KARAJ ISLAMIC AZAD UNIVERSITY

ELT DEPARTMENT
“LANGUAGE ASSESSMENT PHD”
KOBRA TAVASSOLI

DEVELOPING LANGUAGE TESTS

JD BROWN (C2,C3,C4),
BACHMAN & PALMER (1996, PART
II: C5,C6, SKIM C7-C12),
DOWNING (IN DOWNING &
HALADYNA 2006, C1)
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 Theoretical Issues
1) Pedagogical Beliefs
2) Linguistic Issue
3) Testing Issue

 Practical Issues
1) Fairness
2) Cost
3) Logistics

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 Adopt, Adapt, or Develop Tests?
1) Adopt a language test
2) Adapt a language test
3) Develop a language test

 Developing Good Items in a Language Test

 Guidelines for Receptive Response Items
 Guidelines for Productive Response Items
 Guidelines for Personal Response Items

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 Item Analysis

 In NRT
1) Item Facility (IF)
2) Item Discrimination (ID)
3) Choice Distribution (CD)

 In CRT
1) Item Quality Analysis
2) Item Facility
3) Difference Index (DI)
4) The B-Index
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■ Effective Test Development:
■ Step 1. Overall plan
■ Step 2. Content definition
■ Step 3. Test specifications: Blueprinting the test
■ Step 4. Item development
■ Step 5. Test design and assembly
■ Step 6. Test production
■ Step 7. Test administration
■ Step 8. Scoring test responses
■ Step 9. Establishing passing scores
■ Step 10. Reporting test results
■ Step 11. Item banking
■ Step 12. Test technical report
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■ Overview of Test Development

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■ Describing, Identifying, and Defining: Test
purposes, tasks, test takers, & the construct
■ Developing a Plan for the Evaluation of
Usefulness
■ Identifying, Allocating, and Managing Resources
■ Operationalization: Developing Test Tasks and
Blueprints
■ Preparing Effective Instructions
■ Scoring Method
■ Language Test Administration: Administering
Tests and Collecting Feedback