Methodology-E.11- Intensive Program

Testing

Presented by Lê Kim Tường
TESTING & ASSESSMENT
Questions for discussion
1.State what you know about innovation/change in testing and assessment.
2.List some test types you usually give your 11-grade students.
3.Suggest what should be done to make fair tests.
Follow-up activity
In groups, choose one point to be tested (either language skills or vocabulary or grammar or pronunciation). Design a 45-minute test with key answers.

Innovation/Change in Testing
In traditional language teaching, formal and informal tests are given to students by their teachers.
Nowadays, based on student-centered approach, language testing includes tests, continuous/continual assessments.
- Formal tests are given to students at the end of a semester/ school year, marked, and assessed by teachers.
- Continuous/continual assessments are informal tests given regularly to students during the course. They are assessed by teachers( teacher assessment), or classmates (peer assessment), or the student himself/ herself (self-assessment).



Note to the teacher

PEER OBSERVATION & EVALUATION ( for advanced discussion skills only)
According to Green (2002:225), peer evaluation may be carried out in one, two, or all of three main ways:
Observer ring. While a group conducts its discussion, the observer-evaluators sit with the discussion group and monitor the proceedings. Observers need to complete observation and evaluation sheet.
Shadowing. Shadowing provides for intensive one to one evaluation. A specified member of the partner group sits next to or behind a discussion group participant. At a prearranged point in the discussion, the shadow may substitute for the participant and adopt his/her line of argument
Using video and audio recorders. The recording of each group should be made away from the classroom in a quiet space to obtain excellent results.

Testing and Assessment
“…Testing is one kind of assessment. One which is typically used at the end of a stage of instruction to measure student achievement. Assessment is a broader concept: it is part of the whole educational process of teaching and learning…”
“…Whilst tests can be used as a ‘bolt-on’ procedure at end-points in a learning program, assessment is integral to the whole process of teaching and learning…”
Assessment is undertaken and for different purposes. The first purpose is pedagogically motivated, i.e. formative assessment. The second one is to measure learner achievement, i.e. summative assessment.
Source: Hedge, T. (2000). Teaching and Learning in the Language Classroom, OUP .(pp 336-337)
Formative versus Summative Assessment
Source: Hedge, T. (2000). Teaching and Learning in the Language Classroom, OUP .(pp 336-337)


Formative assessment
is prepared and carried out by the class teacher as a routine part of teaching and learning.
is specifically related to what has been taught, i.e. content is in harmony with what has been taught.
the information from the assessment is used diagnostically; it focuses on the individual learner’s specific strengths and weaknesses, needs, etc.
Summative assessment
is not necessarily prepared and carried out by the class teacher.
does not necessarily relate immediately to what has been taught.
the judgement about a learner’s performance is likely to feed into record-keeping and be used for administrative purposes, e.g. checking standards and targets.
is frequently externally imposed, e.g. by institution or a ministry of education.

Some test types

Teachers might use a variety of test types which will depend on
The level of students
The skills they want to test
The language points they want to test
A. Listening tests
1. Multiple choice
2. True-False
3. Open-ended questions
4. Grid-filling
5. Gap-filling (cloze)

Some test types (cont.)
B. Reading tests
1. Multiple choice
2. True-False
3. Open-ended questions
4. Grid-filling
5. Gap-filling

C. Speaking tests
1. Prompts/Picture prompts
2. Asking and answering questions
3. A set of topics

Some test types (cont.)
D. Writing tests
Guided writing tests:
- Gap-filling
- Re-ordering words/sentences
- Summary writing based on texts
Free writing tests:
- Sentence writing
- Paragraph writing
- Essay writing



Some suggestions for making fair tests
Ask enough questions to test accurately.
A test will be less reliable if it has too few questions. With more questions, one question will not cause too much a problem.
Write clear instructions/directions for the test and use examples.
Clear instructions will help students understand the questions, know how to answer, and answer the questions accurately.



Some suggestions…
Test what has been taught in class.
A test based on what has not been taught in class would not be a reliable test.
Write clear test items.
Compare the following:
Item 1: Directions: Choose the best response.
Today it is rather cloudy.
A. It will probably rain.
B. Yesterday the weather was nice.
C. Yes, I think so, too.

Some suggestions…
Item 2: Directions: Choose the letter for the answer which means the same as the statement.
Today it is rather cloudy.
A. The clouds are dark.
B. It is not too sunny today.
C. It might snow tomorrow.

Which item is clear?
Item 2 is clear; Item 1 is unclear.
Some suggestions…
When writing multiple choice questions, use realistic distractors.
Distractors are wrong answers. A test will not be reliable if impossible distractors are used.
Consider the following question:
What color is the sun?
A. Yellow ( This is intended correct answer)
B. Orange ( too close to the correct answer)
C. Soft (not a color & too far from the correct answer)
D. Yes (It is a bad distractor because this is an answer to a yes/no question)
A better set of answers to test knowledge of colors would simply be a list of colors:
A. blue B. green C. yellow D. black
Some suggestions…
Score tests consistently with a key.
When scoring, use a key that will help teachers grade objectively. The key should have examples of correct answers ( though other correct answers should be accepted) and the appropriate points/marks as well.

Avoid traps for students
A good test should never be constructed in such a way as to trap the students (testees) into giving an incorrect answer. All tests should be constructed primarily with the intention of finding out what a student knows _ not with trapping him.