Evaluation is the most important component of any curriculum model. It is the process by which we measure the achievement of learners in a particular subject. It is carried out in terms of its objectives.
In other words it helps us to find out if the determined objectives of curriculum are being achieved or not; if achieved to what extent, and if not, why?

A. Assessment of the feasibility of objectives.
B. Assessment of the suitability of contents
(textbooks).
C. Assessment of the teaching techniques and quality of teaching (teacher’s performance).
D. Assessment of the quality of learning
(pupils’ performance).
E. Assessment of the materials used in teaching and learning process.

As regards evaluation of curriculum itself the curriculum experts and educators use the following research techniques.
A. Surveys.
B. Questionnaires to be administered to school teachers, administrators, supervisors, parents, learners etc.
C. Interviews of the school personnel and parents.
D. Micro teaching.
E. Observation, discussions etc.

Curriculum evaluation is actually a team work.
It can hardly be carried out single-handedly. It needs a group of specialists and research workers. The findings of evaluation are used in revising, improving and updating the curriculum.
Daily, monthly, yearly, etc.

We have two kinds of evaluation :
1) Summative evaluation.
2) Formative evaluation.
In line with the conception of curriculum as a process, evaluation can come both at the end of the program or during the course of the program. The evaluation that is concerned with what happens at the end of the program is called summative evaluation; while evaluation that looks at how the curriculum is working during the lifespan of a program is called formative evaluation.

A test is defined as a systematic procedure for measuring a sample of behavior. The phrase
"systematic procedure" indicates that a test is constructed, administered and scored according to predetermined rules. It also indicates that test items are chosen to fit the test specification, and the same items are administered to all persons who share the same time limits .

Tests can be both oral and written, subjective and objectives.
Tests may be divided into many types :
First: In terms of what they are intended to measure :
1-Diagnostic Tests
In languages the diagnostic tests are given to diagnose the strength or weakness of the learners in particular areas of language e.g., vocabulary, reading comprehension, pronunciation, spelling, writing techniques etc.

It is also known as placement test because it helps the teachers to place the students in various levels in accordance with their strengths or weaknesses in a specific skill.
Proficiency Tests
Proficiency tests highlight the students’ overall proficiency in a particular skill e.g., reading comprehension or grammar. The proficiency tests measure the students’ overall command in using
English.

Such tests can be used to measure how suitable candidates will be for performing a certain task or following a specific course.
Achievement tests are used in most of the schools to measure the quality of student learning in terms of its objectives. These tests are designed to measure students’ achievement. They measure the students’ mastery of what they should have been taught. These tests are of two types:

These tests are prepared by the subject teachers and they are generally based on the items taken from the textbooks. These tests vary from teacher to teacher and school to school. Since they are not scientifically prepared, they are considered to be invalid and unreliable. They are widely used in schools because they are easy to prepare, simple to administer and grade and they give a satisfactory assessment of students’ learning.

These tests are constructed scientifically by a team of subject teachers, experts of testing and educationists.
Their validity and reliability are checked statistically by various techniques and devices. These tests are not prepared for a particular school or a group of students. They are rather constructed for a large population spread over a region or a country or even several countries. The results obtained through these tests are highly reliable and used for various purposes e.g., job selection, merit determination, measuring scholastic excellence, and future success in careers.

These tests predict probable success or failure in certain areas of language study.
Subjective tests have their own value and importance. In higher levels of language learning the students’ power of expression and their ability to write can best be judged by giving them subjective tests which generally include writing

Paragraphs, essays, stories, letters, applications etc.
Through subjective tests we can assess the students’ ability to summarize paragraphs or expand.
In subjective tests the examinees are generally asked to define, describe, narrate, or discuss a given issue or to compare and contrast certain objects, persons and events.
These tests take the form of writing sentences, paragraphs or essays. The correctness of answers to these tests is, in many cases, subjective to the marker’s opinion. In subjective tests, it usually happens that different scores are given to the answer to the same question.

Objective tests are considered to be more reliable than subjective tests because an objective test has only one correct answer and if the test is scored by more than one examiner it will give the same score.
Similarly other factors like the place, the time , the day, the weather, the mood of examiner cannot influence the scores of the test.
Subjective tests , on the other hand, suffer from various weaknesses. If a subjective test is scored by different examiners, it is very likely to give different scores. It has been found by research that the same subjective test when scored by the same scorer at

different timings and on different days gives different scores.
The objective tests are generally composed of the structured-response type items i.e., the examinees have to pick up the right response from the responses given by the examiner. They are not at liberty to give any response they like.
In other words, the objective tests do not include free-response type questions.
Structuredresponse type questions are as follows:

1. Multiple Choice Items:
These items are given either in the form of a statement or a question followed by generally four responses three of which are wrong and only one is right. The wrong responses are given to distract the attention of the examinee from the right answer and sometime to confuse him.
The wrong responses are therefore called distracters.

In vocabulary tests the words and their meanings are given in two different columns and the students are asked to match them either joining them by arrows or numbers.
3. Cloze tests and Completion of
Incomplete Sentences:
These tests are considered reliable to measure the students’ performance in English and are generally included in the teacher-made tests.

In these items the students are required to tick or cross the correct responses or to write T or F in a given space against the item. This type of test is not considered very reliable because the student can use his guessing ability and can earn a good score without having a sound base in the subject.
This is known as hit and miss test and is generally not included in the standardized achievement tests.

In teacher-made tests it is a very popular item and the teachers test the students ability to put articles, prepositions, conjunctions, verb form, tenses and some other grammatical points in the blanks. However, the teacher must ensure that only one response fits into the blank correctly.

The grading of this test is independent of the person marking the tests because their tests have definite answers, which have no room for subjectivity in grading .
Such tests place the student in a rank order. i.e. it tells the examiner how a student has performed compared with his classmates .

These tests tell the examiner whether the student has achieved the desired objectives or not, regardless of other students standards. Such tests should be used during the school year .

A good test is characterized by the following qualities :
a valid test measures what is ought to be tested.
For example, a test that is designed to measure control of grammar becomes invalid if it contains difficult vocabulary .

A reliable test should provide consistency in measuring the items being evaluated. In other words, if the same test is given twice to the same students, it should produce almost the same results .
A practical test ought to be easy to administer and scored without wasting too much time or effort.

a comprehensive test should cover all the items that have been taught. This test helps the teacher to observe accurately the extent of students' knowledge .
The test is relevant when it measures reasonably the desired objectives .

A discriminative test should distinguish between different levels of students. It should show the individual differences among the students
It is necessary that the questions should be clear so that the students can comprehend exactly what the teacher wants them to do .

A well- balanced test should examine both linguistic and communicative competence.
The language of the test should emphasize the every day interaction .
The question must neither be too hard nor too easy. The questions should progress from easy to difficult so as to reduce stress and tension especially on the part of the weak students .

The objective test
 An objective item has only one correct answer.

If the test is scored by more than one examiner it will give the same score.
 The objective tests are generally composed of the structured-response type items.

The examinees have to pick up the right response from the responses given by the examiner
 Objective tests include structured response type items such as :multiple choice items, matching items, true-false items, fill-inthe-blank items, cloze tests and completion of incomplete sentences.
 Objective tests are more reliable than subjective tests.

Factors like the place, the time, the day, the weather, the mood of examiner cannot influence the scores of the test.
The subjective test
 A subjective item has many correct answers.

If the test is scored by different examiners it is very likely to give different scores.
 The subjective tests are generally composed of free-response type questions.

The examinees are at liberty to give any response they like.
 Subjective tests include writing paragraphs, essays, stories, letters, applications, ect.
 Subjective tests are less reliable than objective tests.

Factors like the place, the time, the day, the weather, the mood of examiner influence the scores of the test.