Chapter 4

Standardized Testing

CHARO R. MADARCOS
MAT ENGLISH
 Standardized Test
 A standardized test presupposes certain standard objectives
or criteria that are held constant across one form of the test
to another.
 A good standardized test is the product of a thorough
process of empirical research and development
 It measures children’s mastery of the standards or
competencies that have been prescribed for specific grade
levels.
 Standardized Test
 Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) is designed for college entrance
exam of many high school seniors seeking further education.
 The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) for entry into many graduate
school programs like Graduate Management Admission Test
(GMAT) and the Law School Aptitude Test (LSAT) specialize in
particular disciplines
 Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) by the
Educational Testing Service (ETS) in the United States and /or its
British counterpart the International English Language Testing
System (IELTS
 What is standardization?
 The tests are standardized because they specify a set of
competencies (or standards) for a given domain, and through a
process of construct validation they program a set of tasks
that have been designed to measure those competencies.
 Multiple Choice is not the only test item type in standardized
test.
 Standards are equally involved in certain human-scored test
of oral production and writing, such as the Test of Spoken
English (TSE) and the Test of Written English (TWE) both
produced by ETS
 Advantages of Standardized Test
 It is a ready-made previously validated product that frees the
teacher from having to spend hours creating a test.

 Administration to large groups can be accomplished within

reasonable time limits.

 In the case of multiple-choice formats, scoring procedures

are streamlined for either scannable computerized scoring or
hand-scoring with a hole-punched grid for fast turnaround
time.
 Advantages of Standardized Test
 It is a reliable and objective measurement of achievement

 A standardized test teaches students prioritization

 It allows school districts to discover their good teacher

 Disadvantages of Standardized Test
 Inappropriate use of such tests
Example: Using an overall proficiency test as an achievement
test simply because of the convenience of
standardization

 Potential misunderstanding of the difference between direct

and indirect testing
 Developing a Standardized Test
1. Determine the purpose and objectives of the test
Most standardized tests are expected to provide high practicality in
administration and scoring without unduly compromising validity. It is important for
its purpose and objectives to be stated specifically

Examples:
 The purpose of TOEFL is “to evaluate the English proficiency of
people whose native language is not English” (TOEFL Test and Score
Manual, 2001, p.9). More specifically, the TOEFL is designed to help
institutions of higher learning make “valid decisions concerning
English language proficiency in terms of their own requirements.
 Developing a Standardized Test

 The ESLPT is designed to make placement.

 The GET is given to prospective graduate students -- both native and non-
native speakers – in all disciplines to determine whether their writing ability is
sufficient to permit them to enter graduate-level courses in their programs.

As we can the objectives of each of these tests are specific. The content of
each test must be designed to accomplish those particular ends.
 Developing a Standardized Test
2. Design test specifications
• This is the step of laying the foundation of the test.

Example:
 TOEFL Specifications
 Listening Section focuses on a particular feature of language or overall
listening comprehension.

 Structure Section measures an examiners ability to recognize

language that is appropriate for standard written English.
 Developing a Standardized Test
 Reading Section -- measures the ability to read and understand short
passages. Examinees read a variety of short passages on academic subjects
and answer several questions about each passage.

 Writing Section -- measures the ability to write in English, including

the ability to generate, organize and develop ideas, to support those
ideas with examples or evidence and to compose a response to one
assigned topic in standard written English.
 Developing a Standardized Test
3. Design, select, and arrange test tasks/items.
• Once specifications for a standardized test have been stipulated, task of
designing, selecting and arranging items begins.(actual items for the
test).

• This involves a lot with item response theory (IRT) and the use of
statistics. There is also need to ensure that the items measure the
actual constructs of the subject domain.

• The specs act like a blueprint in determining the number and

types of items to be created.
 Developing a Standardized Test
Example:
• TOEFL test design specifies that each item can be coded for content and
statistical characteristics. Content coding ensures that each examinee will
receive test questions that assess a variety of skills (reading, comprehending
the main idea, or understanding inferences) and cover a variety of subject
matter without unduly biasing the content toward a subset of test-takers
(for example, in the listening section involving an academic lecture, the
content must be universal enough for students from many academic fields
of study)
 Developing a Standardized Test
4. Make appropriate evaluations of different kinds of items.
• The concepts of Item Facility (IF) - % of people who give the
right answer
• Item Discrimination (ID)- indicates the extent to which success on
an item corresponds to success on the whole test
• Item Difficulty
• Performing them may not be practical especially if the classroom-
based test is a one-time test. But for a standardized multiple-choice
test that is designed to be marketed commercially, or administered
a number of times, and administered in different form, these
indices are a must.
 Developing a Standardized Test
4. Make appropriate evaluations of different kinds of items.
• There are different forms of evaluation:
 Practicality
 Clarity of directions
 Timing of the test
 Ease of administration
 Time required to score responses.
 Reliability is the degree to which an assessment tool produces stable
and consistent results.
 Facility is also a key to the validity and success of an item type. unclear
directions, complex language, obscure topics, fuzzy data and culturally
biased information may all lead to a higher level of difficulty.
 Developing a Standardized Test
5. Specify scoring procedures and reporting formats
• A systematic assembly of test items in pre-selected managements and sequences, all
of which are validated to conform to an expected difficulty level, should yield a test
that can be scored accurately and reported back to test-takers and institutions
efficiently.
Example:
The ESLPT reports a score for each of the essay sections, but the rating scale differs between them
because in one case the objective is to write a summary, and in the other to write a response to a
reading. Each essay is read by two readers; if there is a discrepancy of more than one level, a third
resolves the difference. The editing section is machine-scanned and scored with a total score and with
part-scores for each grammatical/rhetorical sections. From these data, placement administrators have
adequate information to make placements and teachers receive some diagnostic information on each
student in their classes. Students do not receive their essay back.
 Developing a Standardized Test
6. Perform ongoing construct validation studies
• No standardized instrument is expected to be used repeatedly without a
rigorous program of on-going construct validation.

• Any standardized test, once developed, must be accompanied by

systematic corroboration of its effectiveness and by steps towards its
improvement.
 Standardized Language Proficiency Test
• Test of language proficiency presuppose a comprehensive definition of the
specific competencies that comprise overall language ability.

• The specifications for the TOEFL provided an illustration of an operational

definition of ability for assessment purposes.

• Swain (1990) offered a multidimensional view of proficiency assessment by

referring to three linguistics traits (grammar, discourse, and sociolinguistics)
that can be assessed by means of oral, multiple-choice, and written responses.
 Standardized Language Proficiency Test
• Standardized oral production test:
 Test of Spoken English (TSE)

 Oral Proficiency Inventory (OPI)

 The Test of Written English (TWE)

 Standardized Language Proficiency Test
 Commercially produced standardized tests of English language
proficiency:
• TOEFL- The Test of English as a Foreign Language – it is used to
test overall proficiency (language ability)

• MELAB – The Michigan English Language Assessment Battery

• IELTS – The International English Language Testing System

• TOEIC – Test of English for International Communication