1 / 22

LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY TESTING Lecture # 25

LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY TESTING Lecture # 25. Review of the Lecture. Assessment principles Testing in assessment Types of tests Frequently used test formats. Quotation. Please God may I not fail Please God may I get over sixty per cent Please God may I get a high place

lboucher
Download Presentation

LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY TESTING Lecture # 25

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. LANGUAGE PROFICIENCYTESTINGLecture # 25

  2. Review of the Lecture • Assessment principles • Testing in assessment • Types of tests • Frequently used test formats

  3. Quotation Please God may I not fail Please God may I get over sixty per cent Please God may I get a high place Please God may all those likely to beat me get killed in road accidents and may they die roaring. Irish novelist McGahern

  4. Important points to be discussed • Types of language tests • Ways of describing tests • Evaluating the usefulness of language tests • Overview of common language tests:  TOEFL, TOEIC, IELTS, and CAEL • Impact of testing on learning and teaching • Critical use of language tests • Testing Questions

  5. Types of Language Tests • Achievement test • associated with process of instruction • assesses where progress has been made • should support the teaching to which it relates • Alternative Assessment • need for assessment to be integrated with the goals of the curriculum • learners are engaged in self-assessment

  6. Proficiency test • aims to establish a test taker’s readiness for a particular communicative role • general measure of “language ability” • measures a relatively stable trait • used to make predictions about future language performance (Hamp-Lyons, 1998) • high-stakes test

  7. Some ways of describing tests Objective Subjective Indirect Direct Discrete-point Integrative Aptitude / Achievement/ Proficiency Performance External Internal Norm-Referenced Criterion-Referenced

  8. Evaluating the usefulness of a language test • Usefulness= reliability+validity+ impact authenticity+interactiveness+practicality (Bachman and Palmer, 1996) Impact Authenticity TEST USEFULNESS RELIABILITY VALIDITY Practicality Interactiveness

  9. Evaluating the usefulness of a language test • Essential measurement qualities • reliability • construct validity : Construct validity is “the degree to which a test measures what it claims, or purports, to be measuring • Evaluation: test taker - test task - Target Language Use (TLU) TLU Test Taker Test Task

  10. Overview of common language proficiency tests ETS, US TOEFL TOEIC UK IELTS CAEL CDN

  11. Test of English as a Foreign Language • One million test takers per year • Three sections: • Listening • Structure and Written Expression • Reading Comprehension • TWE : test of written English

  12. Test of English as a Foreign Language Objective Subjective Discrete-point Integrative Proficiency Achievement • discord between test and understanding of language and communication • passive recognition of language • cutoff scores are very problematic • general proficiency  academic proficiency

  13. Test of English for International Communication • TOEFL equivalent for workplace setting • two sections, 200 q. • listening • reading • entertainment, manufacturing, health, travel, finance, etc. • “objective and cost-efficient”

  14. Test of English for International Communication Objective Subjective Discrete-point Integrative Proficiency Achievement • lack of correspondence with TLU • narrow construct • test content is extremely broad

  15. International English Language Testing System • Academic/General • Results reported in band scores 1-9 Listening G.Reading A.Reading G.Writing A.Writing Speaking

  16. International English Language Testing System Objective Subjective Discrete-point Integrative Proficiency Achievement • test tasks reflective of academic tasks • score reporting is diagnostic • need for reliability research

  17. Canadian Academic English Language Assessment • Mirrors language use in university • Topic-based,integrated reading, listening, and writing tasks • provides specific diagnostic information • scores are reported in bands 10-90

  18. Canadian Academic English Language Assessment Objective Subjective Discrete-point Integrative Proficiency Achievement • tests performance and use • diminished gap between test and classroom • validity is supported by teacher evaluations • studies on predicting academic success

  19. Washback: The Impact of Tests on Teaching and Learning • “The power of tests has a strong influence on curriculum and learning outcomes” (Shohamy, 1993) • good test  positive washback • form of test impact depends on • antecedent: educational context and condition • process • consequences (Wall, 2000)

  20. Critical Language Testing • Focus on consequence and ethics of test use • Tests are embedded in cultural, educational, and political arenas • whose agenda? • Questions traditional testing knowledge • English proficiency= academic success? • English: got it or get it! • Responsible test use (Hamp-Lyons, 2000)

  21. Testing Questions • What is actually being tested by the test we are using? • What is the”best” test to use? • What relevant information does the test provide? • How is testing affecting teaching and learning behaviour? • Is language testing “fair”?

  22. summary • Types of language tests • Ways of describing tests • Evaluating the usefulness of language tests • Overview of common language tests:  TOEFL, TOEIC, IELTS, and CAEL • Impact of testing on learning and teaching • Critical use of language tests • Testing Questions

More Related