语言测试Week 1 Language Testing Introduction

1、Language Testing Course introductionSpring semester, 2015What is language testing?What activities are involved in testing?What is language testing?n Language abilityTesting specificationsTesting paperStudents performanceTesting scoresTest useDesignAdministrate Score Make decisions DesignersTest make

2、rsDecision-makersRaters Test-takersn语言测试是对语言能力的一次抽样推理过程，即，通过一份试卷（抽样过程）的考试组织，使用其考试成绩推导考生的目标语言能力 （推理过程）。n考试分数 语言能力 ？What to be expected How to design a testCriteria of a good testHow to grade a testHow to analyze test itemsHow to analyze students performanceHow to report the results of a testWhy do we

3、 need this course?n考试大国nPracticalitynInfluence on teaching and learning interpreting test results knowing how to choose a good testn英语社会化考试我国将建立统一英语能力测评标我国将建立统一英语能力测评标准准 本报北京10月30日电（记者姚晓丹）能用英语熟练沟通是什么等级？能同步听说、无障碍收看英语节目又处在什么等级？如何科学衡量学生的英语能力？这些问题即将得到解答。教育部党组成员、部长助理林蕙青30日表示，我国即将出台一套“覆盖大中小学各教育阶段、覆盖听说读写译综

4、合能力、覆盖各种形式外语学习成果的评价系统，使我国英语教学和测评车同轨、量同衡”。 林蕙青是在30日召开的“国家外语能力测评体系建设启动会暨中国英语能力等级量表研制总体方案论证会”上做出这番表述的。她进一步阐释：“目前，我国外语考试种类多，标准不一，功能各异。考试之间横向纵向均不具可比性，互不沟通，造成学生在毕业、升学、就业、出国、鉴定外语水平时不得不参加各种名目的英语考试。一方面加重了学习者的负担，另一方面造成了社会资源浪费。而且，考试多、证书多，教学单位、用人单位也难以了解证书的含义。建立国家统一制定的能力测评标准，有利于科学选材、促进教育公平，也为政府行政决策、学校教学改革、用人单位外语

5、评价等不同需求提供服务。” 据悉，中国英语能力等级量表以交际语言能力为基础，在“听、说、读、写、译”等方面都有详细规定。仅“听”就分为“听对话、听口头通知和指令、听学术讲座、听广播、电视等不同种类”。教育部高等学校外国语言文学类专业教学指导委员会、英语专业教学指导委员会等专家就量表的细节进行了深入探讨。教育部外语能力量表保障高考英语一年多教育部外语能力量表保障高考英语一年多考考 晨报讯（记者 李小娟 刘佳）昨日，北京晨报记者从教育部新闻办获悉，目前，教育部正在建立首个统一外语能力测评体系，该体系将覆盖大中小学各教育阶段，并针对听说读写等综合能力的考查分别制定标准。教育部考试中心相关负责人表示，

6、该体系或将打通英语四六级考试、研究生英语入学考试间的“互认”。同时，制定国家外语能力量表。 教育部党组成员、部长助理林蕙青表示，中国英语能力等级量表将推动高考英语考试考查的能力更全面，进一步促进基础英语教学立足于学生听说读写等各方面能力的全面协同发展；要有利于高考英语题库建设，保障一年多次考试的实施；要能为分省命题机构提供统一的能力标准，使各省试卷有一个对比的基础，提高分省命题的质量和科学性。Assessment nMid-term (50%) theory + test design It will be given around Week 9.nTest and item analysis

7、 (50%) Due in Week 16. Week 4 7Week10 16Week 1 3kinds of TestsFunctions of testsApproaches to test constructionways of interpreting the test resultsTypes of tests in terms of scoring1.Functions of TestingnTo place students in appropriate classes in a course or programnTo locate students strengths an

8、d areas of learning difficulties or diagnose Ss needs & weaknessesnTo evaluate class achievement at the end of a term or a course (e.g., graduate program)nTo select students for certain courses or programsnTo find out proficiency/progress1.Functions of TestingnProficiency testsnAchievement testsnDia

9、gnostic Tests nPlacement Tests Proficiency Tests (水平测试）nto measure the learners competence in a LanguagenNot based on the content or objectives of a language course nbut based on certain specified abilities that successful candidates should demonstratene.g., CET4, TEM4, Cambridge Exams, TOEFL, etcAc

10、hievement Tests（学业成就测试） degree of success in some past learning activity.nIt is limited to particular material covered in a curriculum within a particular time frame (Brown, 1994). nEg. FinalsDiagnostic Tests（诊断测试） to find out what language skills or knowledge the learner knows and what he/she dose

11、not know so as to diagnose his/her difficulties in learning.Placement Test（分级测试） to put the learners at an appropriate level in a course and sort new students into different levels of teaching groups so that they can receive training proper to their level.2. Approaches to test constructionDirect tes

12、ting: Indirect testing: it requires the candidate to perform precisely the skill that we wish to measure. it attempts to measure the abilities that underlie the skills in which we are interested. Eg. Writing tasks, speaking tasksTesting to grammar, MC to measure writing ability.Discrete vs. integrat

13、ive testingnaccording to approaches to test construction Discrete Point Testing (分立型测试） one language element at a time (e.g., grammar, vocabulary, reading, writing, etc) the assumption L can be broken down into its component parts and adequately tested. Integrative Testing（综合型测试） A language test tha

14、t attempts to test/assess a learners capacity to use language (many bits all at the same time (e.g., Cloze, dictation) the assumption L competence cannot be separated requires the learner to use several language skills at the same time.3. ways of interpreting the test resultsnCriterion-referenced Te

15、sts（标准参照性测试）Criterion-referenced T:a students score is interpreted with reference to an agreed criterion score Eg. Tests for driving license, CET 4, finals. nNorm-referenced Tests (常规参照性测试） Norm-referenced T: a students score is interpreted with reference to the scores of other students or group of

16、students. NMET, examinations for postgraduateNorm-referenced tests nMeasure global language abilities (e.g. listening, reading speaking, writing)nScore on a test is interpreted relative to the scores of all other students who took the testnNormal distributionNormal Distribution高考标准分算法：T= 500 + 100ZN

17、orm-referenced testsnStudents know the format of the test but do not know what specific content or skill will be testednA few relatively long subtests with a variety of question contentsCriterion-referenced testsnMeasure well-defined and fairly specific objectivesnInterpretation of scores is conside

18、red absolute without referring to other students scoresnDistribution of scores need not to be normalnStudents know in advance what types of questions, tasks, and content to expect for the testnA series of short, well-defined subtests with similar question contents“略带偏见略带偏见”的中西方教育比较的中西方教育比较4. Types o

19、f tests in terms of scoringnObjective testsnSubjective testsWhat is an Objective test?nA test that can be marked without the use of the examiners personal judgment.nA test item that requires the choice of a single correct answer.Objective Test Itemsnmultiple choice itemsnthe true-false itemnmatching itemnshort answer itemncomplet