Testing Concepts PDF

WHAT IS TESTING? “A test is an activity whose main purpose is to convey (usually to the tester) how well the testee knows or can do something. This is in contrast to practice; whose main purpose is sheer learning.” TESTING CONCEPTS 1. Test 2. measurement 3. assessment 4. ev...

WHAT IS TESTING? “A test is an activity whose main purpose is to convey (usually to the tester) how well the testee knows or can do something. This is in contrast to practice; whose main purpose is sheer learning.” TESTING CONCEPTS 1. Test 2. measurement 3. assessment 4. evaluation Concepts used in education to explain how the progress of learning and the final learning outcomes of students are assessed. TESTING CONCEPTS 1. Test 2. measurement 3. assessment 4. evaluation However, the terms are often misused in the field of education CLARIFYING TERMS: TESTS, MEASUREMENT, ASSESSMENT, EVALUATION 1. Definitions 2. Relationships EVALUATION 1. considering all the factors that influence the learning process such as syllabus objectives, course design, materials used, methodology, teacher performance and assessment. 2. Assessment is one of the most valuable sources of information about what is happening in a learning environment. So evaluation is an umbrella term. ASSESSMENT 1. measuring our students’ performance and the progress they make 2. diagnosing the problems they have 3. providing learners useful feedback. TEST 1. a method to determine a student's ability to complete certain tasks or demonstrate mastery of a skill or knowledge of content. 2. Some types would be multiple choice tests, or a weekly spelling test. 3. While it is commonly used interchangeably with assessment, or even evaluation, it can be distinguished by the fact that a test is one form of an assessment. MEASUREMENT 1. refers to the set of procedures and the principles for how to use the procedures in educational tests and assessments. 2. Some of the basic principles of measurement in educational evaluations would be raw scores, percentile ranks, derived scores, standard scores, etc. WHY TESTING In general, testing has the following purposes: 1. Students, teachers, administrators and parents want to ascertain the degree to which those goals have been realized 2. Government and private sectors who employ the students are interested in having precise information about students’ abilities. 3. Most importantly, through testing, accurate information is obtained based on which educational decisions are made. WHY TESTING Tests can benefit students in the following ways: 1. Testing can create a positive attitude toward class and will motivate them in learning the subject matter. 2. Testing can help students prepare themselves and thus learn the materials. WHY TESTING Testing can also benefit teachers: 1. Testing helps teachers to diagnose their efforts in teaching. 2. Testing can also help teachers gain insight into ways to improve evaluation process. FUNCTIONS OF TESTING 1. Macrofunctions 2. Microfunctions MACROFUNCTIONS OF TESTING 1. metric (primary) 2. educative MICROFUNCTIONS OF TESTING 1. Inform teachers/learners about learner level 2. Assess learners for purposes external to current teaching (e.g., final grades, selection) 3. Motivate learners for further learning/revision 4. Keep a class quiet or get them concentrate 5. Add to a sense of structure to the course 6. Provide practice/revision opportunities through test-doing 7. Provide learners with a sense of achievement & progress. 8. etc. CONTENTS: Session 02: (Teacher-Centered) Types of tests? Criteria of a good test  TYPES OF TESTS? According to: 1. Test purpose (or use for which they are intended) 2. Score interpretation/ frame of reference 3. Test construction 4. Scoring procedure 5. Test format  TYPES OF TESTS ACCORDING TO TEST PURPOSE (OR USE FOR WHICH THEY ARE INTENDED) Proficiency test Placement test to measure people’s ability in a to place students at the stage language regardless of any training they may have had. or class appropriate to their abilities. Achievement test to measure how much of the Aptitude test language taught during a period to predict a student’s future of time has been learned. success, potential, capability in language learning. Diagnostic test to identify students’ strengths and weaknesses and to ascertain further teaching plan.  TYPES OF TESTS ACCORDING TO SCORE INTERPRETATION/FRAME OF REFERENCE Criterion-referenced testing performance is measured Norm-referenced testing not with relation to others’ scores, but with relation to criteria for a particular performance is measured unit of learning. not with relation to teaching objectives, but with relation to group ranking.  TYPES OF TESTS ACCORDING TO TEST CONSTRUCTION Direct testing Indirect testing to measure one’s ability to measure the abilities directly in an authentic which underlie the skills in context and format. which we are interested.  TYPES OF TESTS ACCORDING TO SCORING PROCEDURE Objective testing Subjective testing can be scored with will be scored on reference to a scoring an individual key and with no subjective basis with scorer’s opinion judgment. or judgment.  TYPES OF TESTS ACCORDING TO TEST FORMAT Discrete-point testing Integrative testing to test two or more to test single element (often a number of) of language or skills or features of skill at a time. language together. OTHER TYPES OF TESTS Power test to measure the level of performance with sufficient difficulty and ample time to complete. Speed test to measure the level of performance with many easy test items and a time limit. OTHER TYPES OF TESTS Computer adaptive testing using computer to present test content and can match individual testee’s ability. Standardized test Test that has been experimentally evaluated and found valid and reliable. CONTENTS: Session 02: (Teacher-Centered) Types of tests? Criteria of a good test  CRITERIA OF A GOOD TEST First: What is a good test?  A GOOD TEST IS.. An evaluation through which teachers measure learner’s abilities and points of weaknesses and strengths. Gauges their knowledge in the field of study and provides both sides with real feedback. A good test should ensure that learners are ready to move to the next step whether this step is a high school, college and so on.  CRITERIA OF A GOOD TEST 1. Validity 2. Reliability 3. Administrability 4. Scorabilty 5. Interpretability 6. Economy 7.  CRITERIA OF A GOOD TEST VALIDITY Validity refers to the extent to which the test serves its purpose or the efficiency with which it measures what it intends to measure.  CRITERIA OF A GOOD TEST VALIDITY Factors that are considered sentence structures to influence the validity of 4. Difficulty of items tests in general. (Gronlund, 5. Construction of test 1981) items 1. Appropriateness of test 6. Length of the test items 7. Arrangement of items 2. Directions 8. Patterns of answers 3. Reading vocabulary and  CRITERIA OF A GOOD TEST RELIABILITY Reliability means consistency. Test reliability refers to the consistency of scores obtained by the same person when retested by the same test or by an equivalent form of the test. (Anastasi, 1977)  CRITERIA OF A GOOD TEST RELIABILITY FACTORS THAT AFFECT RELIABILITY (Gronlund, 1981): 1. Length of the test 2. Difficulty of the test 3. Objectivity  CRITERIA OF A GOOD TEST ADMINISTRABILITY A good test can be administered with ease, clarity and uniformity. Test procedures are standardized so as to achieve uniformity of procedure in administering the test. Testing conditions are controlled in such a way that they are the same for all examinees. This is done so that the scores obtained by them are comparable.  CRITERIA OF A GOOD TEST SCORABILITY A good test is easy to score. Test result should be easily available to both the student and the teacher so that proper remedial and follow-up measures and curricular adjustments can be made.  CRITERIA OF A GOOD TEST INTERPRETABILITY The results can be useful only when they are properly evaluated. However , they can only be evaluated after they are interpreted. If they are interpreted correctly and applied, they can be useful in sound education decisions.  CRITERIA OF A GOOD TEST ECONOMY Tests should be economical. They should not burden the teacher who has to spend her time in many other teaching and non- teaching functions.  MAIN TYPES OF TEST TECHNIQUES 1. Formal testing: testees are told in advance what they need to know, what the criteria are for success, and so on. 2. Informal testing: a homework assignment questions asked during the routine give-and-take of classroom interaction textbook exercises.  ELICITATION TECHNIQUES 1. Questions and answers. 7. Transformation. 2. True/false. 8. Rewriting. 3. Multiple-choice. 9. Translation 4. Gap-filling and completion. 10. Essay 5. Matching. 11. Monologue 6. Dictation.  ELICITATION TECHNIQUES 1. Questions and answers Simple questions, very often following reading, or as part of an interview; may require short or long answers  ELICITATION TECHNIQUES 2. True/false A statement is given which is to be marked true or false. This may also be given as a question, in which case the answer is yes or no.  ELICITATION TECHNIQUES 3. Multiple-choice The question consists of a stem and a number of options (usually four), from which the testee has to select the right one.  ELICITATION TECHNIQUES 4. Gap-filling and completion The testee has to complete a sentence by filling a gap or adding something. A gap may or may not be signalled by a blank or dash; the word to be inserted may or may not be given or hinted at.  ELICITATION TECHNIQUES 5. Matching The testee is faced with two groups of words, phrases or sentences; each item in the first group has to be linked to a different item in the second.  ELICITATION TECHNIQUES 6. Dictation The tester dictates a passage or set of words; the testee writes them down.  ELICITATION TECHNIQUES 7. Transformation A sentence is given; the testee has to change it according to some given instruction.  ELICITATION TECHNIQUES 8. Rewriting A sentence is given; the testee rewrites it, incorporating a given change of expression, but preserving the basic meaning.  ELICITATION TECHNIQUES 9. Translation The testee is asked to translate expressions, sentences or entire passages to or from the target language.  ELICITATION TECHNIQUES 10. Essay The testee is given a topic, such as 'Childhood memories', and asked to write an essay of a specific length.  ELICITATION TECHNIQUES 11. Monologue The testee is given a topic or question and asked to speak about it fora minute or two.  WHICH TO CHOOSE? Which you will choose to use for a certain testing purpose will probably depend mainly on the following considerations: 1) What will it tell me about the testee's knowledge? In other words, for what type of knowledge might it be a valid test? 2) How easy is it to compose? 3) How easy is it to administer? 4) How easy is it to mark? DO YOU KNOW THAT..  STAGES OF TEST CONSTRUCTION 1. Planning 2. Preparing 3. Reviewing 4. Revising  PLANNING THE TEST The amount of efforts in the construction of language test varies with consideration of type and purpose of the test. Classroom teachers spend little time for the preparation for essay or short-answer test. Complex procedures followed by professional test designers are unfamiliar to the majority of teachers.  PLANNING THE TEST Questions for Test Planners: 1. What are the topics and materials on which the students are to be tested? 2. What kind of questions should be constructed? 3. What item and test formats or layouts should be used?  PLANNING THE TEST Questions for Test Planners: 4. When, where, and how should the test be given? 5. How should the completed test papers be scored and evaluated? Note: The first 3 questions pertain to test design and construction, the 4th question to test administration, and the 5th question to test scoring. PLANNING THE TEST The preparation of a test to measure specific language objectives is most effective when the behaviors to be assessed are clearly defined during planning stage. BLOOM’S TAXONOMY PREPARING THE TEST Once we select the objective of the test, now we will collect the information/data to make the test valid and reliable. PREPARING THE TEST Various techniques of classifying test items according to their format or the form of response required have been already suggested. Teachers select appropriate tools and techniques, then create the test items (i.e., questions). (Please refer to session 3-1: test elicitation techniques) PREPARING THE TEST The selection of a technique should be based on: Content objectives & topics Administration of test Addressees (i.e., testees) & their levels of performance Timing Scoring procedures  REVIEWING THE TEST Once the test is prepared now it is time to be confirming the validity, reliability and usability of the test. After reviewing the items, the teacher would offer some comments for modifications of these items. After making necessary modifications, the first draft of the test would be ready to go under the scrutiny of the pretesting step. REVIEWING THE TEST Examples of some final reviewing decisions: 1. Is the length of the test appropriate for the time limits? 2. How should the items be grouped or arranged on the pages of the test booklet? REVIEWING THE TEST 3. Are answers to be marked in the test booklet, or is a special answer sheet to be used? 4. How will the test booklet and answer sheet be produced ? 5. what should be included in the directions? REVISING THE TEST Based on the observations and suggestions made during the reviewing phase, the final version of the test is composed. TEST ADMINISTRATION It deals with the total organization, management, execution, supervision of tests along with proper follow up functions and adequate reporting and utilization of test results. TEST ADMINISTRATION Test Administration is divided into two parts: 1. What should be done before testing? (preplanning) 2. What is to be done during testing? (testing operation) PRE-PLANNING Examiner’s Duties before the Test 1. Announcing the test 2. Becoming familiar with the test 3. Ensuring satisfactory testing conditions 4. Minimizing Cheating PRE-PLANNING 1. Announcing the test Examinees should be informed beforehand: when and where the test will be administered, with what content it will deal what sort of test (objective, essay, oral) Students deserve a chance to prepare themselves for tests, intellectually, emotionally, and physically. PRE-PLANNING 2. Becoming familiar with the test If the test constructor and the examiner are the same person, there is no question of the latter’s familiarity with the test material and administration procedure. But because administrator of standardized test is rarely the same person who constructed the test, the latter will need to study the accompanying manual carefully before attempting to give the test. PRE-PLANNING 3. Ensuring satisfactory testing conditions To make certain that seating, lighting, ventilation, temperature, noise level and other physical conditions are appropriate. Special provisions may be made for examinees who have physical handicaps or are physically different from most other examinees. PRE-PLANNING 4. Minimizing Cheating Comfortable seating that minimizes cheating should be arranged. Preparing multiple forms (different items or different item arrangement) Several proctors should be employed whenever a large group of people are tested. TESTING OPERATION Examiner’s Duties during the Test 1. Following Test Directions 2. Establishing Rapport 3. Being Prepared for Special Problems TESTING OPERATION Examiner’s Duties during the Test 1. Following Test Directions Examiner is asked to follow the directions for administration carefully even when further explanation to examinees might clarify their task. Departures from the standard directions may present a different task to examiners than the test designers had in mind. TESTING OPERATION Examiner’s Duties during the Test 2. Establishing Rapport Examiner must have a behavior that tends to create a condition of rapport, a relationship between examiner and examinees that encourage the latter to do their best. TESTING OPERATION Examiner’s Duties during the Test 3. Being Prepared for Special Problems A test situation creates a certain amount of tension in almost everyone, and occasionally an examinee may become quite anxious, etc. Certain measures coupled with sensitivity and patience on the part of the examiner can provide better opportunity for the handicapped individuals and those with problems to demonstrate their capabilities. TEST EVALUATION (SCORING) 1. Make an answer key in advance 2. Any scoring rule must be applied to all students. 3. Score one part for all before moving to the next so that a general idea of students’ strengths and/weakness can be observed. 4. Make sure scoring marks are visible 5. Write student’s score on their test – if it will be returned to them TEST EVALUATION (SCORING) Ø SCORING SUBJECTIVE TESTS: ESSAY TEST Recommendations (so that scores will be as objective and reliable as possible) 1. The tester must decide whether to score the question as a whole or assign separate weights to different components. (rubric) 2. Whole (global) scoring is common, but it is perhaps more meaningful to use analysis scoring procedure in which points are given for each item of information or skill included to an answer. TEST EVALUATION (SCORING) Ø SCORING OBBJECTIVE TESTS: True/False 1. A unique advantage of objective test is the efficiency and objectivity with which they can be scored. 2. A teacher can score objective tests quickly and accurately manually or with a scoring machine. Thus, the test papers can be returned to the examinees soon. 3. Items may be scored by assigning 1 point to each correct response and 0 point to each incorrect or omitted response. END OF SESSION 3  Session 5 Session 1 Session 6 Session 2 Session 7 Session 3 Language Testing ü Session 4 CONTENTS: Session 04: (Teacher-Centered) Alternative assessment ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENT A new proposal that emerged in the 1990’s The proposal was to assemble additional measurement of students, in order to triangulate data about students. ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENT Alternative assessments are wide ranging and often include: 1. Portfolios 2. Journals 3. Observation 4. Self-assessment 5. Peer-assessment 6. Presentations 7. Reports 8. Reflective papers