Van-Trao, Nguyen PhD - Hanoi University
Van-Trao, Nguyen PhD - Hanoi University
Van-Trao, Nguyen PhD - Hanoi University

Summer, 2011

Week 1
Course Overview and Test Types
Module 5119
Language Testing and Assessment
Van-Trao, Nguyen PhD - Hanoi University
Points to be covered
Overview of the course
Aims and objectives
Course structure
Assessment
Introduction – Language Testing and Assessment
Van-Trao, Nguyen PhD - Hanoi University
Aims: This module is designed to
introduce underlying principles of language testing and assessment,
provide an overview of the major characteristics & purposes of different types of classroom tests
examine criteria for test construction
provide experience and practice in critiquing & constructing test items,
explore ways of testing macro skills: L, S, R, W
Van-Trao, Nguyen PhD - Hanoi University
Objectives
Upon the completion of this course you should be able to:
demonstrate an awareness of assessment types and of which are most appropriate for their own teaching situation;
understand various issues in language test development;
appraise the value of language test items and language test designs;
produce assessment materials suitable for a range of abilities and testing the full range of skills;
differentiate between diagnostic, achievement and proficiency testing; and
develop the ability to think critically about findings in research in language assessment and testing.
Van-Trao, Nguyen PhD - Hanoi University
Course structure
3-hour seminar (1.30 – 4.00 pm on Wednesdays/Thursdays)
Readings
Hughes, A. 2003, Testing for language teachers (2nd ed.). Cambridge: CUP.
McNamara (2000). Language Testing. Oxford: OUP
Teaching staff
Van-Trao, Nguyen (course coordinator)
Office: IEC D6 Hanoi University
Phone: 0123 774 5815
Email: lantrao99@gmail.com
Van-Trao, Nguyen PhD - Hanoi University
Assessment
Active participation (10%)
Leading discussions (Due in Week 4) (20%)
(group work)
Academic Essay (Due on 22 July, 2011) (70%)
(group work)
Van-Trao, Nguyen PhD - Hanoi University
Discussion Activity 1
How do you define
testing?
assessment?
What phrases come to your mind that include the words
‘test’,
‘tests’
‘testing’?
What phrases do you associate with ‘assessment’?
Van-Trao, Nguyen PhD - Hanoi University
Testing …
What is a language test?
Van-Trao, Nguyen PhD - Hanoi University
Testing/Assessment
Universal feature of social life – almost impossible to get away from testing (medical test, driving test, job interview, school exams)
Role of testing in society – gate keeping, maintaining standards, detection, establishing identity
Carried out for a variety of purposes: addressing the enhancement of learning,... ???
Negative associations
sense of failure, judgement,
Van-Trao, Nguyen PhD - Hanoi University
Figure: Tests, assessment, and teaching (Brown, 2003, p. 5)
Van-Trao, Nguyen PhD - Hanoi University
Assessment
Informal: incidental, unplanned comments
Formal: systematic, planned: occur periodically
All tests are Formal assessment ;
But, not all formal assessment is testing
Tests:
usually relatively time-constrained (usually spanning a class period or at most several hours)
draw on a limited sample of behaviour
Van-Trao, Nguyen PhD - Hanoi University
Assessment
Van-Trao, Nguyen PhD - Hanoi University
Formative assessment
Teachers use it
Check on the progress of their students;
See how far they have mastered what they should have learned;
And then to use this information to modify their future teaching plans.
It can also be the basis for feedback to the students
Format: e.g. informal test or quizzes
Van-Trao, Nguyen PhD - Hanoi University
Van-Trao, Nguyen PhD - Hanoi University
Summary Figure
Van-Trao, Nguyen PhD - Hanoi University
What is a language test?

“a procedure for gathering evidence of general or specific language abilities from performance on tasks designed to provide a basis for predictions about an individual’s use of those abilities in real world contexts”
(McNamara, 2000, p.11).
Van-Trao, Nguyen PhD - Hanoi University
Language Testing
Lang testing has been the more established field within applied linguistics and language education.

Why? Partly because constructs such as language proficiency have to be made explicit if they are to serve as models for test design and validation purposes.

Lang testing involves the assessment of some or all aspects of the lang. ability of individuals and for some set of purposes.
Van-Trao, Nguyen PhD - Hanoi University
Discussion Activity 2 - Where do you stand?
How important are tests and examinations in the education system best known to you?
What is your position on this situation? Are tests/examinations important enough? Are they too important? Are the tests/examinations in use appropriate for the educational goals that teachers value? What are these goals?
Are language teaching programs evaluated in a systematic way? Are they evaluated at all? If so, who carries out the evaluation? Do teachers have a role, and is this role a suitable one? Is evaluation also linked to staff appraisal, and should this be the case? Why /why not?
Van-Trao, Nguyen PhD - Hanoi University
Why test?
Testing - making inferences
Test administrator infers general competence
e.g., a certain level of general reading ability
Test performances – the basis for making inferences in performances in real life
e.g., a proficiency test
Primary use of testing is
to gather information
To help us make decisions
That will lead to beneficial consequences for stake holders (ourselves, our fellow teachers, test takers, school administrators, parents, guardians, potential employers, funding agencies)
Van-Trao, Nguyen PhD - Hanoi University
Van-Trao, Nguyen PhD - Hanoi University
Types of decisions for which language tests are used
Van-Trao, Nguyen PhD - Hanoi University
Types of decisions (Cont.)
Gate-keeping role: accepting or denying someone passage into the next stage of a journey: e.g., entrance, readiness
Administrators: Source of information for making decisions for educational program: e.g., placement, changes in instruction, changes in approaches to or strategies of learning, achievement/progress, certification
Research: Indicators of abilities in research on language, language teaching.
Van-Trao, Nguyen PhD - Hanoi University
Decisions with care!
Test developers and test users (decision makers) must be aware of these:
Interpretations about test takers’ language ability:
Meaningful
Impartial (absence of bias)
Generalizable
Relevant
suficient
Assessment reports/scores
Consistent
Decisions:
equitable
Values-sensitive
Van-Trao, Nguyen PhD - Hanoi University
Types of Test
Language tests differ in respect to test method and test purpose

Method: how they are designed
Purpose: what they are for
Van-Trao, Nguyen PhD - Hanoi University
Test Method
The same form of test may be used for differing purposes.
The purpose may affect the form

Paper-and-pencil language tests (PP - tests)
Performance (-based) tests (P-tests)

Any differences?
Van-Trao, Nguyen PhD - Hanoi University
PP-tests vs. P-tests
Van-Trao, Nguyen PhD - Hanoi University
Types of Test (Cont.)
Test Purpose
Achievement tests
aim to establish what has been learned in course of instruction
Proficiency tests
aim to establish a candidate’s readiness for a particular communicative role; e.g., in a work or educational setting

Van-Trao, Nguyen PhD - Hanoi University
Achievements tests
Associated with the process of instruction
e.g., - end-of-course test
- portfolio assessment
- observational procedures for recording progress on the basis of classroom work and participation
Accumulate evidence during, or at the end of, a course of study to determine whether course objectives are met
Should support the teaching to which they relate
May be self-enclosed: may not bear direct relationship to lang. use in the world outside the classroom (may focus on knowledge of particular points of gram. or vocab.)
Achievement tests are often summative, formative and serve the diagnostic role (indicating what sts need to continue to work in the future
Van-Trao, Nguyen PhD - Hanoi University
Proficiency Tests (PTs)
look to the future situation of lang. use (subsequent non-test/criterion situation) without necessarily any reference to the previous process of teaching (McNamara, 2000).
TOEFL, IELTS
Occupational English test for health professionals
inferences from PTs are predictive or forward looking as they precede entry to the criterion setting, as in selection, screening, and certification tests.
NB: proficient means having sufficient command of the lang. for a particular purpose (Brown, 2003)
PTs are summative and norm-referenced > not provide diagnostic feedback
Van-Trao, Nguyen PhD - Hanoi University
Norm-referenced = a test taker’s performance is evaluated against the range of performances typical of a population of similar test takers
Criterion-referenced = performances are compared to one or more descriptions of adequate performance at a given level e.g. band scores

Van-Trao, Nguyen PhD - Hanoi University
Proficiency Tests (Cont.)
Key issue: how the construct of lang. ability are specified
The tasks test-takers are required to perform must be legitimate samples of English lang. use in a defined context.
Creating + validating these tasks : time-consuming and costly

Language teachers chose one of commercially available proficiency tests.
Van-Trao, Nguyen PhD - Hanoi University
Overview of common language proficiency tests
TOEFL
TOEIC
IELTS
ETS, US
UK
Test of English as a Foreign Language
One million test takers per year
P&P 310-677/ CBT 0-300
Three sections:
Listening
Structure and Written Expression
Reading Comprehension
TWE




Test of English for International Communication
TOEIC equivalent for workplace setting
two sections, 200 q.
listening
reading
entertainment, manufacturing, health, travel, finance, etc.
“objective and cost-efficient”
International English Language Testing System
Academic/General
Results reported in band scores 1-9
Listening
G.Reading
A.Reading
G.Writing
A.Writing
Speaking
Summary of Differences
Van-Trao, Nguyen PhD - Hanoi University
Language Aptitude Test
Measure capacity or general ability to learn a foreign language and ultimate success in that undertaking
In US,
The Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT) (Carroll & Sapon, 1958
The Pimsleur Language Aptitude Battery (PLAB) (Pimsleur, 1966)
More information about MLAT
http://www.2lti.com/mlat.htm#2
no research to show that those kinds of tasks predict communicative success in a language > aptitude tests seldom used today
Van-Trao, Nguyen PhD - Hanoi University
Modern Language Aptitude Test Sample
Van-Trao, Nguyen PhD - Hanoi University
Placement Tests
Place students into a particular level or section of a language curriculum or school
Usually include a sampling of the material to be covered in various courses in a curriculum
Students’ performance on the test indicates the point at which students will find material neither too easy nor too difficult but appropriately challenging
Come in many varieties: e.g., assessing comprehension and production, gap-filling formats, even use existing proficiency tests
Tailor-made (produced ‘in house’) rather bought off the peg
Van-Trao, Nguyen PhD - Hanoi University
Diagnostic Tests
To identify students’ strengths and weaknesses (where gaps exist in their command of the language
Create profiles of students’ ability
Ascertain what further teaching is necessary: be directed to sources of information, exemplification and practice
May use existing proficiency tests
Sometimes, placement tests and diagnostic tests may be indistinguishable from each other: placement test that offers (i) beyond simply designating a course level may serve diagnostic purposes.
Diagnostic tests elicit (i) on what sts need to work on in the future
Van-Trao, Nguyen PhD - Hanoi University
Test and criterion
Testing – making inferences
Test performances – indicators of how a person would perform similar or related tasks in the real world setting (e.g., role play of doctor – patient consultation)
Criterion – relevant communicative behaviour in the target situation
Van-Trao, Nguyen PhD - Hanoi University
Test and Criterion
(McNamara, 2000, p.8)
Van-Trao, Nguyen PhD - Hanoi University
Summary
Testing
A procedure of for gathering evidence of general or specific language abilities
Making inferences of test takers behaviour in real world situation
Interpretation of the data of test performance
Van-Trao, Nguyen PhD - Hanoi University
Discussion Activity 3
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”?
Discussion Activity 4
As a whole class discussion, brainstorm a variety of test tasks that you have experienced in learning a foreign language. Then decide which of those tasks are performance-based, which are not, and which ones fall in between.
Van-Trao, Nguyen PhD - Hanoi University
Van-Trao, Nguyen PhD - Hanoi University