Can write choppy sentences very simple vocabulary which
does not relate to the topic. The text presents several
spelling and punctuation mistakes. Register is not
appropriate.
2 4 Can write choppy sentences with simple vocabulary
vaguely related to the topic. There are several spelling and
punctuation mistakes.
3 6 Can write fluent sentences with vocabulary thematically
related though quite simple. There are a few spelling,
punctuation and register mistakes.
4 8 Can write fluent sentences with adequate and correctly
used vocabulary. There are minor spelling but does not
respect register. Punctuation is almost correct.
5 10 Can write fluent sentences with a fairly wide range of
vocabulary appropriate to the topic, text type and register.
Punctuation is correct and there are not spelling mistakes.

83. Description of this test
Divided into
Before reading
While reading
Global understanding
Detailed understanding
After reading

84. Before reading:
 Have a look at the titles, the pictures and
the name of the source where this text
was taken from and do these exercises:
 Matchthe pictures to the corresponding
paragraph.

85. BEFORE READING:
 Statethe effects global warming
is having on the world. Why do
you suppose the World Health
Organization is worried
about/involved in global
warming?

86. WHILE READING
Global understanding
 State the five consequences
mentioned
Where do you suppose this article was
published?
 What is its purpose?
 Is the passage complete? Yes/ No.
Why?/ Why not?

87. WHILE READING
Detailed understanding
Read the passage carefully
Which is the correct option? Multiple choice
questions
1- The burning of fossil fuels
a) has increased in a 30%
b) traps heat in the lower atmosphere
c) causes the temperature to increase
d) changes patterns of infectious diseases.

88.
Match the meaning of these
words
1. Scarcity a. Is likely to catch
2. Crop yields b. General
3. Lessen c. Economic position
4. Trapping d. Not enough
5. Overwhelming e. Organization in the
house
6. Outbreaks f. Impossible to control
7. Vulnerability g. Catching
8. Livelihood h. Episode
9. Households i. Reduce
10. Overall j. Harvest collected

89. AFTER READING
Writing
Your school has become involved in a project to
raise awareness about the dangers of global
warming in health in influential business men in
the city where you live. Write the speech you
would give.
Bear in mind
the audience
that you would like them to react in some way
that you should sound convincing

90. Essential elements inherent to third
generation test
“The processing of realistic discourse
since authenticity is of vital
importance concerning the use of
language in the activities proposed
and in the relationship between the
language which is being tested and
the language of the real world”
(Chalhoub-Deville,2001: 214-217 in
Brown,2004: 101)

91. Essential elements inherent to
third generation test
The performance of tasks which
will enable the learners to make
use of language in a context
which resembles real life
situations.

92. Essential elements inherent to third
generation test
The tasks learners are expected
to carry out aim at taking into
account a multilayer scheme
dealing with

93. levels of analysis related to both use
and usage of the target language:
situational,
pragmatic,
functional,
semantic levels, and
the connection with the text texture
and the paratext information

94. Essential elements inherent to third
generation test
and addressing syntax:
the range of structures, cohesive
devices, lexical issues, special
vocabulary and lexical cohesion
and the use of linguistic and non-
linguistic resources.

95. CONCLUSIONS
Which do you consider
are some of the
benefits to using third
generation tests?

96. CONCLUSIONS
It allows learners
To view what they have learnt as a
significant whole
To map their knowledge of the language
in specific areas of syntax, lexis,
pragmatics, pronunciation
To show an array of linguistic and
paralinguistic features which they are
expected to put to use in a concrete task.

97. CONCLUSIONS
Third generation tests enable
learners to integrate these
different aspects into a
meaningful task following a
problem solving scheme
which resembles real life
situations.

98. CONCLUSIONS
From the teachers’ standpoint
It allows viewing
students’ performance and their
learning process in a more holistic
manner which is much more
consistent with CLT techniques.

99. Testing is an ongoing process
whereby not only the pupils
show the assimilation of what
they have been exposed to
but also the teachers’
performance as well as the
evaluator’s expertise is put to
test.

100. References
Bachman, L. F., A. S. & Palmer (1996). Language testing in practice: Designing and developing useful
language tests. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Bachman, L. F. (1990) Fundamental Considerations in Language Testing. Oxford: OUP.
Bachman, L. F., & A. S. Palmer,. (2010). Language assessment in practice (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
Brown, J. (2004) “Performance Assessment: Existing Literature and Directions for Research” Second
Language Studies, 22(2), pp. 91-139.
Canale, M. and M. Swain (1980) “Theoretical bases of communicative approaches to second language
teaching and testing”. In Applied Linguistics 1.
Canale, M. (1983). On some dimensions of language proficiency. In J. W. Oller (Ed.), Issues in language
testing research. Rowley, MA: Newbury House.
Candlin, C. N. (1985) «Explaining communicative competence: the limits of testability». En Report 21 of the
IInd International TOEFL Conference, ETS. Princeton: New Jersey
Douglas, D. (2000). Assessing language for specific purposes: Theory and practice. New York: Cambridge
University Press.
Hamayan, E.V. (1995). Approaches to alternative assessment. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 15,
212-226.
Huerta-Macias, A. (1995). Alternative assessment: Responses to commonly asked questions. TESOL
Journal, 5, 8-10.
Lennon, A. (2009).Assessment and Testing in the Classroom. Course material. FUNIBER.
McNamara, T. (2000). Language testing. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Oller, J. (1973). Cloze tests of second language proficiency and what they measure. Language Learning 23,
105-118.
Oller, J. (1979): Language tests at school, London, Longman. SPOLSKY, the problem of validation, TESOL
Oller, J. (editor). 1983.Issues in language testing research. In Reprint in Candlin 1986. Rowley, MA:
Newbury House
West, R. (1990): Introduction and Principles of Language Testing. University of Manchester SEDE.