unit 1-background to language testing

7/30/2019 Unit 1-Background to Language Testing

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Prepared by Mr. Sam Sary, MA in TESOL

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What is language testing?

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Language testing is

evaluating languageknowledge for making

judgments.

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Once: collection of isolated

lexical and grammatical items.

Today: use, communicative,

based on connected discourse.

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Trait is the language knowledge that

needs to be tapped.

Method is the procedure to tap that

knowledge.

A good test should include minimummethod and maximum trait.

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Pre-Scientific

PsychometricStructuralist

Sociolinguistic/

Integrative 6


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Discrete to integrative

Indirect to directKnowledge to performance

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Classroom Tests

1. Find out whether what was taught was also

successfully acquired

2. Evaluate and improve instruction

3. Obtain information on students' progressand language knowledge

4. Help organize learning/teaching material

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Classroom Tests

5. Provide information to students on their

language progress

6. Provide information for grades

7. Help diagnose students strengths andweaknesses in the language

8. Motivate students to learn

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External Tests

1. Evaluate proficiency

2. Decide whether to accept students to certainprograms

3. Provide information for administrativedecision- special treatment to certaingroups, assist in selection and grouping

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External Tests

4. Help evaluate the curriculum

5. Serve research purposes

6. Obtain information for grading

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Test becomes a punishment, rather than aconstructive tool.

Test is used to prove rather than improve.

Using tests as disciplinary tool as punishment

There is a gap between what is taught andwhat is tested

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There is a delay in returning test papers so thefeedback, when given, becomes irrelevant.

Using test exclusively for grading. Using tests without proper planning.

No cooperation among teachers about tests; no

analysis of tests after they have beenadministered.

Not discarding bad tests or bad items.

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Lets judge students performance againsttheir own knowledge and not against peers.

Lets use tests for improvement, for feedbackto students, so they can know what theirproblems are and improve accordingly.

Lets use tests along with teaching andlearning.

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Lets determine in advance the criteria forsuccess.

Lets test to improve knowledge, not just forjudgment.

Lets tell students what the purpose of thetest is and what the criteria for doing well onit is.

Lets return the test with meaningfulfeedback and not just with a numerical score.

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Lets plan a test in advance and not in the lastminute.

Lets discuss test result with students. Lets try to make tests fun, challenging and

interesting.

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unit 1-background to language testing

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