EnglanguageTestingNEvaluation.ppt

English Language Testing and Evaluation

EFL413

Why test?

• Diagnose students strengths and needs• Provide feedback on student learning• Provide a basis for instructional placement• Inform and guide instruction• Communicate learning expectations• Motivate and focus students’ attention and

effort• Provide practice applying knowledge and skills

• Diagnose students strengths and needs• Provide feedback on student learning• Provide a basis for instructional placement• Inform and guide instruction• Communicate learning expectations• Motivate and focus students’ attention and

effort• Provide practice applying knowledge and skills

This type of testing/evalutation spans two columns:Observations

Pre-assessment(diagnostic)

Formative(ongoing)

Summative(final)

Pretests Quizzes Teacher-made test

Assignments

Questionnaires

Interviews

This type of testing/evalutation spans two columns: Journals/logs


Formative(ongoing)

Summative(final)


Observations

Assignments

Questionnaires Observations

Interviews

This type of testing/evalutation spans two columns: Projects


Formative(ongoing)

Summative(final)


Observations

Journals/logs Assignments


Interviews

Journals/logs

This type of testing/evalutation spans two columns: Portfolios


Formative(ongoing)

Summative(final)


Observations

Journals/logs Assignments Projects

Projects


Interviews

Journals/logs

This type of testing/evalutation spans two columns: Discussions


Formative(ongoing)

Summative(final)


Observations Portfolios


Projects


Interviews Portfolios

Journals/logs

This type of testing/evalutation spans two columns: Standardized tests


Formative(ongoing)

Summative(final)


Observations Discussions Portfolios


Discussions Projects



Journals/logs

This type of testing/evalutation spans two columns: Standardized tests


Formative(ongoing)

Summative(final)


Observations Discussions Portfolios


Discussions Projects Standardized tests



Journals/logs

Standardized tests

EFL teachers

• Should EFL teachers know about linguistics? Why? Why not?

• If you were to take a multiple choice test with ten questions about basic linguistic terminology, how many do you think you’d get right?

• Write your prediction down.

Basic Linguistic Terminology

• You will see ten multiple choice questions.• You will have 30 seconds to choose an

answer.• Write your answers on a piece of paper.

From: http://www.funtrivia.com/playquiz/quiz691417ecee0.html

How did you feel?

You and tests

Tests that left you feeling• Positive• Self-confident• Motivated

Why?

Tests that made you feel• Degraded• Anxious • De-motivated

Why?

How did you do?1. Apocope2. Alphabetism3. Exonym4. Prothesis5. Dissimilation6. Jakob Grimm7. Clinical linguistics8. L1 or First Language9. Folk etymology10. Glossolalia

Three key concepts• T e _ _ _ _ _• A s _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _• T e _ _ _ _ _ _

• Testing• Assessment• Teaching

What is a test?

What makes a test “a test”? 4 – 5 keywords?

A method of …

(Brown, 2004)

What is a test?


A method of measuring a person’s ability, knowledge or performance in a given domain

(Brown, 2004)


A method of measuring a person’s ability, knowledge or performance in a given domain

(Brown, 2004)

What is a test?• Measure – what? How?

– General ability / specific knowledge

– Individual ability and performance

– % | AA | Pass/Fail – must have result

• The person– Appropriate? – Interpretation?– Relevance?

• Performance– Competence (actual use

of language)– Metalanguage (e.g.

grammar); Skills (e.g. infer)

• Domain– General competence

(e.g. proficiency)– Specific criteria (e.g.

vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar)

What makes a good test?

A well-constructed test is….

• “A well-constructed test is an instrument that provides an accurate measure of a test taker's ability within a particular domain.”

Brown, 2003

Assessment

• Is assessment synonymous with testing?

Which is which?

Assessment• ongoing process• Generally encompasses a

wide domain• subconscious impression• Incidental judgment• implicit evaluation

Testing• administrative procedure• specific times• curriculum referenced• peak performance• measured and evaluated

Where is the line…

• …between assessment and testing?• …between assessment and teaching?

Which best describes the relationship?

TestsAssessment

Teaching

Tests

Assessment

Teaching

Tests

Assessment

Teaching

The four winds of assessment

Formative

Informal Summative

Formal

Tests

What characteristics do these have?Informal Formal Formative Summative

Nice job!

WW – Gr - Sp

Watch out! /id/ not /it/

Progress test

Proficiency test

Student journal

Testing terminology

• Norm referenced

• Criterion referenced

Norm-referenced terminology• standardized tests• Scholastic Achievement Test• rank order• standard deviatıon• percentile rank• mean (average score)• median (middle score)• large-scale testing• pre-determined responses

Criterion referenced terminology

• feedback• learning objectives• classroom-based• curriculum• instructional value

Testing Philosophy (Order according to history)

• Communicative Language teaching

• Humanism• Learner centered• Behaviourism

Instruments (Match to philosophy)a. Integrative testing/whole

language (cloze/dictation)b. Performance based

(portfolio, collaborative, interactive)

c. Discrete-point testing (decontextualized – language broken in parts)

d. Language competence (authentic tasks)

Testing Philosophy (Order according to history)

1. Behaviourism2. Humanism3. Communicative Language

teaching4. Learner centered

Instruments (Match to philosophy)1. Discrete-point testing

(decontextualized – language broken in parts)

2. Integrative testing/whole language (cloze/dictation)

3. Language competence (authentic tasks)

4. Performance based (portfolio, collaborative, interactive)

• MOODLE – key=###xxx– Reading and discussion, Brown, 2004, Chapter 1,

pp. 1-11.

• Facebook group – METU EFL413– Links to download course materials

• TWITTER – join @neufelds/efl413

Documents

EnglanguageTestingNEvaluation.ppt