The objectives of aptitude, placement, diagnostic, achievement and proficiency tests
Index to Language Testing Objectives
Give your own answers, expanding on the clues [within the brackets]
Then click on the red button to check:
- What basic questions should a teacher/tester ask himself/herself before setting a test? ------------------------[why / whether / what / how / quality / consequences]
- What are the relationships between learning, teaching & testing? ------------------------[purposes / content specification / influence]
- What are the main reasons for testing? ------------------------[name the different test types in terms of their purposes]
- What are the essential differences between a classroom test and an external examination? ------------------------[why do most external exams 'grade', 'pass' or 'fail' candidates?]
- Briefly describe the following types of test in terms of their objectives: a) aptitude b) placement c) diagnostic d) achievement e) proficiency. ------------------------[can you name examples of these types from your knowledge and experience of tests & exams]
- How far is it possible to predict student success in language learning? ------------------------[For what purposes is language needed? Is linguistic performance the only ingredient of success?]
- Can one measure a student's progress in learning a L2? What are the difficulties? ------------------------[clarity of the syllabus spec / quality of test / 'outside' factors]
- How does one specify test objectives? How far does the way objectives are defined influence subsequent assessment? ------------------------[why test? / what to test? / consequences?]
- What are the main language skills and their components? Are there other skills that should be tested? ------------------------[the 4 skills, sub-divisions of them e.g. different purposes, how tasks draw on mixes of skills]
- What are discrete-point tests? What are tests of integrative skills? Discuss their relative advantages and disadvantages. Is the distinction valid? ------------------------[Illustrate how language can be broken down / Compare with tests which depend on the completion of tasks]
- What factors influencing language learning should be tested? How? ------------------------[constituents of language aptitude? / factors other than aptitude?]
- How has language testing been influenced by varying contemporary views on language and language learning? ------------------------[name some of the new approaches which have followed discrete point testing]
- What is (a) objective and (b) subjective testing? ------------------------[consider the scope to vary the answer]
- What are the main subjective testing techniques? ------------------------[consider ways of marking work where a single given answer - 'right' or 'wrong' - does not gain the mark]
- What are the main objective testing techniques? ------------------------[review the 'closed' test-types where a single given answer gains the mark. Are such tests a good indicator of how a candidate really performs in a given language?]
- What are standardized tests: psychometric objective & linguistic realistic? ------------------------[Explain each of the terms in the question and how they connect.]
- What are the main requirements of an efficient test? ------------------------[ways a test could be efficient to an educational institution while serving its purpose]
- The problem of test rubric: How far do format and instructions affect assessment? ------------------------[How might a 'listening test' be compromised by long written questions followed by A B C or D?]
- What is test discrimination? When is it not needed? ------------------------[Name some test-types for different purposes before answering!]
- What is item analysis? What is the facility value of an item? What is its discrimination index? ------------------------[Explain the need to try out this form of test on a large sample of people.]
- What are the main difficulties and limitations of language testing? ------------------------[Explain the folly of using Multiple Choice Tests on students training to be teachers of English in terms of 'validity/reliability tension']
- What are the problems of assessing communication in a L2? ------------------------[administrative / nature of language / behavioural outcomes]
- What are norm-referenced tests? Criterion-referenced tests? ------------------------[Describe the usual purposes to which IQ tests are put e.g. 11-plus examination]
- What is test reliability? What are the aspects of reliability that are most important for the teacher/tester? ------------------------[Explain the concept of measuring with a 'tape measure' rather than a 'piece of elastic']
- How can the reliability of a test be established? What can be done about the findings? ------------------------[Justify the use of 'objective formats' rather than asking a student's teacher how good he or she is.]
- What is test validity? What are the most important aspects of validity for the teacher/tester? ------------------------['Face validity' means 'the test looks good'. What does 'content validity' mean?]
- How can the validity of a test be established? What can be done about the findings? ------------------------[Why does the validity of an educational body's tests depend on great care being taken earlier on in syllabus design, content and specification of aims]
See detailed examples of my own attempts to calculate validity in relation to the following test-types:
- What basic questions should a teacher/tester ask himself/herself before setting a test?