Chapter: 3

Designing Classroom Language Tests

• Before designing a test, you need to answer, in detail, five questions:
• What is the purpose of the test?
• What are the objectives of the test?
• How will the test specifications reflect both the purpose and the objectives?
• How will the test tasks be selected and the separate items arranged?
• What kind of scoring, grading, and feedback is expected?
 Test Types
• There are five common test types:

• Language aptitude tests

• Language proficiency tests
• Placement tests
• Diagnostic tests
• Achievement tests
 Language aptitude tests
• It is used to predict a person’s success before studying a second language.
• It is designed to measure the general ability to learn a foreign language.

• It usually consists of five tasks:

• Number learning
• Phonetic script
• Spelling clues
• Words in sentences
• Paired associates (Vocab translation)
 Language proficiency tests
Proficiency test are usually summative and norm-referenced test
It is not limited to any one course or single skill in the language as it
tests the overall ability in a language.

It usually consists of :
MCQs on grammar, reading, and listening
Sample of writing
Oral production performance (speaking)
 Placement Tests

• The purpose of the placement test is to place a student into a

particular level of a language curriculum or school.

• It usually includes a sampling of the material to be covered in a

curriculum.

• A student’s performance on the test indicates the appropriate level

for this student.
 Diagnostic Tests
• A diagnostic test is designed to diagnose specified aspects of a language.

• A test in pronunciation might diagnose the phonological features that are

difficult for learners and therefore include them in the curriculum.

• A test in grammar ………………………………………………….

• A test in reading ………………………………………. etc.
 Achievement tests

• An achievement test is related to particular material studied within a

particular time frame.

• This test is mainly summative as it is administered at the end of a unit

or term of study. They may also have a formative role.
• Now, you can answer the first question:

• What is the purpose of the test?

The second question is:

………………………………………………………………………………..?
 What are the objectives of the test?

• The objective of the test is:

• What you, specifically, want to test.
• Look at this objective:

• Students will be able to learn the present simple tense.

• It is not specific: introduced spoken or written; produced orally or in writing;

which context: is it a lecture, conversation, essay …etc.
• Well-written objectives are SMART
• S-M-A-R-T stands for:

• Specific What exactly are we going to do for whom?

• Measurable Is it quantifiable and can be measured?
• Achievable Can we get it done in the proposed time frame with the resources available?
• Relevant Will this objective have an effect on the desired goal?
• Time bound When will this objective be accomplished?
Examples of well-written objectives
• Now, you can answer the second question:

• What are the objectives of the test?

The third question is:

………………………………………………………………………………..?
 Test Specifications

• Test specifications refers to the outline, blueprint, the roadmap of the test.

• Specifications simply include:

• An outline of the test.
• Skills you will test.
• Item types and tasks.
Test Specifications
• Now, you can answer the third question:

• How will the test specifications reflect both the purpose and the objectives

The fourth question is:

………………………………………………………………………………..?
 Test Tasks

• Interview
• Multiple Choice
 Interview
• Begin and end with non-scored items.
• Sandwich the items intended to test the objective (s).

• Begin with:
• “warm-up” questions
• “Level-check” questions ( Tell me about ….. How do (did) you like ……..?
• “Probe” questions, to discover more ( what’s your opinion about …….…?
• End with:
• Comments and reassurance.
• For listening, reading, and writing test items, please check pages: 53-55
 Multiple-Choice Test Items
• Pros:
• Practical
• Reliable
• Time-saving scoring procedures

• Cons:
• Tests only recognition knowledge
• Guessing may affect test scores
• Very difficult to write successful item
• Cheating may be facilitated
• Some terminology of MC item:
stem
• Where did Ahmad go after school?
• A) Yes, he did.
• B) Because he was tired.
options
• C) To his friend’s house.
• D) Around eleven o’clock.

key

distra
ctors
 Guidelines for designing MC items
• 4 guidelines:
1- Each item measures a specific objective.
• Example:
2- Stem and options should be simple and direct.
Examples:
3- Make sure there is only ONE correct answer
• Example:
4- To accept, reject or revise the item, measure it against 3 factors:

• A) Item facility (item difficulty) IF

• The extent to which an item is easy or difficult for the test takers.

• 15 ÷ 20 = .75

• IF should range between .15 to .85 ( if not for a specific reason)

• B- Item Discrimination (ID)
• The extent to which an item differentiate between high-ability and low-ability
test takers.

• To calculate ID: divide the test takers into 3 groups

• High group middle group low group
• Use the formula to find out the ID of any item.
• 1.0 = high discriminating power
• 0.0 = no discriminating power
• C- Distractor efficiency
• The extent to which the distractors lure a sufficient number of test takers and
the responses are distributed evenly across the distractors.

What about distractors D and E?

Do they need revision? Why?
• Now, you can answer the fourth question:

• How will the test tasks be selected and the separate items arranged?

The fifth question is:

………………………………………………………………………………..?
 Scoring, grading, and feedback
• Scoring:
• Example of scoring a test:

For more information, check page 61

 • Grading:
• Grading is not just giving:
• (A) for 90% -100%
• (B) for 80% – 89% and so on.
• Assigning letter grades may depend on:
 • Giving feedback
• You may want to give feedback on:
• Indication of correct/incorrect responses
• Scores for each element being rated
• Marginal comments
• A checklist of areas needing feedback
• A whole-class discussion of the test results
• Individual sessions with students with particular problems

• End of chapter: 3