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MPDP 2010Session 2: FORMAL ASSESSMENT -
TESTING
Testing
• Testing is a form of assessment, where test or exam conditions are established.
• Useful to assess linguistic factors.
Types of Tests / Reasons for Testing
• Placement tests: to ascertain level.• Diagnostic test: to identify particular needs.• Progress test: to monitor the learning process,
periodic tests (formative).• Achievement test: to monitor the learning
process, at the end of the course (summative).• Proficiency: to evaluate student overall
performance.
Criteria to judge a Test
• Validity: a test is valid when it is perfectly clear what is to be assessed and the test assesses that and not something else.
• Reliability: a test is reliable if it gives consistent results. under the same conditions and with the same performance by students, the assessment produces the same or similar results.
Criteria to judge a Test
• Practicability: a test must not be too time-consuming (in class or in preparation); must be practical in terms of physical resources (such as tape-recorders, photocopying, etc.).
• Accountability: we should be able to provide learners, parents and authorities with clear indications of what progress has been made, and if not, why that is so; to explain the rationale behind the assessment.
So what makes a good test?
• That it assess exactly what is intended.
• That it gives consistent results.• That it is practical.• That it allows the indication of
progress.• That it reflects teaching:
communicative.
Writing a good Test
• Think about tests of English you have taken in the past. Which do you think were the best or worse and why?
• Activity based on language testing.
• Read the memo.• Examples of comprehension checking questions.• Think of one question for the oral test and write it on
the worksheet.• Find a partner. Exchange questions. Add two more
questions.• Exchange questions with other pairs of students until
you have a total of 10.
The Test
Communicative Testing
• We teach “communicatively” but we test “traditionally”.
• What IS communicative testing?
• Communicative testing means testing in context.
What´s the difference?Circle the correct answer
1. Do you like __________? a. swimming b. to swum c. swim
2. Where ________ live? a. does she b. she does c. she
3. I _________ speak French. a. no speak b. doesn’t c. don’t
4. What __________? a. does he do b. does he c. he does do
Write the correct forms of the words in parentheses.
Alice: Where (1)______ you _________ (live)?
Bart: Acapulco.Alice: My brother (2)___________ (go)
there every summer on vacation, but he (3)_________(not speak) Spanish.
Bart: Acapulco (4)_________ (attract) tourists from all over the world. Many people there
(5)___________(speak) English very well. What about you,
(6)______ you ________(speak) Spanish?
• Alice: A little.
Traditional VS Communicative Testing
TRADITIONAL
• Memorization of grammar rules
• Recognition of correct answer
• Limited language knowledge
COMMUNICATIVE
• Ability to use rules in a realistic context
• Ability to produce accurate language
• Ability to improvise language to communicate ideas clearly.
Writing a good Test
Content Validity• Assessment should be based on a content analysis of
the text being used.• You must test only material students have seen.• The only common denominator is the textbook.• Analysis of percent of time spent on each topic
(grammar structure, vocabulary item, function, etc.).
Content AnalysisFunctions (10 points):Talking about imitation products Talking about food and food festivalsDiscussing the movie industry Making a business plan
Grammar (5 points):Nouns in groupsIndefinite Pronouns
Vocabulary (10 points):Food Business language
///// //////// ////////// /////////
////////
////////
8109532
35
8
53
8
8 / 32 =__%
25%31%28%16%
25% X 10 = ___pts
2.5 pts3 pts3 pts1.5 pts
37% 2 pts 63% 3 pts
63% 6 pts 37% 4
pts
Final Content Analysis(P1) 1st Parcial (I: 1, 2 , 3, 4)Grammar BE: all persons, IWQ, Y/N, short ans,, contractions 3 points
Subject and object pronouns, possessive adjectives 2 points Simple present 4 points
Demonstratives, one/ones, which 3 points 15 pts How much 1 point
Comparative 1 point What kind? 1 point
Functions Introducing self/ someone; Ask about someone: name,place of origin, exchange personal info, spelling)
5 points
Describing work/school; asking for and giving opinionabout jobs
2 points
Talking about daily schedule 1 points Talking about and giving opinion about prices 2 points
Talking about preferences, comparing, buying andselling
3 points 20 pts
Talking about likes and dislikes 2 points Giving opinions 2 points
Making invitations; accepting/rejecting; giving excuses 1 pointVocabulary Names and titles 1 point
Time (expressions 1 point Jobs and workplaces 2 points 5 pts
Collocations and materials 1 pointReading True/false, comprehension questions , ads and pic-
tures, charts, choose the title5 points 5 pts
Listening Charts 5 points 5 pts
Some DONT´S in Testing
• DON´T #1Never take exercise sections from
textbooks and use them to test. The purposes behind textbook exercises and examinations are the same as those between “in class practice” and “during exam” activities. The exam sections have different purposes and, therefore, different structures.
Practice vs TestingIn class practice During exam
Goals
Content
Learner activity
Teacher activity
Class-room climate
learning feedback on learning
process oriented product orientedopen ended close ended
ss know material students might not knowsuccess-oriented success/failure orientedpeer teaching no peer teaching
helps performance gives tasks
cooperative competitiverelaxed tenseintrinsic motivation extrinsic motivation
Ideally, an exam will balance...
• Accuracy and fluency• Production and recognition• Objective and subjective sections
Fluency and Accuracy
Fluency• The ability to produce written and / or spoken
language with ease• Communicate ideas effectively• The ability to use vocabulary chunks (phrases) to
facilitate communication
Accuracy• Ability to produce grammatically correct sentences
Production and Recognition
• ProductionStudent writes more than one wordCan be creative / involves more “mental” workMore than one answer may be possible
• RecognitionStudent recognizes correct answerNot creativeOnly one correct answer
Objective and Subjective Sections
• SubjectiveThere is more than one possible answerCorrector must be trained and experiencedThere can be surprisesStudents can protest grading• ObjectiveThere is only one answerAnyone can correct the examNo surprisesNo argument from students
Writing Test Items
Multiple choice items
1) What are the primary colors?
a) black and whiteb) purple, green, and orangec) red, yellow, and blued) khaki and olive
stem
answer and distractors
Writing Test Items
Multiple choice items
• 1) The primary colors are _______________ .
a) black and whiteb) purple, green, and orangec) red, yellow, and blued) khaki and olive
Writing Test Items
Multiple choice items • Scoring is reliable; good for listening tests.• The technique tests only recognition knowledge.• Guessing may have a considerable but unknowable
effect on the test scores.• The technique severely restricts what can be tested.
It is very difficult to write successful items. • Cheating may be facilitated.
Writing Test Items
Multiple choice items • How can you improve the following test
items?
Writing a good Test
YES/NO and TRUE/FALSE items• Advantages: good to test large amounts of content.
• Disadvantages: too easy!
• What should we ideally use them for?
Writing a good Test
Gap Filling items• It has the advantages of short answers but it does not call for
significant productive skills • Good way of reinforcing new grammar and vocabulary, but ...
A: What will he do ?B: I think he _______________resign.
A: I wonder who that is .B: It ____________be the doctor A: How can you be so certain.
• Can you think of and name some other types of test items?
• Advantages and disadvantages?
Cloze passages / completionOrderingFinding mistake
Test Items
What should have more value?
• Give more points to…Production items• Give fewer points to…Recognition items• Give partial credit in…Fluency / Production sections• Use fractions only if your teachers are
mathematical
Partial Credit?
Correct answer: What’s your name?Student writes: What you name?
Correct answer: If you invited me, I’d go.Student writes: If you invite me, I go.
Correct answer: I went to the movies yesterday.Student writes: I go to the movies yesterday.
I go to the movies.
Writing a good Test
You and only you can decide what a good test is, based on what it is that you want to evaluate and your knowledge of your students´ process.
Knowing the theory will certainly help!
Define “testing”.
How many types of tests do you know?
List them and define them.
Define “test validity”.
Define “test reliability”.
Define “test practicability”.
Define “test accountability”.
