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TSL 3112 – LANGUAGE

ASSESSMENTWEEK 1 – TOPIC 1

OVERVIEW OF ASSESSMENT:

CONTEXT, ISSUES AND TRENDS

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TERMINOLOGYAssessment: The process of gathering information to

make informed decisions.Test: An instrument or systematic procedure for

measuring a sample of behaviors by posing a set of questions in a uniform manner.

Measurement: Process of obtaining a numerical description of the degree to which an individual possesses a particular characteristic.

Evaluation : refers to the process of making judgments, assigning value, or deciding worth.

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ASSESSMENTIn educational practice assessment:

refers to the full range of information gathered and synthesized by teachers about their students and their classrooms.

is a continuous process and is tied to instruction.

can be gathered through-• informal means such as through observation and verbal exchange.

• formal means such as homework, tests and written reports,

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ASSESSMENTAll situation included over timeAn on-going processIncludes multiple samples of behavior, not just

one single judgment or test

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TESTS Test: An instrument or activity used to

accumulate data on a person’s ability to perform a specified task.

A subset of assessment (a genre of assessment technique)

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ASSESSMENT VS. TESTINGTesting is assessment, assessment is not testingAssessment should be ongoing

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CONTENTSWhy tests?Problems of many testsQuality of a good testHistory of different approachesComparison: measurement, test,

evaluation, and assessmentRelationship between measurement

, test, evaluation, and assessmentHomework

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WHY TESTS?Achievement of learnersSelection among competitionsComparison for levels/rankingExamination/Evaluation on teaching methodsBetterment of testsPressure on professionals

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OTHER USES OF TESTSMotivationAchievementImprovementDiagnosisPrescriptionGradingClassificationPrediction

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PROBLEMS OF MANY TESTSPoor ReliabilityPoor ValidityNot PracticalNegative Backwash

• Backwash: the effect of testing on teaching and learning

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QUALITY OF A GOOD TESTA Good Test should …

be validbe reliablebe practicalhave beneficial backwash

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QUALITY OF A GOOD TESTA test is said to be :

reliable when it produces dependable results consistently.

valid when it measures what it claims to measure.

fair if it offers all students the same chance to doing well and if it does not discriminate against a particular group of students because of race, ethnicity, or gender.

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HISTORY OF DIFFERENT APPROACHES

1. The Essay Translation Approach

2. The Structuralist Approach

3. Integrative Approach

4. Communicative Approach

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THE ESSAY TRANSLATION APPROACHAlso called Grammar-translation ApproachBefore 1950sPre-scientific: required no special expertise in

testing; based on T’s intuition & experienceSubjectiveTesting = ArtAnyone can make a test.Not reliable

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THE STRUCTURALIST APPROACHAlso called Psychometric Structuralist ApproachEarly 1950s - late1960sDecontextualized, discrete-point testsTries to include more samples of the test taker’s

ability at the same timeTesting = Science (objective & reliable)Test one single area at a timeEmphasis: form & structureStandard Format—Multiple-Choice

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INTEGRATIVE APPROACH1970s – early 1980sUnder the influence of psycholinguistics and

sociolinguisticsTesting of language in contextMay test more than one skill at a time (e.g., cloze)Emphasis: meaning

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COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH1980s – NOWEmphasis: language use—how people use

language for different purposesUses authentic materials from the real lifeHas to use language both accurately and

appropriately

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Measurement and Evaluation

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MEASUREMENT Quantifies the characteristics (both physical and

mental) of personsExamples: height, motivation, aptitude

Involves both tests and non-tests

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MEASUREMENTA measurement takes place when a “test” is given

and a “score” is obtained . If the test collects quantitative data, the score is a

number.If the test collects qualitative data, the score may be

a phrase or word such as “excellent.”

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EXAMPLE: TESTReading/writing testsA procedure designed to get specific samples of a

person’s abilityA measurement instrument

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EVALUATIONEvaluations are either formative or

summative.It can be:Quantitative

Numbers involved; e.g., scores orQualitative

Analyze data; e.g., letters of referenceSystematic gathering of information for

decision makingDetermination of adequacy

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Assessment

Evaluation

Measurement

(test)

Measurement (non-test)

SUMMARY

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HOMEWORKRead Chapter OneRead Handout One:Brown, J. D. Testing in Language

Programs. NJ: Prentice Hall Regents, 1996. (pp. 2-15)