English Language Testing and
Evaluation
EFL413
Why test?
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Diagnose students strengths and needs
Provide feedback on student learning
Provide a basis for instructional placement
Inform and guide instruction
Communicate learning expectations
Motivate and focus students’ attention and
effort
• Provide practice applying knowledge and skills
This type of testing/evalutation spans two columns:
Observations
Pre-assessment
(diagnostic)
Pretests
Formative
(ongoing)
Quizzes
Assignments
Questionnaires
Interviews
Summative
(final)
Teacher-made test
This type of testing/evalutation spans two columns:
Journals/logs
Pre-assessment
(diagnostic)
Pretests
Formative
(ongoing)
Quizzes
Observations
Assignments
Questionnaires
Interviews
Observations
Summative
(final)
Teacher-made test
This type of testing/evalutation spans two columns:
Projects
Pre-assessment
(diagnostic)
Pretests
Formative
(ongoing)
Quizzes
Observations
Journals/logs
Assignments
Questionnaires
Observations
Interviews
Journals/logs
Summative
(final)
Teacher-made test
This type of testing/evalutation spans two columns:
Portfolios
Pre-assessment
(diagnostic)
Pretests
Formative
(ongoing)
Summative
(final)
Quizzes
Teacher-made test
Assignments
Projects
Observations
Journals/logs
Projects
Questionnaires
Observations
Interviews
Journals/logs
This type of testing/evalutation spans two columns:
Discussions
Pre-assessment
(diagnostic)
Pretests
Formative
(ongoing)
Quizzes
Observations
Journals/logs
Summative
(final)
Teacher-made test
Portfolios
Assignments
Projects
Questionnaires
Observations
Interviews
Portfolios
Journals/logs
Projects
This type of testing/evalutation spans two columns:
Standardized tests
Pre-assessment
(diagnostic)
Formative
(ongoing)
Summative
(final)
Pretests
Quizzes
Teacher-made test
Observations
Discussions
Portfolios
Journals/logs
Assignments
Projects
Discussions
Projects
Questionnaires
Observations
Interviews
Portfolios
Journals/logs
This type of testing/evalutation spans two columns:
Standardized tests
Pre-assessment
(diagnostic)
Formative
(ongoing)
Summative
(final)
Pretests
Quizzes
Teacher-made test
Observations
Discussions
Portfolios
Journals/logs
Assignments
Projects
Discussions
Projects
Standardized tests
Questionnaires
Observations
Interviews
Portfolios
Journals/logs
Standardized tests
EFL teachers
• Should EFL teachers know about linguistics?
Why? Why not?
• If you were to take a multiple choice test with
ten questions about basic linguistic
terminology, how many do you think you’d get
right?
• Write your prediction down.
Basic Linguistic Terminology
• You will see ten multiple choice questions.
• You will have 30 seconds to choose an answer.
• Write your answers on a piece of paper.
From: http://www.funtrivia.com/playquiz/quiz691417ecee0.html
How did you feel?
You and tests
Tests that left you feeling
• Positive
• Self-confident
• Motivated
Why?
Tests that made you feel
• Degraded
• Anxious
• De-motivated
Why?
How did you do?
1. Apocope
2. Alphabetism
3. Exonym
4. Prothesis
5. Dissimilation
6. Jakob Grimm
7. Clinical linguistics
8. L1 or First Language
9. Folk etymology
10. Glossolalia
Three key concepts
• Te_____
• As________
• Te______
• Testing
• Assessment
• Teaching
What is a test?
What makes a test “a test”? 4 – 5 keywords?
A method of …
(Brown, 2004)
What is a test?
What makes a test “a test”? 4 – 5 keywords?
A method of measuring a person’s ability,
knowledge or performance in a given domain
(Brown, 2004)
What is a test?
• Measure – what? How?
– General ability / specific
knowledge
– Individual ability and
performance
– % | AA | Pass/Fail – must
have result
• The person
– Appropriate?
– Interpretation?
– Relevance?
• Performance
– Competence (actual use
of language)
– Metalanguage (e.g.
grammar); Skills (e.g.
infer)
• Domain
– General competence
(e.g. proficiency)
– Specific criteria (e.g.
vocabulary,
pronunciation, grammar)
What makes a good test?
A well-constructed
test is….
• “A well-constructed test is an instrument that
provides an accurate measure of a test taker's
ability within a particular domain.”
Brown, 2003
Assessment
• Is assessment synonymous with testing?
Which is which?
Assessment
• ongoing process
• Generally encompasses a
wide domain
• subconscious impression
• Incidental judgment
• implicit evaluation
Testing
• administrative procedure
• specific times
• curriculum referenced
• peak performance
• measured and evaluated
Where is the line…
• …between assessment and testing?
• …between assessment and teaching?
Which best describes the relationship?
Tests
Assessment
Teaching
Assessment
Tests
Teaching
Tests
Assessment
Teaching
The four winds of assessment
Formative
Formal
Tests
Informal
Summative
What characteristics do these have?
Informal
Nice job!
WW – Gr - Sp
Watch out! /id/ not /it/
Progress test
Proficiency test
Student journal
Formal
Formative
Summative
Testing terminology
• Norm referenced
• Criterion referenced
Norm-referenced terminology
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standardized tests
Scholastic Achievement Test
rank order
standard deviatıon
percentile rank
mean (average score)
median (middle score)
large-scale testing
pre-determined responses
Criterion referenced terminology
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feedback
learning objectives
classroom-based
curriculum
instructional value
Testing
Philosophy (Order according to
history)
Instruments (Match to
philosophy)
• Communicative Language
teaching
• Humanism
• Learner centered
• Behaviourism
a. Integrative testing/whole
language (cloze/dictation)
b. Performance based
(portfolio, collaborative,
interactive)
c. Discrete-point testing
(decontextualized –
language broken in parts)
d. Language competence
(authentic tasks)
Testing
Philosophy (Order according to
history)
Instruments (Match to
philosophy)
1. Behaviourism
2. Humanism
3. Communicative Language
teaching
4. Learner centered
1. Discrete-point testing
(decontextualized –
language broken in parts)
2. Integrative testing/whole
language (cloze/dictation)
3. Language competence
(authentic tasks)
4. Performance based
(portfolio, collaborative,
interactive)
• MOODLE – key=###xxx
– Reading and discussion, Brown, 2004, Chapter 1,
pp. 1-11.
• Facebook group – METU EFL413
– Links to download course materials
• TWITTER – join @neufelds/efl413