Scoring a test

Scoring a test

1. Scoring

   • Your scoring plan reflects the relative weight that you place on each section and items in each section
   • Depending on your overall objectives, you decide to place more weight on the sections that are most important
   • Assigning scoring for each item is a matter of numerical common sence
   • Some aspects you would like to consider when scoring
     • The oral section should reflect fluency, prosodic features, accuracy of the target grammatical objectives, and discourse appropriateness.
     • The writing sample has two scores: one for grammar/mechanics and one for the overall effectiveness of the message.
   • After administering the test once, you may decide to shift some of the weights or to make other changes

2. Grading

   • Assigning a grade to a test is a product of:
     • The country, culture, and context of the classroom
     • Institutional expectations (most of them unwritten)
     • Explicit and implicit definitions of grades that you have set forth
     • The relationship you have established with the class
     • Student expectations that have been engendered in previous tests and quizzes in the class

3. Giving feedback

   • A section on scoring and grading would not be complete without some consideration of the forms in which you will offer feedback to your students
   • You might choose to return the test to the student with one of, or a combination of, any of the possibilities
     • A letter grade
       • Virtually give no feedback.
       • They offer the student only a modest sense of where that student stands and a vague idea of overall performance.
     • A total score
       • Virtually give no feedback
       • They offer the student only a modest sense of where that student stands and a vague idea of overall performance.
     • Four subscores (speaking, listening, reading, writing).
       • Give a student a chance to see the relative strength of each skill area and so becomes minimally useful.
     • For the listening and reading sections
       • Represent the kind of response a teacher can give (including stimulating a student self-assessment) that approaches maximum washback.
       • Students are provided with individualized feedback that has good potential for "washing back" into their subsequent performance.
         • An indication of correct/incorrect responses
         • Marginal comments
     • For the oral section
       • Represent the kind of response a teacher can give (including stimulating a student self-assessment) that approaches maximum washback.
       • Students are provided with individualized feedback that has good potential for "washing back" into their subsequent performance.
         • Scores for each element being rated
         • A checklist of areas needing work
         • Oral feedback after the interview
         • A post-interview conference to go over the results
           • Time and logistics of large classes may not permit it
     • On the essay
       • Represent the kind of response a teacher can give (including stimulating a student self-assessment) that approaches maximum washback.
       • Students are provided with individualized feedback that has good potential for "washing back" into their subsequent performance.
         • Scores for each element being rated
         • A checklist of areas needing work
         • Marginal and end-of-essay comments, suggestions
         • A post-test conference to go over work
           • Time and logistics of large classes may not permit it.
         • A self-assessment
     • On all or selected parts of the test, peer checking and results
       • Viable possibility
     • A whole-class discussion of results of the test
       • Viable possibility
     • Individual conferences with each student to review the whole test.
       • Impractical
   • Washback is achieved when students can, through the testing experience, identify their areas of success and challenge.
     • When a test becomes a learning experience, it achieves washback.