Examen 1 Flashcards
(23 cards)
What are the language tester’s responsibilities?
- write tests which give accurate measures of the test-takers’ ability;
- endeavour to make the impact of tests as positive as possible.
Why are tests innaccurate?
There are two main sources
of inaccuracy.
The first of these concerns test content and test techniques.
The second source of inaccuracy is lack of reliability.
What are the two origins of unreliability?
The first is the interaction between the person taking the test and features of the test itself. The second origin of unreliability is to be found in the scoring of a
test.
Why should we carry out multiple measures?
a single test may be, by itself it cannot be depended on to give an accurate picture
of every individual candidate’s ability. For this reason, there has been a move towards looking at more than one measure when taking decisions which may have important implications for people’s lives.
What’s impact?
The way in which assessment affects society as a whole, and has been discussed in
the context of the ethics of language testing
What’s backwash? What types or backwash are there?
It refers to the effects of testing on students, teachers, and the program. There’s positive backwash, When tests and curriculum design are based on clear course outcomes that are known to students and teachers. And negative backwash, when exams require extensive preparation, instructions focused on helping students to
pass a test
Reliability
asks whether the actual
metric is constructed
sufficiently to produce
results that are
consistent.
Validity
asks whether the
interpretation of the
results obtained from
the metric used actually
inform what is intended
to be measured
Fairness
absence of bias, asks
whether the
measurements used or
the interpretation of
results disadvantage
particular groups.
What are the different means of delivery testing?
Computer-based, face-to-face, paper and pencil
What are the 5 different kinds of tests?
Placement, screening, achievement, diagnostic, proficiency
What is the purpose of a proficiency test?
Proficiency tests are designed to measure people’s ability in a language,
regardless of any training they may have had in that language. The content
of a proficiency test, therefore, is not based on the content or objectives of
language courses that people taking the test may have followed.
What are achievement tests?
achievement tests
are directly related to language courses, their purpose being to establish
how successful individual students, groups of students, or the courses
themselves have been in achieving objectives. They are of two kinds: final
achievement tests and progress achievement tests
What are diagnostic tests used for?
Diagnostic tests are used to identify learners’ strengths and weaknesses.
They are intended primarily to ascertain what learning still needs
to take place
What are placement tests for?
Placement tests, are intended to provide information that will help to place students at the stage (or in the part) of the teaching
programme most appropriate to their abilities. Typically they are used to
assign students to classes at different levels.
What is the purpose of screening tests?
Screening tests are used in order to avoid the expense and loss of time taken
to administer longer, more complex tests when they are not necessary.
Direct vs indirect testing
Direct: Requires candidates to perform the exact skill being tested
Indirect: attempts to measure the abilities that underlie the skills in which we are interested.
Discrete point vs integrative testing
Discrete point: refers to the testing of one element at a time, item
by item.
Integrative testing: requires the candidate to combine many language elements in the
completion of a task.
Norm-referenced vs criterion-referenced testing
Norm-Referenced Tests: Compare a candidate’s performance to others
Criterion-Referenced Tests: Measure performance against a set standard
Objective vs. Subjective Testing
Objective: No scorer judgment needed
Subjective: Requires scorer judgment
What is assessment?
A broad term that refers to the process of collecting information about a learner’s knowledge, skills, abilities, or performance. It can be formal or informal, formative or summative, and includes various methods such as observations, self-assessments, portfolios, and tests. The goal is often to improve learning.
What is Evaluation?
A judgmental process that determines the effectiveness, quality, or value of something, often using assessment data. It’s not just about measuring learning but also about making decisions, such as determining if a course was successful or if teaching methods need to change.
What is testing?
A specific type of assessment that involves administering a structured set of questions or tasks to measure knowledge or skills. Tests are usually standardized, scored, and used to compare performance against a benchmark.
