Languaje Testing, I Bimestr

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ESCUELA:
NOMBRES:
LANGUAGE TESTING
I BIMESTRE
FECHA:
Languajes
Dra. María Arias Córdova
ABRIL /AGOSTO 2009

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WHAT IS LANGUAGE TESTING?
 Language Testing is a matter of using
data to establish evidence of
learning.
 Testing is a universal feature of
social life.
 Testing is generally concerned with
enumeration, that is, turning
performance into numbers.
 Testing is about making inferences.

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TESTING AND EVALUATION
 The relationship between testing and
evaluation is similar to the
relationship between the Curriculum
and the Syllabus.
 CURRICULUM are the subjects that
are studied in schools, and the
procedures and approaches used to
teach them. This is usually decided
by the state.

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TESTING AND EVALUATION
 The SYLLABUS is a set of items for
the teacher to cover in a term. But
the syllabus is part of a bigger
methodological scheme- the
CURRICULUM.
EVALUATION
CURRICULUM
TESTING SYLLABUS

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ASSESSMENT AND
EVALUATION
 Assessment: the act of assessing; to estimate or
determine the significance, importance, or value
of; evaluate. It is important to notice that the
final purposes and assessment practices in
education depends on the theoretical framework
of the practitioners and researchers, their
assumptions and beliefs about the nature of
human mind, the origin of knowledge and the
process of learning.
 Evaluate: to find the value or amount of; to judge
or determine the worth or quality of.

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EDUCATIONAL ASSESSMENT
 Educational assessment is the
process of documenting, usually in
measurable terms, knowledge,
skills, attitudes and beliefs.
Assessment can focus on the
individual learner, the learning
community (class, workshop, or
other organized group of learners),
the institution, or the educational
system as a whole.

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SOME ASSESSMENT
TERMINOLOGY
Formative Assessment: A relatively informal
assessment that takes place during the process
of learining, as oppossed to at the end. The
purpose is to provide feedback, which helps in
the learning process.
Performance assessment: Assessment of
performance on an oral or written task.
Summative assessment: Formal testing or
evaluation at the end of a learning period to
measure what a student has learned.

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SOME ASSESSMENT
TERMINOLOGY
Self-Assessment: A reflexive process in
which learners evaluate their own work
based on pre-set criteria.
Performance assessment: Assessment of
performance on an oral or written task.

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EVALUATION
Evaluation is an effective means of
measuring teaching and learning
performances in a language program and of
improving the teaching process.
Evaluation is a process to judge or measure
the value of a finished or ongoing program,
plan, or even a policy (Gasper 1995). In the
language teaching field specially in ESL/EFL
programs, there are numerous reports on
how to apply evaluation to class activities
and program assessment. Forum magazine

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WHAT IS A TEST?
In education, it is called an examination or
exam, it serves to assess or measure student’s
performance, knowledge or skills.
Language tests play a powerful role in many
people’s lives, acting as gateways at important
transitional moments in education, in
employment, and in moving from one country
to another.

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PURPOSE OF TESTS
 Personality tests
 DNA TESTS

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PURPOSE OF TESTS
 MEDICINE
Blood
Cancer screening
Hearing
Eye

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PURPOSE OF TESTS
THE LAW
Paternity tests
Lie detection tests

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TYPES OF TESTS
Not all language tests are of the same kind. They
differ with respect to how they are designed, and what
they are for; in other words, in respect to test method
and test purpose.
In terms of method, we can broadly distinguish
traditional paper-and-pencil language tests.
Language tests also differ according to their purpose.
The same form of test may be used for different
purposes, although in other cases the purpose may
affect the form.

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REASONS FOR TESTING
Achievement Tests:Achievement Tests: are associated with the processare associated with the process
of instruction.of instruction.
Proficiency tests:Proficiency tests: look to the future situation oflook to the future situation of
language use without necessarily any reference tolanguage use without necessarily any reference to
the previous process of teaching.the previous process of teaching.
Diagnostic tests:Diagnostic tests: involve identifying specific areasinvolve identifying specific areas
of strength or weakness in language ability so asof strength or weakness in language ability so as
to assign students to specific courses or learningto assign students to specific courses or learning
activities. Lyle F. Backman and Adrian S. Palmeractivities. Lyle F. Backman and Adrian S. Palmer
( 2000)( 2000)

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REASONS FOR TESTING
Progress Tests: J.B.Heaton (1991) explains that the
type of test we give will depend very much on our
purpose in tesing. There are many reasons for giving
a test, and we should always ask ourselves about the
real purpose of the test which we are giving to our
students. Perhaps the most important reason is to
find out how well the students have mastered the
language areas and skills which have just been
taught. Thesee tests look back at what students have
achieved and are called progress tests.

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REASONS FOR TESTING
Placement Tests: enable us to sort students into
groups according to their language ability at the
beginning of the course. Such a test should be as
general as possible and should concentrate on
testing a wide and representative range of ability in
English.

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REASONS FOR TESTING
Proficiency tests: Heaton says that we use
proficiency tests to measure how suitable
candidates will be for performing a certain task
or following a specific course. For example, The
British Council administers proficiency to
overseas students intending to study in
universities and polytechnics in Britain. This
test has different parts which candidates can
choose to do according to their different
purposes.

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REASONS FOR TESTING
It is thus possible for the test to measure
candidate’s proficiency in certain special fields: life
sciences, medicine, social studies, physical
science, and technology.
Most proficiency tests concentrate on assessing
candidates` ability to use English for specific
purpose. The candidates` general command of
English may not form the chief focus for a
proficiency test.

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TESTING LISTENING SKILLS
 DISTINGUISH BETWEEN SOUNDS
 DICTATION
 REPEATING INFORMATION
 SHORT STATEMENTS, QUESTIONS
AND CONVERSATIONS
 COMPLETING PICTURES
 FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS
 SHORT CONVERSATIONS AND
STATEMENTS ABOUT PICTURES

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TESTING SPEAKING SKILLS
 PRONOUNCING WORDS IN ISOLATION
 PRONOUNCING WORDS IN SENTENCES
 READING ALOUD
 RE-TELLING STORIES
 USING PICTURES
 MAPS
 ORAL ITERVIEWS
 ASKING QUESTIONS

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MARKING
J. B. Heaton also says that it is appropriate to state an importantJ. B. Heaton also says that it is appropriate to state an important
principle here; namely, never mark in front of a student. Nothing isprinciple here; namely, never mark in front of a student. Nothing is
more discouraging for a student than to enter into conversation withmore discouraging for a student than to enter into conversation with
someone who is constantly breaking off to enter marks andsomeone who is constantly breaking off to enter marks and
comments. The student should be constantly reassured thatcomments. The student should be constantly reassured that whatwhat hehe
or she says is being treated as important- rather thanor she says is being treated as important- rather than howhow he or shehe or she
says it. If possible, wait until the student has left the room beforesays it. If possible, wait until the student has left the room before
you enter your marks and comments.you enter your marks and comments.
In spite of all your attempts, it may sometimes be impossible to avoidIn spite of all your attempts, it may sometimes be impossible to avoid
tension and nervousness on the part of many students. Suchtension and nervousness on the part of many students. Such
feelings of tension can affect performance and change the way theyfeelings of tension can affect performance and change the way they
behave in an interview. For example, students at a certain agebehave in an interview. For example, students at a certain age
sometimes become unnaturally quiet or aggressive.sometimes become unnaturally quiet or aggressive.

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OBJECTIVE ITEM TYPES
Objective Tests are those that include
questions in a true/ false, multiple-
choice, matching, or fill-in format.
Usually the answer is provided but
the student must decide among
several possibilities.

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OBJECTIVE ITEM TYPES
1. Multiple-Choice items
2. Cloze Tests
3. Dictation
4. Short Answer Questions
5. Dichotomous Items
6. Matching
7. Sentence Completion or Fill-In
Questions
8. True/False Questions

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MULTIPLE-CHOICE ITEMS
The basic structure is:
 A stem: initial part of a test item
 A number of options: the alternatives from
which examinees have to select the correct
one
 Key: the correct answer
 Distractors: the incorrect options

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Example 1:
 The word hazardous is closest in
meaning to
a. frequent
b. perilous
c. outer
d. unpredictable

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Example 2:
According to Cognitive Approach, all of the
following may influence the decision
whether to act aggressively EXCEPT a
person’s
a. moral values
b. previous experiences with aggression
c. instinct to avoid aggression
d. beliefs about other people’s intentions

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Harold S. Madsen
Example 3:
The word disrupted is closest in meaning to
a. prolonged
b. established
c. followed
d. upset

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MULTIPLE –CHOICE ITEMS
Example 4
The phrase bound to is closest in
meaning to
a. limited to
b. hidden within
c. regarded as
d. venerated as

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Harold S. Madsen
Example 5:
Poor item: Do you need some _______ to write on?
a. pen
b. paper
c. material
d. ink
defect or weakness: more than one right answer

Example 6:
Poor item: The mouse ______ quickly away.
a. very
b. run
c. baby
d. little
nonverbs used
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Example 7:
Poor item: I think he will be here in an ______.
a. soon
b. weekend
c. day after
d. hour
“ an” cues answer

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Example 8:
Poor item: She is a person of good judgement
and courage.
a. sense
b. cents
c. scents
d. since
spelling trap

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DICTATION TESTS
Dictation can be only be fair to students if it
is presented in the same way to them all,
and this generally means having the material
on tape, so that not only is it presented in an
identical way to all candidates, but the
speed of delivery and positioning of pauses
can be tested in advance. If the use of a
tape recording is impossible, the people who
deliver the dictation must be very thoroughly
trained.

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DICTATION TESTS
Dictation can be objectively marked if
candidates are asked to write down the
original text verbatim, and if the examiner
has a system for deciding how should be
allotted. However, such system are difficult
to devise. For example, if the marking
instructions say, “ deduct one point for each
misspell word and two points for each word
that is missing or is the same as in the
original “ , it is not always clear whether a
word is misspell or just wrong. The same
problem occurs even if the maker is told to
ignore spelling mistakes.

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DICTATION TESTS
The other problem with this method of
marking dictation is that it is both time-
consuming and boring to mark. This means
not only that the marking will be expensive
but that the markers are likely to make
frequent errors. Some test writers avoid this
problem by giving a partial dictation in which
the candidates are given a copy of the text
they are to hear in which words, phrases or
sentences have been deleted. Students are
asked to fill in the gaps as they listen to the
text being read.

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ADVANTAGES OF MULTIPLE-
CHOICE COMPLETION ITEMS
 It is impossible for students to avoid
the grammar point being evaluated.
 Scoring is easy and reliable.
 This is a sensitive measure of
achievement ( and like other
multiple-choice language tests, it
allows teachers to diagnose specific
problems of students).

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ADVANTAGES OF MULTIPLE-
CHOICE COMPLETION ITEMS
 These tests are generally easier to prepare
than are multiple-choice items.
 These give the appearance of measuring
productive skills because some items
permit flexibility and original expression.
 There is no exposure to incorrect
grammatical forms.
 These provide a sensitive measure of
achievement.

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DISADVANTAGES
OF MULTIPLE-CHOICE
COMPLETION ITEMS
 Preparing good items is not easy.
 It is easy for students to cheat.
 It doesn’t appear to measure
student’s ability to reproduce
language structures.
 This can have a negative influence on
class work if used exclusively.

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DISADVANTAGES
OF MULTIPLE-CHOICE
COMPLETION ITEMS
 Preparing good items is not easy.
 It is easy for students to cheat.
 It doesn’t appear to measure
student’s ability to reproduce
language structures
 This can have a negative influence on
class work if used exclusively.

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DISADVANTAGES
OF MULTIPLE-CHOICE
COMPLETION ITEMS
 These are usually more time consuming to
correct than are multiple-choice questions.
Not only can poor penmanship be a
problem but also irrelevant errors beyond
those being tested.
 Occasionally students can unexpectedly
avoid the structure being tested.

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CLOZE TESTS
Cloze tests are prose passages, usually
a paragraph or more in length, from
which words have been deleted. The
student relies on the context in order
to supply the missing words. Cloze here
refers to tests in which words are
deleted mechanically. Each word is
deleted regardless of what the
function of that word is. So, for
example, every sixth word might be
removed.

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MATCHING
 Matching means items where students are
given a list of possible answers which they
have to match with some other list of words,
phrases, sentences, paragraphs or visual
clues. Look at the following example where
the students have to match the four words
on the left with those on the right in order
to answer the questions.

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MATCHING
COLUMN A COLUMN B
1. Who is the head a. the Pope
of the catholic church?
2. What`s the Amazon? b. about
4,700
years
old
3. How old are the c. It`s a
river
Pyramids of Egypt?

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TRUE AND FALSE QUESTIONS
True / False questions are the easiest test
questions for the obvious reason that you
have at least a fifty- fifty chance or getting
the right answers. First, be sure you have
read the questions correctly. Look for words
such as always or never; these words often
indicate a false answer. Words such as often
usually, rarely, or sometimes can indicate a
true answer. Decide if the statement is
totally true before you mark in true.

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TRUE AND FALSE QUESTIONS
For example: Are you good language learner?
TRUE FALSE
1. Practice pronunciation ……. ……..
2. Guess the meaning of new words ……. ……..
3. Make lists of new words ……. ……..
4. Watch TV in English ……. …….
5. Think about grammar ……. …….
6. Read something in English ……. …….

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TEST CONTENT
From a practical point of view test
design begins with decisions about test
content, what will go into the test.
These decisions imply a view of the
test construct, the way language and
language use in test performance.

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TEST METHOD
 The next thing to consider in the test
design is the way in which candidates
will be required to interact with the
test materials, particularly the
response format, that is, the way in
which the candidate will be required to
respond to the materials.

TEST SPECIFICATIONS
These are a set of instructions for
creating the test, written as if they are
to be followed by someone other than
the test developer; they are a recipe
or blueprint for test constuction. The
specifications will include information
on such matters as the lenght and
structure of each part of the test.

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TEST SPECIFICATIONS
The response
format
The test rubric
How responses are
to be scored

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TEST TRIALS
PROFICIENCY
LEVEL
LEARNING
BACKGROUNDAGE
THE TARGET
TEST
POPULATION

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THE RATING PROCESS
Making judgements about people is a commonMaking judgements about people is a common
feature of everyday life. We are continuallyfeature of everyday life. We are continually
evaluating what others say and do, in commentsevaluating what others say and do, in comments
called for or not, offering criticism and fedbackcalled for or not, offering criticism and fedback
informally to friends and colleagues about theirinformally to friends and colleagues about their
behavior. Formal, institutional judgements figurebehavior. Formal, institutional judgements figure
prominently in our lives too.prominently in our lives too.
People pass driven tests, survive the probationary period inPeople pass driven tests, survive the probationary period in
a new job, get promotion at work, succeed at interviews,a new job, get promotion at work, succeed at interviews,
win Oscars for performances in a film, win medals inwin Oscars for performances in a film, win medals in
diving competitions, and are released from prison for gooddiving competitions, and are released from prison for good
behavior.behavior.

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THE RATING PROCESS
Rating scale
A rating scale is a set of categories designed to elicit
information about an attribute in social science.
Common examples are the and 1-10 rating scales for
which a person selects the number which is considered
to reflect the perceived quality of a product.
In rating scales are often referenced to a statement which
expresses an attitude or perception toward something.
The most common example of such a rating scale is the
Likert scale, in which a person is asked to select a
category label from a list indicating the extent of
disagreement or agreement with a statement.

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THE RATING PROCESS
The basic feature of any rating scale is that it
consists of a number of categories. These are
usually assigned integers. Look at an example of
the use of a Likert scale is as follows.
 Statement:
 Response options:
1. Strongly Disagree
2. Disagree
3. Agree
4. Strongly Agree

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EXAMPLES OF HOLISTIC RATINGS
 Reading comprehension
Reading comprehension can be defined as the level
of understanding of a passage or text. For normal
(around 200-220 words per minute) an acceptable level
of comprehension is above 75%.
Reading comprehension can be improved by: Training
the ability to self assesses comprehension, actively test
comprehension using , and by improving .

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Teaching conceptual and knowledge is also
advantageous.
Self assessment can be conducted by
summarizing, and elaborative interrogation, and
those skills will gradually become more
automatic through practice.
Reading comprehension skills separates the
"passive" unskilled reader from the "active"
readers. Skilled readers don't just read, they
interact with the text.
THE RATING PROCESS

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THE RATING PROCESS
To help a beginning reader understand this concept, you
might make them privy to the dialogue readers have with
themselves while reading.
Skilled readers, for instance:
 Predict what will happen next in a story using clues
presented in text
 Create questions about the main idea, message, or plot of
the text
 Monitor understanding of the sequence, context, or
characters
 Clarify parts of the text which have confused them
 Connect the events in the text to prior knowledge or
experience.

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THE RATING PROCESS
Introducing the rater into the assessment
process is both necessary and
problematic. It is problematic because
ratings are necessarily subjective. Another
way of saying this is that the rating given
to a candidate is a reflection, not only of
the quality of the performance, but of the
qualities as a rater of the person who has
judged it.

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CONSULTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
McNamara, Tim ( 2000) Language Testing. Oxford
University Press.
Pierce, Douglas and Kinsell Sean ( 2009) Cracking
the TOEFL iBT. Princenton Reviw. Random House,
Inc. New York.
Alderson J. Charles Clapham Caroline and Wall
Dianne ( 1995 ) Language. Test Construction and
Evaluation. Cambridge University Press.
Huges, Arthur ( 1995 ) Testing for Language
Teachers. Cambridge University Press.
Wikipedia. The free encyclopedia.

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