Assessment termonology

Assessment termonology

1. Assessment

   • This term refers to he wide ad divere process to alue students´ development, it is a subconsciious process that is a tool to assess students.
     • Tets are a type of assessment method that tell the teachers about students´abilities and knowledge.
       • The test is a method, and useful tool fro teachers, it includes a set of techniques, procedures or items managed by he teacher in an appropriate way. the method must be explicit and well structured. such us: multiple choice.
         • the test must be measure: tests can provide results of students´progress about specific skills or competences.
           • Tests measure performance and the results provide evidence od the development of abilities, or competences.
             • Tests measures the ability to speak, write, read, listen vocabulary and grammar. So testers con appraise general competence
               • tests measure a specific domain. Proficiency in a langage is an example of domain so people can take proficiency tests to determine general competences in all skills
             • Measurement is the process to quantify individual´s achivement. Quantitative description of the learners´perfoermance helps teachers understand how many, how much the students is reaching the learning, and qualitative description can answer the question why and how students performed during a test.
               • When a teacher evaluates, he makes an interpretation of information.
   • Informal assessment
     • Refers to a spontaneous form to measure students´progress without any grading criteria, Provide constructive feedback to help themdevelop or improve their performance
   • Formal assessment
     • Checks out learners performance objectively, some xamples of formal assessment are tests, quizzes and questionaries. also portfolios and jourmals could be used as a way to asess formaly because they might fit the learning objectives
   • Formative assessment
     • helps teachers identify weaknesses and strenghts. this assessment let teachers monitor progress so that the learners achieve their progress, this kind of assessment helps indenify musconceptions, struggles, and learning gaps, some examples are: weekly quizzes, surveys, and homework assigments.
   • Summative assessment
     • Evaluates fromally student´s learning, knowledge, proficiency or success are the end of the course, in contrast fromative assessment, summative includes complete chapters or content areas .

2. Purpose and types of assessment

   • Depending on the purpsse of assessment and evaluation instrument, educators design tests, tests measure proficiency, to place students on the right level, to a diagnose the level of proficiency learners have.
     • there are tests caled teacher-made. these tests measure the leve of proficiency students have in a didactic unit.
   • Achievement tests
     • is intended to measure just a specific part of the program. these tests are administered at the end of the unit, lesson or course and also help to teachers to diagnose their students. It could be formative or summative. its formative when it provides information to teachers on the need feeedbck and desicion taking, it is summative when administratered at the end of the unit, this kind of test can last from 3 min - 5 hours.
   • Diagnostic tests
     • is administratered at the beginning of a program to determine what skiolls need to be developed and included. An achievement test is administered at the end of the course, a dignostic test shows the content students need to be working on. and it offers information about the learners´skills.
   • Placement test
     • The obejctive is to place a learner on the right level. is composed by sample materials which will be covered in a particular area.
   • proficiency test
     • evaluate students general competence, according to the CEFR
   • Aptitude test
     • It measures the ability a person has to learn language, and it can predict the success a learner may have during the taking course. The moder language aptitude test (MLAT) AND the Pimsleur Language Aptitude Battery (PLAB) thse tests give information about learning styles and preferences.

3. Principle of language assessment

   • PRACTICALITY
     • DEALS with the administrative process involved in assessing and instrument, it includes making, giving and scoring a test.
       • the term impractical is also discussed and defined as the quality not to accomplish the test objectives. a long test is impractical.
     • It does not surpass the budget limits
     • It is taken within the given time
     • It jhas clear instructions
     • It used human and material resources apprripriately
   • Realiablility
     • Is a term hat delas with the consistency of test results
       • learner related reliability: it occurs whaen the test tekar suffers from physical or phychological factors like illness and anxiety
       • Inter-rater reliability: it happens when two or more scorers agree on the test results
       • Test administration reiability it deals with the conditions of test administration, the quality of the exam photocopy, the noise outside the classroom
       • Test reliability: occurs when the test cause measurement errors.subjective tests tend to be less reliable than objective tests due to its nature
   • Validity
     • Involves measure, example a writing test must evaluate the pocess of writing sentences and words. A reading test must involve understanding of a text.
     • Content realted validity; refers to the measurement of important sections of the subject.
     • Criterion-realated validity: the measure must agree with the standard the test is valid when it happens
     • Construct realted validity: a construct can be defined as a theme, an idea, subject, a skills.
   • Authenticity: when is is design to apply knowledge in new situations, it is authentisy when it focus on real world events of life
     • Problem solving
       • Role play
   • Washback effect: exists when a test has grate influence on the way a professor teaches, it offers learners the chance to know the test format in advance, and students presare suficiently, it get feedback before teh exam