Autonomous University of Baja California

Language School

Bachelor’s Degree in Language Teaching

Presenters: Abigail González Zavala, Enrique Augusto Aragón Ochoa

Teacher: Icela Lopez Gaspar

Topic: Tests Types/Steps

Course: Evaluation Techniques

Mexicali, B.C. March 29, 2019

 Introduction:

There are many types of tests, as well as different ways of making them. Each one of
them is done through a series of steps to get the results that one as a teacher wants.

Whether if it is a proficiency test, a placement test, or a diagnostic test, all of them are
done with a specific purpose, but that doesn’t mean they are perfect, in fact, they have a
lot of drawbacks which come in the form of weaknesses.

Finally, we as teachers need to keep in mind key elements of a practical test, such as:
objectives, grading, scoring, and also, the skills that are going to be tested.

Paloma Abigail González Zavala

Enrique Augusto Aragón Ochoa Brown, H. D., & Abeywickrama, P. (2010). Language assessment: Principles and classroom practices. White Plains, NY: Pearson Education.
 Language
Aptitude Test

It is designed to measure capacity or

general ability to learn a foreign language.

It predicts a person’s success prior to

exposure to the second language.

Paloma Abigail González Zavala

Enrique Augusto Aragón Ochoa Brown, H. D., & Abeywickrama, P. (2010). Language assessment: Principles and classroom practices. White Plains, NY: Pearson Education.
 Number learning: learn a set of numbers
Modern through aural input.
Language
Aptitude Test
(MLAT) Phonetic script: learn the correspondences
between speech sounds and phonetic symbols.

Spelling clues: requires the ability to associate

sounds with symbols.

Words in sentences: recognition, analogy,

and understanding of a far greater range of
syntactic structures.

Paired associates: memorize a set of

vocabulary words from another language and
learn their English meaning.
Paloma Abigail González Zavala
Enrique Augusto Aragón Ochoa Brown, H. D., & Abeywickrama, P. (2010). Language assessment: Principles and classroom practices. White Plains, NY: Pearson Education.
 Proficiency tests

 They are used to test global competence in a

language.

 Consist of standardized multiple-choice items

on grammar, vocabulary, reading
comprehension, and aural comprehension.

 They are almost always summative and results

are provided in a single scoring form.

Paloma Abigail González Zavala

Enrique Augusto Aragón Ochoa Brown, H. D., & Abeywickrama, P. (2010). Language assessment: Principles and classroom practices. White Plains, NY: Pearson Education.
▹ Test of
English as a
Foreign
Language
▹ (TOEFL Test)

Paloma Abigail González Zavala

Enrique Augusto Aragón Ochoa Brown, H. D., & Abeywickrama, P. (2010). Language assessment: Principles and classroom practices. White Plains, NY: Pearson Education.
 Placement Tests

The purpose of which is to place a

student into a particular level or
section of a language curriculum or
school.

A student’s performance indicates

the point when the material is neither
too easy nor too difficult but
appropriately challenging.

Paloma Abigail González Zavala

Enrique Augusto Aragón Ochoa Brown, H. D., & Abeywickrama, P. (2010). Language assessment: Principles and classroom practices. White Plains, NY: Pearson Education.
 English as a Second Language
(ESL)
 The first part acts as both reading
comprehension and writting
(summary).

 The second part requires students

to state opinions and back them up.

 The third and final part students

read an essay and identify grammar
errors in it.
Brown, H. D., & Abeywickrama, P. (2010). Language assessment: Principles and classroom practices. White Plains, NY: Pearson Education.
Paloma Abigail González Zavala
Enrique Augusto Aragón Ochoa
 It is designed to diagnose
specified aspects of a
language, such as:

 Pronunciation:
phonological features.
 Writing: linguistic
features.

Diagnostc Test
Paloma Abigail González Zavala
Enrique Augusto Aragón Ochoa Brown, H. D., & Abeywickrama, P. (2010). Language assessment: Principles and classroom practices. White Plains, NY: Pearson Education.
 Are directly related to classroom
lessons, units or a total curriculum,
and are limited to a particular material
within a particular time frame.

Their primary role is to determine if

the course’s objectives have been
met, as well as, the appropriate
knowledge and skills.

Achievement Tests
Paloma Abigail González Zavala
Enrique Augusto Aragón Ochoa Brown, H. D., & Abeywickrama, P. (2010). Language assessment: Principles and classroom practices. White Plains, NY: Pearson Education.
 Steps to Test
Construction

Paloma Abigail González Zavala

Enrique Augusto Aragón Ochoa Brown, H. D., & Abeywickrama, P. (2010). Language assessment: Principles and classroom practices. White Plains, NY: Pearson Education.
 • Students should know
Assessing
g
What do you
want to test? • Students are able to do
Clear,
Unambiguous • Units to be tested
Objectives Is it
Testable? • Appropriate

• Performance
How to state
Objectives? • Linguistic domain

Paloma Abigail González Zavala

Enrique Augusto Aragón Ochoa
12
Brown, H. D., & Abeywickrama, P. (2010). Language assessment: Principles and classroom practices. White Plains, NY: Pearson Education.
Paloma Abigail González Zavala 13
Brown, H. D., & Abeywickrama, P. (2010). Language assessment: Principles and classroom practices. White Plains, NY: Pearson Education.
Enrique Augusto Aragón Ochoa
 Broad outline Outline of
the test

Skills to test Skills to be

included

Items look Item types

and tasks

Drawing Up Test Specifications

Simple and Practical Outline
Paloma Abigail González Zavala
14
Enrique Augusto Aragón Ochoa Brown, H. D., & Abeywickrama, P. (2010). Language assessment: Principles and classroom practices. White Plains, NY: Pearson Education
Paloma Abigail González Zavala
Enrique Augusto Aragón Ochoa
15
Brown, H. D., & Abeywickrama, P. (2010). Language assessment: Principles and classroom practices. White Plains, NY: Pearson Education.
 Devising
Tests Tasks

Oral
Probe
interview

Nonscored Level
items check

Paloma Abigail González Zavala

Enrique Augusto Aragón Ochoa
16
Brown, H. D., & Abeywickrama, P. (2010). Language assessment: Principles and classroom practices. White Plains, NY: Pearson Education.
 Designing Multiple-Choice Test Items
Design each item to measure a specific objective

State both stem and options as simply and directly as possible

Make certain that the intended answer is clearly the only correct one

Use item indices to accept, discard, or revise items

Extremely difficult to design correctly

Paloma Abigail González Zavala Brown, H. D., & Abeywickrama, P. (2010). Language assessment: Principles and classroom practices. White Plains, NY: Pearson Education.
Enrique Augusto Aragón Ochoa
17
Paloma Abigail González Zavala
Enrique Augusto Aragón Ochoa Brown, H. D., & Abeywickrama, P. (2010). Language assessment: Principles and classroom practices. White Plains, NY: Pearson Education.
 Weaknesses
of multiple choice
items Recognitio Guessing
Restriction
n
knowledge

first second last

Difficulty Harmful Cheating

to Washback
succeed

Paloma Abigail González Zavala

Enrique Augusto Aragón Ochoa
19
Brown, H. D., & Abeywickrama, P. (2010). Language assessment: Principles and classroom practices. White Plains, NY: Pearson Education.
 Giving
Scoring Grading
Feedback

2
0

Relative weight Context, Beneficial

that you place on background, Washback.
each section and Institution, Letter,
items rapport, student Total,Subscores,
expectations Whole, Individual

Paloma Abigail González Zavala Brown, H. D., & Abeywickrama, P. (2010). Language assessment: Principles and classroom practices. White Plains, NY: Pearson Education.
Enrique Augusto Aragón Ochoa
 Conclusion
Creating tests, whichever type we need to work with, is a process of
requirements and well thought steps that help to develop the interesting
journey of achieving a fruitful assessment.

The teacher works guided by the necessities and abilities of the students,
thinking of the goal and making the appropriate changes and updates for it to
reach a meaningful evaluation for the benefit of the students learning
evolution.

Paloma Abigail González Zavala abigail.gonzalez93@uabc.edu.mx

Enrique augusto Aragón Ochoa enrique.aragon@uabc.edu.mx

21
References: Brown, H. D., & Abeywickrama, P. (2010). Language assessment:
Principles and classroom practices. White Plains, NY: Pearson
Education.

2
2