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CHAPTER 1
DESIGNING CLASSROOM LANGUAGE TESTS

Short Description
This chapter discusses test types that consist of language aptitude tests, proficiency
tests, placement tests, diagnostic tests and achievement tests; some practical steps to test
construction, and scoring, grading and giving feedback.
Basic Competence
Students are able to design classroom language test that covers
 Test types
 Some practical steps to test construction
 Scoring, grading, and giving feedback

1.1 Test Types

Defining our purpose will help us to choose the right type of test, and it also helps
us to focus on the specific objectives of the test. There are five test types will be
discussed in the following subsection.
1.1.1 Language Aptitude Tests
A language aptitude test is designed to measure capacity or general ability to learn
a foreign language and ultimate success in that undertaking. Language aptitude tests are
designed to apply to the classroom learning of any language. Two standardized tests
have been in the United States: the Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT), and the
Pimsleur Language Aptitude Battery (PLAB). Both are English Language Tests and
requires students to perform a number of language-related tasks.
1.1.2 Proficiency Tests
Testing proficiency is a test that measure overall ability. Proficiency tests have
traditionally consisted of standardized multiple-choice items on grammar, vocabulary,
reading comprehension, and aural comprehension. Sometimes sample of writing is
added.
Proficiency tests are almost always summative and norm-referenced. They provide
results in the form of a single score. A typical example of a standardized proficiency test
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is the test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL*) produced by the educational
Testing Service. A key issue in testing proficiency is how the constructs of language
ability are specified. The tasks that test-takers are required to perform must be
legitimate samples of English language use in defined context.
1.1.3 Placement Tests
The purpose of placement tests are to place a student into a particular level or
section of a language curriculum or school. A placement test includes a sampling of the
material to be covered in the various courses in a curriculum.
Placement tests come in many varieties: assessing comprehension and production,
responding through written and oral performance, open ended and limited responses,
selection, and gap-filling format, depending on the nature of a program and its needs.
1.1.4 Diagnostic Tests
A diagnostic test is designed to diagnose specified aspects of a language. A test in
pronunciation, for example, might diagnose the phonological features of English that are
difficult for learners and should therefore become part of a curriculum. A typical
diagnostic test of oral production was created by Clifford Prator (1972) to accompany a
manual of English pronunciation. Test-takers are directed to read a 150 word passage
while they tape recorded. The test administrator then refers to an inventory of
phonological items for analyzing a learner’s production.
1.1.5 Achievement Tests
An achievement test is related directly to the classroom lessons, units, or even a
total curriculum. Achievement tests are limited to particular material addresses in a
curriculum within a particular time frame and are offered after a course has focused on
the objectives in question. Achievement tests can also serve the diagnostic role of
indicating what a student needs to continue to work on in the future.
Achievement tests are often summative because they are administered at the end
of a unit or term of study. The specification for an achievement test should be
determined by (1) the objective of the lesson, unit, or course being assessed, (2) the
relative importance assigned to each objective, (3) the tasks employed in classroom
lessons during the unit of time, (4) practicality issues, and (5) the extent to which the
test structure lends itself to formative washback.
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1.2 Some Practical Steps to Test Construction

Some practical steps to test construction can be constructed by developing some
practical steps. They are (1) assessing clear, unambiguous objectives in which the test
has to reach the objectives. Each objective is stated in terms of performance elicited and
the target linguistic domain; (2) drawing up test specifications by outlining the test and
the skills to be included, and item types and tasks to be used in the test, for examples,
speaking, listening, reading, and writing; (3) devising test tasks by drafting questions to
conform to the accepted pattern of oral interviews.
1.3 Designing Multiple-Choice Test Items
The two principles that stand out in support of multiple-choice formats are
practicality and reliability. With their predetermined correct responses and time-saving
scoring procedures, multiple-choice items offers overlooked teachers that tempting
possibility of an easy and consistent process of scoring and grading. Multiple choice
items are all receptive or selective, has a stem which presents a stimulus, options or
alternatives to choose form, and one of those options, the key, is the correct response,
while the others serve as distractors.
Grondlund (1998) states four guidelines for designing multiple choice items: (1)
design each item to measure a specific objective, (2) state both stem and options as
simply and directly as possible, (3) make certain that the intended answer is clearly the
only correct one, and (4) use item indices to accept, discard, or revise items by applying
item facility, item discrimination, and distractor efficiency analysis.

1.4 Scoring, Grading, and Giving Feedback

1.4.1 Scoring
Our scoring plan reflects the relative weight that we place on each section and
items in each section. The integrated skills class that we have been using an example
focuses on listening and speaking skills with some attention to reading and writing.
Because oral production is a driving force in our overall objectives, we decide to place
more weight on the speaking (oral interview) section that the other three sections. Our
next task is to assign scoring for each item. To make matters simple, we decide to have
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a 100 point test in which (1) the listening and reading items are each 2 points, (2) the
oral interview will yield four score ranging from 5 to 1, (3) the writing sample has two
scores, 1 for grammar and 1 for correct use.

1.4.2 Grading
Assigning grades to student performance on this test would be easy: just give an
“A” for 90 -100%, a “B” 80-89%, and so on. Sometimes a percent of grade is according
to each education institution.
1.4.3 Giving Feedback
Giving feedback is very useful for developing the output of the tests. Students are
given a chance to see the relative strength of each skill area and so become minimally
useful. Students are provided individual feedback that has good potential for washing
back into their subsequent performance.

Summary
This chapter discusses test types that consist of language aptitude tests, proficiency
tests, placement tests, diagnostic tests and achievement tests; some practical steps to test
construction, and scoring, grading and giving feedback.
Test Types
Language Aptitude Tests
Language aptitude tests are designed to apply to the classroom learning of any language.
Two standardized tests have been in the United States: the Modern Language Aptitude
Test (MLAT), and the Pimsleur Language Aptitude Battery (PLAB). Both are English
Language Tests and requires students to perform a number of language-related tasks.
Proficiency Tests
Testing proficiency is a test that measure overall ability. Proficiency tests have
traditionally consisted of standardized multiple-choice items on grammar, vocabulary,
reading comprehension, and aural comprehension. Proficiency tests are almost always
summative and norm-referenced. A typical example of a standardized proficiency test is
the test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL*) produced by the educational
Testing Service. Placement Tests
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Diagnostic Tests
A diagnostic test is designed to diagnose specified aspects of a language. The test
administrator then refers to an inventory of phonological items for analyzing a learner’s
production.
Achievement Tests
Some Practical Steps to Test Construction
Each objective is stated in terms of performance elicited and the target linguistic
domain; (2) drawing up test specifications by outlining the test and the skills to be
included, and item types and tasks to be used in the test, for examples, speaking,
listening, reading, and writing; (3) devising test tasks by drafting questions to conform
to the accepted pattern of oral interviews.

Comprehension Qestion
1. Mention and explain Test types.
2. Develop and arrange some practical steps to test construction.
3. How to arrange scoring, grading, and giving feedback?

References
Bachman, L.F. 1990. Fundamental Consideration in Language Testing. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
Brown, J.D. 1996. Testing in Language Programs. New Jersey: Prentice Hall Regents.
Chomsky, N. 1965. Aspects of the Theory of Syntax. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Djiwandono, M.Soenardi. 1986. Kemampuan Berbahasa dan Penilaiannya dalam
Pengajaran Bahasa: Pidato Pengukuhan pada Penerimaan Jabatan Guru Besar
IKIP Malang. IKIP Malang.
Djiwandono, M, Soenardi. 1996. Tes Bahasa dalam Pengajaran. Bandung; Penerbit
ITB.
Ebel, R.L. and Frisbie, D.A. 1986. Essentials of Educational Measurements.New
Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc.
Groundlund, Norman E. 1986. Measurement and Evaluation in Teaching. New York:
Macmillan Publishing Company.
Heaton, J.B. 1988. Writing English Language Test. London: Longman.
Hill, L.A. 1982. Word Power 3000: Vocabulary Tests and Exercises