TESTING
2. Testing and teaching: A test is a method of measuring a person’s skill/ ability
or knowledge in a given area
- A language test refers to any kind of measurement/exam technique that
aims at describing the test taker's language proficiency.
- Teach to test.: Teachers base their instruction on the types of strategies and
content that the test may present to them.
- Test to teach.: Tests are used as a means to make judgments about learners'
acquired knowledge, curriculum, teaching, and methods,... to make
improvements
7. Qualities of a good test
a) Reliability: Consistency of score across candidates, markers, and
time
How to achieve
1. Subjective marking: Sometimes a test can be unreliable because of the
way it is marked.
2. Syllabus: how much a test is based on passages and questions taken
directly from a textbook and how much it is based on the syllabus within
the textbook.
3. Size: through a large number of test items within the test and through
piloting the test with a large number of candidates.
4. Test Item level of difficulty: Reliable test items ensure that
approximately one-third of the candidates score less than 45% (weaker
candidates), one-third between 45%-65% (average candidates), and one-
third 65%-100% (good candidates).
How to make test more reliable?
1. Provide large samples: the more tasks the testee has to perform, the
more reliable the test should be. (each item should represent a fresh
start.)
2. Do not allow candidates too much freedom. The more freedom that
is given, the greater is likely to be the difference between the
performance actually elicited and the performance that would have been
elicited if the test had been taken, say, a day later.
3. Write unambiguous items.
4. Provide clear and explicit instructions. (both oral and written;
prevent misunderstanding the task requirements)
5. Ensure that tests are well laid out and perfectly legible: do not
have too much text in too small a space; badly-typed texts with spelling
mistakes.
6. Candidates should be familiar with format and testing techniques.
7. Provide uniform and non-distracting conditions of administration.
8. Use items that permit scoring which is as objective as possible.
(subjective marking reduces reliability; provide a detailed scoring key;
train scorers; agree acceptable responses and appropriate scores at the
outset of scoring)
9. Identify candidates by number, not by name
b) Validity: Is it testing what it is supposed to test?
Components
1. FACE VALIDITY (Test what students have been taught.)
2. CONTENT VALIDITY: concerns the appeal of the test to the popular (non-
expert) judgment.
3. CONCURRENT/ STATISTICAL VALIDITY: 2 same system tests must have
similar results.
4. RESPONSE VALIDITY: describes the extent to which examinees responded
in the manner expected by the test developers.
5. CONSTRUCT VALIDITY: measurement of certain specific abilities in
accordance with a theory of language behavior and learning.
How to make test more valid?
1. Write explicit specifications for the test.
2. Whenever feasible, use direct testing.
3. Make sure that the scoring of responses related directly to what is
being tested.
4. Do everything possible to make the test reliable.
c) Practicality: Is the test easy and economical to administer?
- Administration
-Personel
- Cost
-Time
8. 7 principles for test design
1. Test what you teach
2. Use familiar instructions. The level of English in the instructions must not be
higher than the students' level.
3. Make sure the test "covers" the book.
4. Make the level of difficulty the level of the average student.
5. Make sure all the test texts are grammatically correct.
6. Students should get used to the format of the test.
7. Always get someone to be a moderator and "try out" your test items before
putting them into the test.
11. T.O.S?
A test's specifications (TOS) provide the official statement about what the test
tests and how it tests it. The specifications are the blueprint to be followed by
test and item writers, and they are also essential in the establishment of the
test's construct validity.
Table of Specifications (TOS):
1. Question types
2. Knowledge (Grammar & sound systems)
3. Curriculum specs.
4. Time allocation
5. Question levels - Bloom's Taxonomy( know, Comp, Appl, anal, Syn, Eva)
6. Skills & sub-skills (LSRW)
7. Mark allocation
8. Question sections/ numbers
9. Content/ stimulus specs