Language Assessment Glossary

absolute grading see grading

a test used to determine whether course objectives have been met―and

achievement test appropriate knowledge and skills acquired―by the end of a biven period
of instruction
alternative various instruments that are less traditional and more authentic in their
assessment elicitation of meaningful communication
alternatives (in
multiple-choice see options
items)
an approach that separately rates a number of predetermined aspects
analytic scoring (e.g., grammar, content, organization) of a test-takes’s language production
(e.g., writing); as opposed to holistic scoring
appropriate-word
see cloze
scoring
a test designed to measure capacity or general ability a priori (e.g., before
aptitude test
taking a foreign language course) to predict success in that undertaking
an ongoing process of collecting information about a given object of
assessment interest according to procedures that are systematic and substantively
grounded
the degree of correspondence of the characteristics of a given language
authenticity
task to the features of a target language task
the ability to set one’s own goals and independently monitor success
autonomy
without the presence of an external stimulus

benchmarks see standards

biased for best providing conditions for a student’s optimal performance on a test

comprehending language by first attending to the “smallest” elements

bottom-up
(e.g., letters, syllables, words) of language and then combining them into
processing
increasingly larger elements; as opposed to top-down processing
bursts (in a
the length of the word groups; see dictation
dictation test)
a text in which words are deleted and the test-taker must provide a word
cloze
that fits the blank space
appropriate-word a scoring method that accepts a suitable, grammatically and rhetorically
scoring acceptable word that fits the blank space in the original text
exact-word a scoring method that is limited to accepting the same word found in
scoring the original text
fixed ratio
every nth (e.g., sixth or seventh) word is deleted in a text
deletion

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 a cloze test requires the test taker to listen to a cloze passage while
listening cloze
reading it; also known as cloze dictation, partial dictation
words are deleted in a text on a rational basis (e.g., prepositions,
rational deletion sentence connectors) to assess specified grammatical or rhetorical
categories
close-elide unnecessary words are inserted into a text and the test-taker must detect
procedure and eliminate those words
communicative a test that elicits a test-taker’s ability to use language that is meaningful
test and authentic
one’s hypothesized (empirically unobservable) underlying ability to perform
competence
language
a noun that is made up of two or more words; in English test are
compound noun
formed by nouns modified by other nouns or adjectives
instruments in which test-takers receive a set of questions that meet test
computer-adaptive
specifications and that are generally appropriate for their performance
test (CAT)
level
computer-assisted
language learning the application of computer technology to language learning and teaching
(CALL)

concurrent validity see validity

consequential
see validity
validity
the specific definition of an ability, often not directly measurable (e.g.,
construct
fluency) but which can e inferred from observation

construct validity see validity

a word that has meaning, such as a noun, main verb, adjective, and
content word
adverb; as opposed to function word
content-related
see validity
validity
a task that limits the amount of language that is produced; e.g., in a
controlled-respons
controlled writing task, a number of grammatical or lexical constraints
e task
apply
linguistic description or inquiry that utilizes computer-based corpora (large
databases of real-world language) as its primary source, which in turn
corpus linguistics
enables researchers to quantify frequencies, co-occurrences, collocations,
etc.
a test designed to give test-takers feedback, usually in the form of
criterion
grades, on specific courses or lesson objectives; the distribution of
-referenced test
students’ scores across a continuum may be of little concern
criterion-related
see validity
validity

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critical language a movement to expose possible covert social and political roles of
testing language tests
an approach to learning and teaching that is motivated by beliefs about
critical pedagogy
education and its place in society
a text in which the second half of every other words is eliminated and
C-test
the test-taker must provide the whole word

diagnostic test a test that is designed to diagnose specified aspects of a language

a self-writing exercise in which a student records thoughts, feelings, and

dialogue journal
reactions which a teacher reads and responds to
dichotomous a method of scoring that allows only one correct response so that a
scoring test-taker’s response is either right or worng
a method of assessment in which rest-takers listen to a text nad write
dictation
down what they hear
a variant of dictation whereby test-takers listen to a relatively long text
(e.g., a paragraph of several sentences or more) and try to internalize the
dicto-comp
content, some phrases, and/or key lexical items and then use them to
recreate the text
an assessment method in which the test-taker actually performs the target
direct testing
task; as opposed to indirect testing
an assessments designed on the assumption that language can be broken
discrete point test down into its component parts and that those parts can be tested
successfully
writing that is produced, usually in response to a prompt, to show
display writing competence in grammar, vocabulary, or sentence formation; as opposed to
real writing
distractor the effectiveness of the distractor to attract a test-taker away from the
efficiency correct response
response in a multiple-choice item used to divert or distract the test-taker
distractors
from the correct response
forms that are reliable across tests so that a score on a subsequent form
equated forms
of a test has the same validity and interpretability as the original test
making decisions and/or value judgments based on the results of tests,
evaluation
other assessments, and/or teachers’ reports

exact-word scoring see cloze

face validity see validity

attention to the organizational structure (grammar, phonology, vocabulary,

focus on form
ect.) of a language
systematic, planned exercises or procedures constructed to give teacher
formal assessment
and student an appraisal of student achievement

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formative evaluating students in the process of “forming” their competencies and
assessment skills with the goal of helping them continue that growth process
form-focused assessment that focuses on the organizational components (e.g., grammar,
assessment vocabulary) of a language
frameworks of
see standards
reference
a word (e.g., proposition, pronoun, auxiliary verb, article, etc.) that has
function word very little meaning but instead serves to express relationships among
other words; as opposed to contend word
playing the role of allowing or denying someone passage into the next
gate-keeping
stage of an educational (or commercial, political, etc.) process
type or category (e.g., academic writing, short story, pleasure reading) of a
genre
text
a phenomenon that shows a rise in the number of “high” grades assigned
grade inflation
to students
assigning a score to a test or a composite set of recorded assessments,
grading
usually by means of a letter (A through F)
a score on a test-taker’s performance is empirically calculated by
absolute grading
predetermined measures of achievement of learning objectives
also known as “grading on the curve,” in which a score on a test-tatker’s
relative grading performance is compared to other test-takers and sometimes altered to
suit instructional needs
a word that appears most often in written and oral texts and is part of
high-frequency
the foundation of vocabulary knowledge that proficient users of the
word
language have acquired; as opposed to low-frequency word
an instrument that provides information on the basis of which significant
high-stakes test decisions are made about test-takers (e.g., admission to a course/school);
see also gate-keeping
an approach that uses a single general scale to give a global rating ofr a
holistic scoring
test-taker’s language production; as opposed to analytic scoring
figure of speech whose meaning cannot be determined by the literal
idiom definition but whose metaphorical meaning is known through common
use
the effect of the use of a test on individual test-takers, institutions, and
impact
society
an assessment method in which the test-taker is not required to perform
indirect testing the target task; rather, inference is made from performance on non-target
tasks; as opposed to direct testing
informal incidental, unplanned comments and responses, along with coaching and
assessment other impromptu feedback to the student
a process in which information processed form one skill (e.g., listening to
information
a telephone message) is used to perform another skill (e.g., writing down
transfer
name/number to return a phone call)

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institutionalized a longer utterance that is fixed in form and used for social interaction
expression (e.g., “how do you do?”
a test that treats language competence as a unified set of interacting
integrative test
abilities of grammar, vocabulary, reading, writing, speaking, and listening
combining the used of more than one skill (reading, writing, speaking,
interactive (skills)
and listening) in using language
inter-rater
see reliability
reliability
a context in which a teacher engages in a face-to-face
interview question-and-answer dialogue with a student for a designated assessment
purpose
intra-rater
see reliability
reliability

intrinsic motivation a self-propelled desire to excel

item discrimination a statistic used to differentiate between high- and low-ability test-takers

a statistic used to examine the percentage of students who correctly

item facility
answered a given test item
item response a measurement approach that uses complex statistical modeling of test
theory performance data to make generalizations about item characteristics

key the correct response to a multiple-choice question

an individual’s general or overall competence to perform in an acquired

language ability
language; also less preferably referred to as language proficiency
limited-response
a task that requires only a few words or phrase as the answer
task

listening cloze see cloze

low-frequency a word that seldom or rarely appears in written or spoken texts; as

word opposed to high-frequency word
linguistic competencies that involve language competence beyond the
macroskill sentence level (discourse, pragmatics, rhetorical devices); as opposed to
microskill
a process of quantifying a test-taker’s performance according to explicit
measurement
procedures or rules
a task that determines in advance what the test-taker will produce (e.g.,
mechanical task
reading aloud or sentence repetition)
detailed specific linguistic competencies that involve processing up to and
microskill including the sentence-level (phonology, morphology, grammar, lexicon); as
opposed to macroskill
multiple-choice an assessment instrument in which items offer the test-taker a choice
test among two or more listed options

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 types of intelligence that extend beyond traditional IQ-based concepts,
multiple
such as spatial, musical, kinesthetic, naturalist, interpersonal, and
intelligences
intrapersonal intelligence
narrative a form of individualized written feedback about a student’s performance,
evaluation sometimes used as an alternative or supplement to a letter grade
a test in which each test-taker’s score is interpreted in relation to a mean
norm-referenced
(average score), median (middle score), standard deviation (extent of
test
variance in scores), and/or percentile rank

objective tests tests that have predetermined fixed responses

options different responses from which a test-taker can choose in an item

a method of scoring that permits multiple criteria for correctness so that

partial credit
a test-taker might get partial credit (a fraction of full credit) for a
scoring
response to a test item
one’s actual “doing” of language in the form of speaking and writing
performance (production) and listening and reading (comprehension); as opposed to
competence
assessment that typically involves oral production, written production,
performance-based
open-ended responses, integrated performance (across skill areas), group
assessment
performance, and other interactive tasks

performance levels see standards

medium-length phrases that have a basic frame with one or two slots
phrasal constraint
that can be filled with various words (e.g., “yours sincerely,”“truly”)
a combination of a verb with a preposition and/or adverb that often has
phrasal verb
a meaning that is different from the original verb (e.g., “look into”)
test questions in which a visual stimulus serves to prompt a response or
picture-cued items in which the test-taker chooses, among visuals, a response that correctly
matches a spoken or written prompt
a test meant to place a student into a particular level or section of a
placement test
language curriculum or school
a short, fixed phrase that performs a variety of functions (e.g.,“hold your
poly word
horses”); a disagreement marker
the extent to which resources and time available to design, develop, and
practicality
administer a test are manageable and feasible

predictive validity see validity

prefabricated ready-made sentence stems and whole sentences or memorized chunks of

language sentences that provide models for the creation of new sentences
primary-trait in a writing test, a single score indicating the effectiveness of the text in
scoring achieving its primary goal

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 attending to the end result of a linguistic action (e.g., in writing, the
process “final” paper, versus the various steps involved in composing the paper);
as opposed to product
attending to the end result of a linguistic action (e.g., in writing, the
product “final” paper, versus the various steps involved in composing the paper);
as opposed to process proficiency see language ability

proficiency see language ability

a test that is not limited to any one course, curriculum, or single skill in
proficiency test
the language; rather, it tests overall global ability
psychometric a movement in language testing that seized the tools of the ay to focus
structuralism on issues of validity, reliability, and objectivity
writing that is produced to convey meaning for an authentic purpose; as
real writing
opposed to display writing

receptive response see selective response

relative grading see grading

reliability the extent to which a test yields consistent and dependable results

condition in which two or more scorers yield consistent scores for the
inter-rater
same test
condition in which the same scorers yields consistent scores across all
intra-rater
tests
a learner-related issue such as fatigue, anxiety, or physical or
student-related psychological factors which may make an “observed” score deviate from
one’s “true” score
constituency of different facets of a test (e.g., instructions, item types,
test
organization) in each test administration
test
consistencies in conditions in which the test is administered
administration

repetition see sentence repetition

statements that describe what a student can perform at a particular point

rubrics
on a rating scale; sometimes also called band descriptors

schemata background knowledge; cultural or world knowledge

scoring,
see dichotomous scoring
dichotomous
scoring,
see partial credit scoring
partial credit
test items that require the test-taker to select rather than produce a
selective response
response such as true/false of multiple-choice

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 a phrase with one or two slots that can be filled with whole ideas to
sentence builder
make a complete sentence (e.g., “I think that X”)
sentence the task of orally reproducing part of a sentence or a complete sentence
repetition that has been modeled by a teacher or test administrator
specialized technical terms or words that frequently occur in particular registers of
vocabulary language (e.g., legal language)
specifications (of a
planned objectives, features, methods, and structure of a test
test)

standardized tests tests that presuppose certain standard objectives or performance levels

specifications of curricular objectives, criterion levels, and/or cut-off points

standards against which a student’s test performance is evaluated; also known as
benchmarks, frameworks of reference, and performance levels
standard-based measures that are used to evaluate student academic achievement and to
assessment show that students have reached certain standards

stem the stimulus or prompt for a multiple-choice question

the ability to employ communicative strategies to compensate for

strategic
breakdowns as well as to enhance the rhetorical effect of utterances in
competence
the process of communication
student-related
see reliability
reliability
tests in which the absence of predetermined or absolutely correct
subjective tests responses require the judgment of the teacher to determine correct and
incorrect answers

subtechnical word a word that occurs across a range of registers or subject areas

a test that aims to measure, or summarize, what a student has grasped

summative test
and typically occurs at the end of a course or unit of instruction

supply items options a test-taker can choose from for responses

a set or subset of linguistic actions that accomplish a real-world purpose,

task
problem, or demand
task-based assessments that involve learners in actually performing the behavior that
assessment one purports to measure
a method or procedure for measuring a person’s ability, knowledge, or
test
performance in a given domain
test administration
see reliability
reliability
a feature of the test that advantages or disadvantages one subgroup in
test bias
comparison to another subgroup

test reliability see reliability

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 knowledge of strategies for guessing, maximizing the speed, or otherwise
test-wiseness
optimizing test task performance
tokens (in a
all the separate words; as opposed to types
reading passage)
comprehending language by first attending to the “larger” elements (e.g.,
top-down paragraphs, discourse, pragmatics) of language and then possibly
processing decomposing them into smaller units until the whole message has been
processed; as opposed to bottom-up processing
triangulation (of using two (or more) performances on an assessment, or two or more
assessments) different assessments, to make a decision about a person’s ability
types (in a
repeated words that are not counted; as opposed to tokens
reading passage)
the position that vocabulary, grammar, the “four skills”, and other discrete
unitary trait
points of language cannot be disentangled from each other in language
hypothesis
performance
usefulness (of a
to extent to which a test accomplishes its intended objectives
test)
the extent to which inferences made from assessment results are
validity appropriate, meaningful, and useful in terms of the purpose of the
assessment
the extent to which results of a test are supported by other relatively
concurrent
recent performance beyond the test itself
a test’s impact, including such considerations as its accuracy in measuring
intended criteria, its effect on the preparation of test-takers, and the
consequential
(intended and unintended) social consequences of a test’s interpretation
and use
any theory, hypothesis or model that attempts to explain observed
construct
phenomena in one’s universe of perceptions
the extent to which a test actually samples the subject matter about
content-related
which conclusions are to be drawn
the extent to which the linguistic criteria of the testꢀ (e.g., specified
criterion-related classroom objectives) are measured and implied predetermined levels of
performance are actually reached
the extent to which a test-taker views the assessment as fiar, relevant,
face
and useful for improving learning
the extent to which results of a rest are used to guage future
predictive
performance

washback the effect of assessment on classroom teaching and learning

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