PA O L A E N R Í Q U E Z D .2 . 1 0 . 1 3

KINDS OF TESTS AND TESTING

OUTLINE

• Tests according to the information they provide

• Proficienccy tests

• Achievement tests

• Diagnostic tests

• Placement tests

• Direct VS. Indirect testing

• Discrete point VS. Integrative testing

• Norm-referenced VS. Criterion-referenced testing

• Objective VS. Subjective testing

• Computer adaptive testing

• Communicative language testing

PROFICIENCY TESTS

• Measure -> people’s ability in language• Regardless of any training• Not based on content or objectives of lang. courses

• Based on -> specification of what to be able to do

PROFICIENT?

PROFICIENCY TESTS

• Measure -> people’s ability in language• Regardless of any training• Not based on content or objectives of lang. courses

• Based on -> specification of what to be able to do

PROFICIENT

• Having sufficient command of the language for a particular purpose

PROFICIENCY TESTS

• Measure -> people’s ability in language• Regardless of any training• Not based on content or objectives of lang. courses

• Based on -> specification of what to be able to do

PROFICIENT

• E.g. whether someone can function successfully as a UN translator.

PROFICIENCY TESTS

• Measure -> people’s ability in language• Regardless of any training• Not based on content or objectives of lang. courses

• Based on -> specification of what to be able to do

PROFICIENT

• Standard with respect to a set of abilities• No particular purpose for

the language

General

PROFICIENCY TESTS

• Measure -> people’s ability in language• Regardless of any training• Not based on content or objectives of lang. courses

• Based on -> specification of what to be able to do

PROFICIENT

• E.g. TOEFL, FCE, etc.General

PROFICIENCY TESTS

Not based on courses that candidates may have taken previously !

ACHIEVEMENT TESTS

• Related to language courses

Successful in achieving objectives

Final achievement tests

Progress achievement tests

FINAL ACHIEVEMENT TESTS

• At the end of the course of study

• Content related to the course

FINAL ACHIEVEMENT TESTS

• At the end of the course of study

• Content related to the course?Syllabus-content approach

What if the syllabus was badly designed?

Base it on the objectives

• Compels course designers to be explicit about objectives

• Performance on the test -> how far objectives have been achieved

PROGRESS ACHIEVEMENT TESTS

• Formative assessment

• Measure the Ss’ progress

Objectives Short-term

• ‘Pop quizzes’

DIAGNOSTIC TESTS

• Identify learners’ strengths and weaknesses

• What learning still needs to take place?

PROFICIENCY TESTS

• Few tests for purely diagnostic purposes

PLACEMENT TESTS

• Place Ss at a stage (level) -> abilities

• No placement test will work for every institution

• Tailor-made -> constructed for particular situations

DIRECT VS INDIRECT TESTING

• The candidate performs exactly the skill being measured

Direct

• Measure the abilities that underlie the skills Indirect

DIRECT VS INDIRECT TESTING

• Clear about the abilities to assess

• Easier to constructDirect

• Test a sample of a finite number of abilities which underlie an indefinite number of manifestations of them

Indirect

DIRECT VS INDIRECT TESTING

• Clear about the abilities to assess

• Easier to construct

Direct

• Results are more generalisableIndirect

DISCRETE POINT VS INTEGRATIVE TESTING

• Testing one element at a time – item by item

Discrete Point

• Combination of many elements in the completion of a taskIntegrative

DISCRETE POINT VS INTEGRATIVE TESTING

•e.g.Discrete Point

•e.g.Integrative

NORM-REFERENCED VS CRITERION-REFERENCED TESTING

• Relates Ss’ performance to that of other Ss

• Does not tell what the Ss are able to do

NORM-REFERENCE

D

• Shows what the Ss can actually do

• Does not compare to other Ss’ performance

CRITERION-REFERENCE

D

NORM-REFERENCED VS CRITERION-REFERENCED

• e.g. The S is in the top 10% of Ss who took the test.NORM-

REFERENCED

• e.g. The S is able to greet, to exchange information on personal background, home, school life and interests

CRITERION-REFERENCE

D

OBJECTIVE VS SUBJECTIVE TESTING

• Methods of scoring

• No judgement required for scoring

• Greater reliability• Easier to agree when more than

one scorer

OBJECTIVE

• Judgement called for scoring

SUBJECTIVE

COMPUTER ADAPTIVE TESTING

ITEM OF AVERAGE DIFFICULTY

CORRECTINCORRECT

MORE DIFFICULT ITEM

EASIER ITEM

C I C I

MORE DIFFICULT

EASIER

MORE DIFFICULT

EASIER

COMMUNICATIVE LANGUAGE TESTING

• Ability to take part in acts of communication

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeFjGWp_8v0

REFERENCE

• Hughes, Arthur. Testing for Language Teachers. New York: Cambridge UP, 2003.