1. Chap. 3 Designing Classroom Language Tests
Language Assessment
Chap. 3 Designing Classroom Language
Tests

2. Designing Classroom Language Tests
Critical questions:
(1) the purpose
(2) the objectives
(3) the test specifications
(4) five principles
(5) scoring and feedback

3. Test Types Language Aptitude Tests
A LAT measures capacity or general ability to learn a foreign language and ultimate success in that undertaking.
Two English language tests: MLAT & PLAB
Proficiency Tests
A PT tests overall ability.

4. Proficiency Tests
PT are almost always summative and norm-referenced and do not provide diagnostic feedback.
TOEFL consists of sections on LC, structure, RC, and WE (to include OP in 2005).

5. Placement Tests
The test items shouldn’t be too easy or too difficulty but appropriately challenging.
Placement tests come in many varieties, depending on the nature of a program and its needs.
Varieties are such as comprehension and production, written and oral performance, open-ended and limited responses, multiple-choice and gap-filling formats.

6. Placement Tests
The objective of a placement test is to correctly place a student into a course or level.
Other benefits include face validity, diagnostic information on students’ performance, and authenticity.
Example: a summer program in English conversation and writing at San Francisco S. U.

7. Diagnostic Tests
A diagnostic test is designed to diagnose specified aspects of a language. (p. 47)
Usually, such tests offer a checklist of features for the teacher to use in pinpointing difficulties.
A placement test may also serve diagnostic purposes.
Difference between placement/achievement tests

8. Diagnostic Tests
Achievement tests analyze the extent to which students have acquired language features and have already been taught.
Diagnostic tests should elicit information on what students need to work on in the future. They can help a student become aware of errors and adopt appropriate compensatory strategies.

9. Achievement Tests
An AT is related directly to classroom lessons, units, or even a total curriculum.
The primary purpose of an AT is to determine whether course objectives have been met—and appropriate knowledge and skills acquired—by the end of a period of instruction. (p.48)

10. Test Construction
The first task in designing a test is to determine appropriate objectives.
Example: “Students will learn tag questions” (not testable)=> written/oral, understand/produce
Selected objectives are on page 50.
Test specifications for classroom use comprise (a) a broad outline of the test (b) what skills you will test (c) what the items will look like.

11. Test Construction Example: a 30 minute test, including 4 skills.(a, b)
Item types and tasks: (p. 51, 52)
Elicitation mode
Oral
Written
Response mode
Oral Written

12. Devising Test Tasks Important questions:
(1) clear directions (2) example item (3) specified objective (4) clear and simple language (5) appropriate distractors (6) the difficulty of each item (7) authentic language (8) learning objectives

13. Multiple-Choice Test Items
Weaknesses of multiple-choice items:
(1) only recognition knowledge
(2) guessing
(3) restricting what can be tested
(4) uneasy to write successful items
(5) harmful washback
(6) cheating

14. Multiple-Choice Test Items
Advantages in support of M-C test items
(1) conform to practicality and reliability
(2) offer an easy and consistent process of
scoring and grading
(3) Save time and have predetermined
correct responses

15. Multiple-Choice Test Items
Four guidelines:
1. Design each item to measure a specific
objective.
2. State both stem and options as simply and
directly as possible.
3. Make certain that the intended answer is
clearly the only correct one.
4. Use item indices to accept, discard, or revise items.

16. Three Item Indices Three item indices: Item facility (item difficulty)
Item discrimination
Distractor efficiency
Scoring, grading, and giving feedback
Example: In an integrated-skills test, oral interview is 40%; reading, listening, and writing are 20% each. (assign more weight on speaking)

17. Grading & Giving Feedback
A: points
B: points
C: points
Giving feedback (beneficial)
Letter grade/total score=> no feedback (p. 63)
Washback is achieved when students can identify their areas of success and challenge.