Dr.

Bandar Al-Sobhi
 What is the
difference
between
tests
and
assessment?
 Types of assessment

Formative:
an approach which provides immediate and ongoing feedback to the
students’ progress “during” a course of study (e.g., frequent quizzes)

Summative:
an approach which delays the measurement of a skill and provides
feedback “at the end of” a course or unit of instruction (e.g., final exams)
 ?What is language testing
 A discipline in applied linguistics
 Determining the growth or achievement by which the success of a
student can be evaluated
 A way of quantifying an unobservable ability.

 A measure of usefulness of a particular teaching methodology,

curriculum, approach, etc.
 Contrasting Categories of Language Tests
e f e re nc e d
p er fo rm anc e c r it e rion -r
knowledge vs. re nc ed v s.
norm- re f e

s. obj ec ti ve e nt
subjective v ien c y v s . a c hiev e m
profic
v s. re c ept i ve st ic
productive di ag n o

ra ti ve
discrete-point vs . i nt eg placement
 Alternative-response items
1. Stem: the problem that must be answered, a question/an incomplete sentence.

2. Alternatives: all the choices

3. Key: the only correct option

4. Distractors: all other options

 Mark has a flair for writing. The word ‘flair’ means ____. stem

} (a) talent key

}
(b) purpose
alternatives (c) dislike distractors
(d) need
 Distractor preparation

Identify the mistakes in the following questions:

 
1. She had to help the __________ old man up the stairs.
A. weak B. slowly C. try D. wisdom
2. Susan needs to get up earlier so she’s buying an ______ clock.
A. time B. alarm C. watch D. bell
 
3. Peter sent the ______ yesterday.
A. letter B. gift C. food D. books
 
4. Jane just hit her shin.
A. leg B. father C. dictionary D. fruit
5. Sam looks so happy.
A. cheerful B. glad C. joyful D. merry
 
6. You can get it from the lady __________ he sold it to.
A. which B. who C. whom D. why
 
7. If I had a new fur coat, _________
A. I showed it to everyone. B. I’d show it to everyone.
C. I’ve shown it to everyone. D. I’ll show it to everyone.
8. She looked really _____.
A. happily B. happy C. in a happy manner
 
9. All the following except _____ have the same meaning of “sad”:
A. blue B. sorrowful C. depressed D. merry
 
10. Linda is not unattractive means she is ______.
A. beautiful B. ugly C. awful D. horrible
 Characteristics of a good test

A good test should be:

1- Valid: It means that it measures what it is supposed to measure.

2- Reliable: If it is taken again by (same students, same conditions), the score will
be almost the same.
3- Practical: It is easy to be conducted, easy to score without wasting too much
time or effort.

4- Comprehensive: It covers all the items that have been taught or studied.

5- Relevant: It measures reasonably well the achievement of the desired

objectives.
6- Balanced: It tests linguistic as well as communicative competence and it
reflects the real command of the language. It tests also appropriateness and
accuracy.

7- Appropriate in difficulty: It is neither too hard nor too easy.

8- Clear: Questions and instructions should be clear. Students should know

what to do exactly.
9- Authentic: The language of the test should reflect everyday discourse

10- Appropriate for time: A good test should be appropriate in length for the
allotted time.

11- Objective: If it is marked by different teachers, the score will be the same.

12- Economical: It makes the best use of the teacher’s limited time for
preparing and grading and it makes the best use of the pupil’s assigned time
for answering all items.
 Techniques in Testing (Harold S. Madsen)
Practical Language Testing (Glenn Fulcher)
Language Test: Construction and Evaluation (Charles Alderson et al.)
Language Assessment Principles and Practices (Douglas Brown)
Testing for Language Teachers (Arthur Hughes)
Assessing Listening (Gury Buck)
References Assessing Speaking (Sari Luoma)
Assessing Writing (Sara Crushing)
Assessing Reading (Charles Alderson)
Assessing Grammar (James Purpura)