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Lesson Three

Lesson Three. Kinds of Test and Testing. Contents. Kinds of Tests: Based on Purposes Classroom use External examination Kinds of Testing: Three Contrasting Paris of Test Concepts Current Issues in Classroom Testing: Computer-Based Testing

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Lesson Three

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  1. Lesson Three Kinds of Test and Testing

  2. Contents • Kinds of Tests: Based on Purposes • Classroom use • External examination • Kinds of Testing: Three Contrasting Paris of Test Concepts • Current Issues in Classroom Testing: Computer-Based Testing • Norm-Referenced Test vs. Criterion-Referenced Test • Differences between NRT & CRT

  3. Classroom Use • To find out students’ difficulties: • Diagnostic tests • To ascertain students’ progress: • Progress tests • To assess students’ mastery of the course content and their potential for the next grade level: • Achievement tests

  4. Diagnostic Test • To identify both the learner’s strengths and weaknesses. • To help to understand the student and provide necessary help or avoid repetition. • Can be combined with progress tests. • May sometimes be indistinguishable from placement tests • E.g. http://language.miis.edu/lgp/diagnostic-tests.html • http://www.pattisoncollege.com/programs/ESL/placement_test.htm

  5. Progress Test • To find out how well the learners are doing with the course content/material • As part of an ongoing assessment procedure during the course of instruction • Must be very closely tied to the course content • E.g., tests, quizzes • E.g. http://barronseduc.com/0764179055.html

  6. Achievement Test (Attainment Test) • Directly related to lang. courses; to determine how successful individual students or courses have been in achieving objectives (also Brown 48; Bailey 39) • Test content: based on the course content, syllabus, textbooks and course objectives. • Can be further divided into: • Final achievement test: final examination • Progress achievement test: midterm examination or quizzes

  7. External Examination • To select people: • Screening/admissions tests • To assign students to classes at different levels: • Placement tests • To find out about language ability: • Proficiency tests • To find out about potential talent or capacity for learning: • Aptitude tests

  8. Screening/Admissions Test • To provide info. about whether a candidate is likely to succeed in a particular program (Bailey 38) • A proficiency test is sometimes used as an admissions test. • E.g., TOEFL • all MBA program applicants are required to take the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) which is administered throughout the world by the Educational Testing Service, Princeton, U.S.A.

  9. Placement Test • To correctly place a student into an appropriate class/course or level. • Group students according to their ability. • The Successful placement test – constructed for particular situation. • Oxford UniversityLanguage Centre - http://www.lang.ox.ac.uk/tests/english_placement.html#top

  10. Proficiency Test • Definition of proficiency: (Bailey 37; Brown 44) • Test on general overall language ability: not focused on one particular course. • Almost always summative and norm-referenced. • Language proficiency test: TOEFL, CPT • To see if the test taker has sufficient command of the language. • Regardless of any previous training. • E.g. http://cpt.mtc.ntnu.edu.tw/eng/index.asp

  11. Aptitude Test • To determine a learner’s potential talent or capacity for learning languages • Does not test one’s skill in a particular language—rather it is intended to assess a person’s ability to learn any language • Oxford Language Aptitude test http://www.rhul.ac.uk/Classics/CUCD/test.html • Modern Language Aptitude test (MLAT) • http://www.utpjournals.com/product/cmlr/582/Modern-1.html

  12. Three Contrasting Pairs of Testing Concepts • Direct vs. Indirect Testing • Discrete-Point vs. Integrative Testing • Subjective vs. Objective Testing

  13. Direct vs. Indirect Testing • Direct Testing • Requiring testees to perform precisely the skill which we wish to measure; straight forward testing of a particular ability (e.g., using a composition test to measure the test taker’s writing ability). • Indirect Testing • Testing one ability indirectly (e.g. testing a person’s writing ability by using an error identification test).

  14. Direct vs. Indirect Testing • Direct Testing – attractions • Provided the clear testing • The assessment and interpretation of students’ performance is straightforward • A help backwash effect.

  15. Subjective vs. Objective Based on the SCORING method of a test • Objective • Answers are decided and set prior to test taking; no human judgment required • e.g., multiple-choice questions • Subjective • Human judgment involved • e.g., composition tests

  16. Discrete-Point vs. Integrative Testing • Discrete-Point Testing • Testing only one element at a time, item by item. • Almost all the discrete-point tests are also indirect tests. • e.g., multiple-choice test on a grammatical point • Integrative Testing • Testing several fields/skills at the same time; requiring testees to combine many language elements in the completion of a task (and tend to be a direct test) • e.g., cloze, dictation

  17. Computer-Based Testing • Computer-based or web-based tests • The test-taker performs responses on a computer. • Fixed, closed-ended responses. • Computer-adaptive test • A set of questions are based on test takers’ performance to meet the test specification. • The computer is programmed to find questions of appropriate difficulty for test-takers. • E.g. TOEFL or ACT’ ESL

  18. The Advantages of Computerized Testing • It simplifies the ESL testing process. • The computer routes students to appropriate levels based on their test responses. Beginning students are not required to sit through questions for which they have no background, and advanced students are not forced to answer many items that are too easy. • It's always available. • Tests can be administered in group or individual settings with a proctor and are available whenever students are ready to test. • It's very user friendly. • The tests are untimed, helping to relieve the stress and fatigue that may trouble students who are testing in a second language or who are computer novices. Most students can complete all three tests in about 50 to 60 minutes. Institutions also have the option of setting the length of the tests, which helps control the amount of time students spend testing. • Each test offers easy-to-understand instructions about the mouse, keyboard, and test question format.

  19. Exercise • Find out one particular test for the following list of tests. • Explain how it is administered and used. • Direct testing • Discrete testing • Proficiency test • Subjective testing • Achievement test • Integrative testing • Placement test • Admission test • Computer-adaptive test • Indirect test

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