Language Assessment for TESOL

DEPARTMENT OF CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION

CI 588

KINGDOM O SAUDI ARABIA

KING SAUD UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

Supervised By:D. Hind Al-Fadda

Presented by:Fatimah Al-Kathiri

Know Want Learn

Individual Activity (5 min)

Common Test Techniques

PART (I)

Selected – Response

Items

MULTIPLE CHOICE ITEMS

Guidelines for Teachers

The stem presents a clearly stated problem Stems are stated positively wherever

possible Important words are emphasized The stem doesn’t provide grammatical

clues to the answer (e.g., in the use of “a/an” or singular/plural words)

Only officially recognized abbreviations are used

Guidelines for Teachers

Repetition in all the alternatives is avoided Similar wording in stem and alternative is

avoided All the alternatives are parallel in form “All of the above” and “None of the above”

are avoided Alternatives are all about the same length Absolute words such as “never” and

“always” are avoided

Guidelines for Teachers

The answer is the only correct one, or clearly the best

The answer is not obvious because of another question

Avoid pattern of responses All distracters are believable The response choices should not be less

than four Alternatives are listed vertically if possible

TRUE-FALSE ITEMS

Guidelines for Teachers

Statements must be clearly true or false Statements should not be lifted directly

from the text Specific determiners should be avoided Statements must be concise, specific and

direct, not implied Ensure that each statement tests only one

idea

Guidelines for Teachers

Statements are in positive rather than negative terms

Avoid pattern of responses Use approximately the same number of

true and false statements Avoid controversial issues Try to make the lengths of statements

about equal

MATCHING ITEMS

Guidelines for Teachers

Use clear directions Premises and responses are on one page There are more responses than premises Items should contain similar content Avoid clues to the correct response The responses consist of words or short

phrases ,at most The optimum length for matching items is

between five and eight premises per item

1- Give (3) advantages of selected-response items?………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

2- Give (3) disadvantages of selected-response items?………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Group Activity (5 min)

ADVANTAGESThey can sample the domain of content extensivelyThey do not require the test taker to produce languageThey can be reliably and rapidly scoredThey are suitable for testing a large number of candidates

DISADVANTAGESThey tend to measure recognition knowledgeThe impact of guessingCheating may be facilitatedThey are not easy to deviseThey do not measure the pupils’ ability to organize and express thoughts

PART (2)

Constructed-Response Items

Constructed-Response Items

These items require test takers to supply their own responses rather than select them. Such items can be put into two categories:

Restricted-Response Items

Extended-Response Items

Restricted-Response Items

They require test takers to write a word, a phrase or a sentence. They take one of three forms:

Short-Answer Items

The test taker has to provide a short answer e.g.What does it refer to? How old was Amal when she started the job?Why did she enjoy travelling abroad?

Guidelines for Teachers

Use a clear statement or question

Avoid grammatical clues

Give directions that refer clearly to a

graphic if one is used

Ensure that writing spaces are long enough

for the correct answer

Gap - Filling Items

The test taker has to fill a gap with a word e.g.I like to study English abroad because ................ and ………………

Guidelines for Teachers Omit only important words for blanks

Place blanks toward the end of the

statement

Ensure that each blank calls for a single

idea

Ensure that blank lines are the same length

Extended-Response Items

The test taker is required to write a paragraph or more. The organization is the quality of the answer. Directions should be specific. Introductory sentences, guide words or information tables and maps can used for advanced learners. As for beginners, she can use questions with brief answers or picture cues to be more practical.

Composition Items

Guidelines for Teachers Give clear instructions on how to answer the

question Use words that the student can understand Clarify any limits on the required answer (e.g.,

number of pages, word count) Identify the assigned grade value of the question Construct the scoring method before giving the

test Ensure that students understand how their

answers will be scored

1- Give (3) advantages of constructed-response items?………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

2- Give (3) disadvantages of constructed-response items?………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Group Activity (5 min)

ADVANTAGES

Items are easier to construct. Guessing will be reduced.No need to construct distracters.Cheating is likely to be difficult.

DISADVANTAGES

The test taker has to produce language.Scoring may be invalid or unreliable.Scoring may take longer time.

COMMON TESTING MISTAKES

Tests which are too easy or too difficult. They reduce the capacity of the test to discriminate among the students in their abilities. They produce an unreliable evaluation.An insufficient number of items. Too short tests are inadequate means of measurement.Redundancy of test types. Repeated items are inefficient. They carry too much extra baggage.

COMMON TESTING MISTAKES

Lack of confidence measures. Tests which are designed for certain situations and pupils may not be suitable for others.Negative wash back through non–occurant forms. By using incorrect structures of the language it is possible to teach errors to pupils.Divergence cues. It is important not to provide cues to the correct option. Some students may answer the questions without knowledge of the content.

COMMON TESTING MISTAKES

Content matching. Mere matching of a word or a phrase in a test item with the exact counterpart in a comprehension passage doesn’t necessarily entail comprehension. Lack of cheating controls. When students obtain higher scores through cheating, tests are neither reliable nor valid.

COMMON TESTING MISTAKES

Inadequate instructions. Instructions must be clear both to the students and to any administrators using the test. Lack of piloting. It is important to try out the test on a restricted sample before it is put into general use.

COMMON TESTING MISTAKES

ANALYZING TEST SAMPLES

If people did not do silly things, nothing intelligent would ever get

done. Ludwig Wittgenstein

References- Hughes, Arthur. Testing For Language Teachers.

Cambridge University Press, 2003.

-http://www.ontest.com/testing_techniques.html

https://helpdesk.bcit.ca/fsr/teach/teaching/ja_developtests.pdf

http://depts.washington.edu/cidrweb/resources/exams.html#multichoice

- Jones, Sonia, Tanner, Howard. Assessment: A Practical Guide for Secondary Teachers. Viva Continuum Edition, 2008.