LanguageTESTING By: Dr. Lasim Muzammil, S.Pd., M.Pd.

Meeting 2:
Definition, Purpose, and Kinds of
Language Testing
Test
Assessment
Evaluation
Measurement
Test
An often formalised (collection of) task(s),
designed to determine a test taker’s
ability, knowledge or intelligence.
(Cf. Dochy1996, 2002)

A test is a method of measuring a person’s

ability or knowledge in a given domain (eg.
Language, maths, car driving, etc.
Test (2)
A method to determine a student's ability to
complete certain tasks or demonstrate
mastery of a skill or knowledge of content.
(Overton, 2008)

“Tes adalah sebuah alat atau prosedur yang

sistematis yang digunakan untuk mengukur
sejumlah sampel kompetensi berbahasa peserta
didik dalam mempelajari suatu bahasa.
(Saukah, 2013)
Assessment
Judging the ability of a learner based on a test or
otherwise and using this judgement as a
constructive element in learning over time.
(Cf. Gipps 1994, Lynch 2005)

The process of gathering information to

monitor progress and make educational
decisions if necessary.
(Overton, 2008)
Assessment (2)
To many teachers(and students), “assessment”
simply means giving students tests and assigning
them grades.

In the most general sense, assessment is the

process of making a judgment or measurement of
worth of an entity (e.g., person, process, or
program).
(Brissenden and Slater, n.d.)
Evaluation
“Evaluation is a systematic process of
collecting, analyzing, and interpreting
information to determine the extent to
which pupils are achieving instructional
objectives. Evaluation answers the
question ‘How good?’
Gronlund (1985:5) in Saukah (2013)
 Evaluation (2)
The judgement made about a test taker’s
ability, knowledge or intelligence, based on
his/her test performance.
(Cf. Douglas 2000, Lynch 2003)

Procedures used to determine whether the

subject (i.e. student) meets a preset criteria,
such as qualifying for special education
services.
(Overton, 2008)
Measurement
“Measurement is the process of obtaining
a numerical description of the degree to
which an individual possesses a
particular characteristic. It answers the
question ‘How much?’
Gronlund (1985:5) in Saukah (2013)
Measurement (2)

It refers to the set of procedures and the

principles for how to use the procedures in
educational tests and assessments.
(Overton, 2008)
The concepts of Test, Measurement, and
Evaluation

Evaluation

Measurement
Test
Kinds and the Purpose of
Language Testing

 Proficiency tests
 Achievement tests
 Diagnostic tests
 Placement tests
 PROFICIENCY TESTS
PURPOSE: To test the ability of students with
different language background.

 They measure people’s ability in a language

regardless of any previous training
 They are not based on the content or
objectives of language courses
 They are based on a specification of what
candidates are able to do to be considered
proficient
· ‘Proficiency’ means having sufficient
command of the language either for a
particular purpose (ESP) such as:
 A translator in the United Nations
 A student seeking admission in American or
British Universities
Or for a general purpose, which are known as …
General Proficiency Tests Examples,
 Cambridge First Certificate in English (FCE)
 Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE)
 TOEFL
To determine the standards of candidates with
respect to a set of certain abilities
 ACHIEVEMENT TESTS
PURPOSE:
· To determine whether students have achieved
the objectives of the course .
 They are directly related to language courses

TWO KINDS:
 Final achievement tests
 Progress achievement tests
 FINAL ACHIEVEMENT TESTS
 They are administered at the end of a course of
study
 The content of the test is related to the course
concerned
A debatable issue:
Should the test be based directly on a detailed course
syllabus? (syllabus content approach)
Or, Should the test be based on the objectives of the
course? A possible disadvantage for using the syllabus
content approach: If the syllabus is badly designed, the
results of the test could be misleading. The alternative
is to base the test content directly on the objectives of
the course.
 FINAL ACHIEVEMENT TESTS (2)
A number of advantages:
 First, it compels course designers to be explicit
about course objectives
 Secondly, it makes it possible for the test to
show how far objectives have been achieved
 Thirdly, this compels the course designers to
choose a syllabus which is consistent with the
course objectives
 Fourthly, it works against poor teaching practice
 Finally, it promotes a more beneficial backwash
effect on teaching
 PROGRESS ACHIEVEMENT TESTS
 They measure the progress that students are making
 One way to measure progress is by: administering
repeatedly final achievement tests
A disadvantage:
The low scores for students in early stages are very
discouraging .
The alternative is to establish a series of well-defined short-
term objectives . These should make a clear progression
towards the final achievement test based on course
objectives .
Pop Quizzes
They serve both to make a rough check on students’
progress, and keep students on their toes.
 DIAGNOSTIC TESTS
PURPOSE:
· They are used to identify learners’ strengths and
weaknesses.
· They are intended primarily to ascertain what
learning still needs to take place.
· They can tell us that someone is particularly weak in,
say, speaking as opposed to reading in a language
· Proficiency tests may prove adequate for this purpose
· Teacher may even need to analyze samples of a
person’s performance in writing or speaking in order to
create profiles of student’s ability in certain categories
 PLACEMENT TESTS
PURPOSE:
· They are intended to provide information that
will help in placing students at the stage of the
teaching program most appropriate to their
abilities.
· Typically, they are used to assign students to
classes at different levels.

The most successful ones are those constructed for

particular situations. They depend on the
identification of the key features at different levels
of teaching.
 More test type  An Aptitude Test

PURPOSE: It is used to measure aptitude for

learning and to predict future performance

It indicates an individual facility for acquiring

specific skills and learning
THANKS for joining the class...