1. TESTING READING
Büşra Nur Durmaz

2. CONTENTS LIMITED RESPONSE SENTENCE COMPREHENSION Picture Cues
Phrase and Sentence Cues
PASSAGE COMPREHENSION
Context Selection
Techniques for Beginners
True/False
Matching
Techniques for Advanced Students
Standard Multiple Choice
Paraphrase
Synthesis
Inference
Multiple Choice Cloze Test
Alternate Forms of Passage- Comprehension Items

3. WHY TEST READING?

4. LIMITED RESPONSE SAME- DIFFERENT TECHNIQUE sad sat S D red red S D
Advanced odd items All Different All the Same
speak peaks seeks ____________ _________
peace peace peace ___________ _________

5. LIMITED RESPONSE SAME- DIFFERENT TECHNIQUE Key-word and odd option
pleasure: pleasing ✔ pleasure pleasure pleasure
want to go: want to go want to go want to go won’t go ✔

6. LIMITED RESPONSE Easy to construct Simple task for beginners
Not and integrative skill
No actual reading
Overemphasis may reduce
reading speed.

7. TESTING SENTENCE COMPLETION
Why do we need ‘sentence’ completion?

8. SENTENCE COMPREHENSION - Picture Cues
Ask the right picture to be
circled.
E.g. The children are playing
on their new toy.

9. SENTENCE COMPREHENSION - Picture Cues
TRUE/ FALSE QUESTIONS
E.g. The robber cannot see the TV. T F
YES/ NO QUESTIONS
E.g. Is the lady reading the newspaper?
MULTIPLE CHOICE
E.g. The robber is successful because___________.
he doesn’t see the family. B. the family is at home in the living room. C. it is dark outside D. the family doesn’t hear him.

10. SENTENCE COMPLETION- Phrase and Sentence Cues
Beginner, truths or untruths or impossibilities:
E.g . The sun sets in the east T F ✔
People have two legs T ✔ F

11. SENTENCE COMPREHENSION - Phrase and Sentence Cues
Teaching and testing the recognition of signs:
Location Sign
Park A) Fasten seatbelts
Restaurant B) Beware of the dog.
Hotel C) Please do not walk on the grass.
Home D) Dangerous curve
Highway E) Please wait to be seated by Hostess
Airplane F) In case of Fire, Do not Use Elevators.

12. SSENTENCE COMPREHENSION - Phrase and Sentence Cues
You can use signs instead of sentences as well:
Location Sign
Park
Restaurant
Hotel
Home
Highway
Airplane

13. SENTENCE COMPREHENSION Paraphrase
E.g. ‘’Please wait to be seated by the Hostess.’’
Sit near the hostess.
The hostess will show you where to sit. *
There are no seats for you at this time.
With paraphrase you can test the meaning of complex structures:
E.g. ‘’She can come if she wants to.’’
She wants to come.
She will come.
She has permission to come.

14. SENTENCE COMPREHENSION
Do not make the answer rely on the facts that have nothing to do with language skill.
Don’t make the answer rely on the cultural facts, unless you’re testing specific culture.
Make choice simple and clear.

15. POOR EXAMPLE- Why do you think it’s poor?

16. Instruction Preparation
For beginner students, instructions can be in their native tongue.
When a set of pictures is used, you can prepare direcitons like:
‘’ Instructions: First look at the pictures. Then read the sentence. It describes one of the pictures. Draw a circle around that picture. ‘’
For True/ False Questions:
‘’Instuctions: Read these sentences. Some say strange things like ‘’He drank his bicycle.’’ (We ride a bicycle, not drink it. ) Some are false like ‘’ Rain falls up.’’(It falls down, not up.) For these sentences circle F (F means False). For the other (good) sentences, circle T ( T means true).

17. Instruction Preparation
For advanced students:
E.g. ‘’These paraphrases follow each of the following sentences. The paraphrase may refer to just part of the sentence or to the entire sentence. Circle the letter of the best paraphrase.’’

18. Advantages & Disadvantages
Easy to write True/ False items based on the pictures.
Good for testing the skills of beginner students.
Rapid way to test reading comprehension.
Finding appropriate pictures can be hard.
Not all skills are covered in sentence completion.

19. TESTING PASSAGE COMPREHENSION
HOW CAN WE CHOOSE THE CONTEXTS???

20. Context Selection WHAT TO TEST?
It depends on the kind of reading material used with students.
If you have exposed students to a variety of written contexts, you don’t have to restrict your questions to the traditional essay.
Advertisements, business and social letters, driver’s license, loan applications, bank statements, rental and sales agreements can be used

22. Question Techniques for Beginners
True/ False Questions
However; students may guess the right answer.

23. Question Techniques for Beginners
2) Matching Questions

24. Question Techniques for More Advanced Students
Standard Multiple-Choice
Passages could be chosen from the sources mentioned before (course books, advertisements, business and social letters…)
a)Paraphrase
b) Synthesis
c) Inference

25. A sample paraphrase Item

26. Question Techniques for More Advanced Students
Synthesis item.

27. Question Techniques for More Advanced Students
Inference item. It requires students to see implications in what they read. Here is an example;

28. 2. Multiple-Choice Cloze - The correct underlined word is to be circled.

29. Alternate Forms of Passage-Comprehension Items
Typical objections to multiple-choice tests include ;
1- They are passive,
2- They expose students to errors
3- They may indicate that a student who has just guessed on the test is successful.

30. Alternate Forms of Passage-Comprehension Items
Sentence-level items

31. Alternate Forms of Passage-Comprehension Items
2. Editing Tests
Cloze test in reverse. We put words in.
Sample Instruction: ‘’We have added words to this story. They don’t make sense. Cross out any you see.’’

32. Advantages & Disadvantages
Integrative
Objective & easy to score
Evaluate students at every level of reading development
Time consuming to take
Utilizing questions with trivial details
What else?

33. REFERENCES
Brown, H. D., & Abeywickrama, P. (2004). Language assessment. Principles and Classroom Practices. White Plains, NY: Pearson Education.
Madsen, H. S. (1983). Techniques in Testing. Oxford University Press, Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016

34. THANK YOU!