Learning Activity 1_Pinargote Véliz_Carlos Daniel

Principles of Language Assessment

1. PRINCIPLES OF
LANGUAGE
ASSESSMENT
ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION - NRC 15610
Carlos Daniel Pinargote Véliz

2. Evaluation
Evaluation is sometimes confused with testing but, they are
not the same, they have different connotations and uses.
Teachers give value to the results of a test and those results
may be good or bad projecting consequences.
Assessment
terminology
Assessment
This term refers to the wide and diverse process to value
students’ development. In other words, assessment is a series
of actions taken by the teacher to measure students’
responses, actions, performance and behavior.
Tests
Are a type of assessment method that tell the teachers about
students’ abilities and knowledge. Tests provide information
about students’ performance in certain area.
Measurement
Measurement is referred as the process to quantify individual´s
achievement. It is relevant to understand two terms:
quantitative and qualitative descriptions.
Measurement and Evaluation
Assessment and testing

3. Assessment terminology
FORMAL
ASSESSMENT
INFORMAL
ASSESSMENT
Formal assessment checks
out learners’ performance
objectively. It gives teachers
specific and clear
information about how much
individuals have learned
during a period or cycle.
Some examples of formal
assessment are tests, quizzes
and questionnaires.
The purpose of informal
assessment is to identify
the difficulties and
challenges that learner may
face. Some examples of
informal assessment are
observations, surveys or
oral presentations.
Formal and Informal Assessment

4. Assessment terminology
FORMATIVE
ASSESSMENT
SUMMATIVE
ASSESSMENT
It helps teachers to identify
weaknesses and strengths. It
enables students to manage
their self-regulatory skills by
forming their own learning.
Formative assessment can
include tutor led, peer or
self-assessment. Virtually all
kinds of informal assessment
can be formative
Summative assessment
evaluates formally
student’s learning,
knowledge, proficiency or
success at the end of a
period such as a unit,
course, or program.
Summative includes
complete chapters or
content areas and therefore
it is considered to be more
of a “product”
Formative and Summative Assessment

5. Types and purposes of
assessment
Achievement tests
Teachers use mostly a test to
measure their students´ ability
within a lesson, unit or a complete
program. An achievement test is
intended to measure just a specific
part of a program.
Diagnostic tests
A diagnostic test is
administered at the
beginning of a program to
determine what skills
need to be developed and
included.
Placement test
The principal purpose of a
placement test is to place
a learner on the right level
of the program or
curriculum.
Proficiency tests Aptitude tests
Proficiency tests evaluate
students` general
competence. They do not
focus on one specific
skill, but on the overall.
An aptitude test measures
the ability a person has to
learn a language, specially a
foreign or second language
before taking a course.

6. Principles of language
assessment
It includes making, giving, and scoring a test. Some other detains like cost, time scores, and
results are also addresses. The term impractical is also discussed and defined as the quality not
to accomplish the test objectives. For example, a very long test which consumes a lot of time is
impractical. When a learner takes an almost no time to take a test and a teacher several hours to
evaluate is another example of test impractical. If a test is graded by a computer program, but
there is no computer around is also impractical. When teachers plan a test containing audio
exercises, but the audio and the test items do not match is also an example of impractical.
Practicality

7. Test administration
reliability
Principles of language
assessment
Learner-Related
reliability
It occurs when the test-taker
suffers from physical or
psychological factors like
illness or anxiety. These
factors interfere on the final
test results
Inter-rater reliability
It happens when two or
more scorers agree on the
test results. In other words,
the scores provided by the
examiners do not change.
Test reliability
Test reliability occurs when
the test cause measurement
errors. Subjective tests tend to
be less reliable than objective
tests due to its nature.
It deals with the conditions
of test administration. For
example, the quality of the
exam photocopy, the light
in the classroom.
Reliability
Reliability is a term that deals with the consistency of test
results. For instance, same test, same students on two
different dates, the results should be the same.

8. Principles of language
assessment
Validity
CONTENT-
RELATED VALIDITY CRITERION-
RELATED VALIDITY
CONSTRUCT-
RELATED VALIDITY
Content validity refers to the
measurement of all important
sections of the subject or
content. A test must evaluate
most of the content covered
in the course.
It is the relationship
between a measure and a
standard (an external
criterion).
Construct validity
determines if a test
assesses what it is supposed
to. The test has to be
constructed to measure the
content of a course.
Validity tests what is proposed to be measured. In other words,
validity involves measure what is supposed to be measured.

9. Principles of language
assessment
AUTHETICITY
WASHBACK EFFECT
A test or assignment is said to have authenticity when it is designed to apply knowledge in new situations.
Evaluations are authentic when they focus on real world events of life. Authentic assessment is different
from traditional assessment due to the fact that they are linked to the real world. Authentic tasks require
time and effort to be elaborated.
The washback effect exists when a test has great influence on the way a professor teaches. Teachers may
find their teaching practices very similar to the summative evaluation since they want their students to
pass examinations. Washback has great effect of tests on teaching and learning.