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XIII. Glossary Of Important Testing Terms A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U V | W | X | Y | Z Achievement test: measures what a learner knows from what he/she has been taught; this type of test is typically given by the teacher at a particular time throughout the course covering a certain amount of material.
Alternative assessment: refers to a non-conventional way of evaluating what students know and can do with the language; it is informal and usually administered in class; examples of this type of assessment include self-assessment and portfolio assessment.
Analytical scale: a type of rating scale that requires teachers to allot separate ratings for the different components of language ability i.e. content, grammar, vocabulary etc.
Authenticity: refers to evaluation based mainly on real-life experiences; students show what they have learned by performing tasks similar to those required in real-life contexts.
back to topBanding scale: a type of holistic scale that measures language competence via descriptors of language ability; an example of this is the IELTS bands from UCLES.
back to topComputer-based testing (CBT): is programmed and then administered to students on computer; question formats are frequently objective, discrete-point items; these tests are subsequently scored electronically.
Computer-adaptive testing (CAT): presents language items to the learner via computer; subsequent questions on the exam are "adapted" based on a student's response(s) to a previous question(s).
Content validity: this type of validity refers to testing what you teach how you teach it; i.e. testing content covered in some way in the course materials using formats that are familiar to the student.
Cornerstones of good testing practice: the guidelines of effective test writers; they include the concepts of validity, reliability, practicality, transparency, authenticity, security and washback.
Construct validity: refers to the fit between the theoretical and methodological approaches used in a program and the assessment instruments administered.
Criterion-referenced test: compares students' performance to particular outcomes or expectations.
back to topDescriptive statistics: describe the population taking the test; the most common descriptive statistics include mean, mode, medium, standard deviation and range; they are also known as the measures of central tendency.
Diagnostic test: a type of formative evaluation that attempts to diagnose students' strengths and weaknesses vis a vis the course materials; students receive no grades on diagnostic instruments.
Discrete-point test: an objective test that measures the students' ability to answer questions on a particular aspect of language; discrete-point items are very popular with teachers because they are quick to write and easy to score.
back to topFace validity: refers to the overall appearance of the test; it is the extent to which a test appeals to test takers.
Formative evaluation: refers to tests that are designed to measure students' achievement of instructional objectives; these tests give feedback on the extent to which students have mastered the course materials; examples of this type of evaluation include achievement tests and mastery tests.
back to topHolistic scoring: is based on an impressionistic method of scoring; an example of this is the scoring used with the TOEFL Test of Written English (TWE).
back to topIntegrative testing: goes beyond discrete-point test items and contextualizes language ability.
Inter-rater reliability: attempts to standardize the consistency of marks between raters; it is established through rater training and calibration.
Item bank: a large bank or number of items measuring the same skill or competency; item banks are most frequently found in objective testing in particularly CBT and CAT.
Item Analysis: a procedure whereby test items and distractors are examined based on the level of difficulty of the item and the extent to which they discriminates between high-achieving and low-achieving students; results of item analyses are used in the upkeep and revision of item banks.
back to topMean: known as the arithmetic average; to obtain the mean, the scores are added together and then divided by the number of students who took the test; the mean is a descriptive statistic.
Mode: the most frequently received score in a distribution.Norm-referenced test: measures language ability against a standard or "norm" performance of a group; standardized tests like the TOEFL are norm-referenced tests because they are normed through prior administrations to large numbers of students.
back to topObjective test: can be scored based solely on an answer key; it requires no expert judgment on the part of the scorer.
back to topParallel tests: multiple versions of a test; they are written with test security in mind; they share the same framework, but the exact items differ.
Performance-based test: requires students to show what they can do with the language as opposed to what they know about the language; they are often referred to as task-based.
Piloting: a common practice among language testers; piloting is a practice whereby an item or a format is administered to a small random or representative selection of the population to be tested; information from piloting is commonly used to revise items and improve them; also known as field testing.
Placement test: is administered to incoming students in order to place or put them in the correct ability level; content on placement tests is specific to a given curriculum; placement tests are most successfully produced in-house.
Portfolio assessment: one type of alternative assessment; portfolios are a representative collection of a student's work throughout an extended period of time; the aim is to document the student's progress in language learning via the completion of such tasks as reports, projects, artwork, and essays.
Practicality: one of the cornerstones of good testing practice; practicality refers to the practical issues that teachers and administrators must keep in mind when developing and administering tests; examples include time, and available resources.
Proficiency test: is not specific to a particular curriculum; it assesses a student's general ability level in the language as compared to all other students who study that language. An example is the TOEFL.
back to topRange: one of the descriptive statistics or measures of central tendency; the range or min/max is the lowest and highest score in a distribution.
Rating scale: instruments that are used for the evaluation of writing and speaking; they are either analytical or holistic.
Reliability: one of the cornerstones of good testing practice; reliability refers to the consistency of exam results over repeated administrations.
back to topSelf-assessment: asks students to judge their own ability level in a language; one type of alternative assessment.
Specifications: a document that states what the test should be used for and who is it aimed at; test specifications usually contain all instructions, examples of test formats/items, weighting information and pass/fail criteria.
Standardized test: measures language ability against a norm or standard.
Subjective test: requires a knowledge of the content area being tested; a subjective test frequently depends on impression and opinion at the time of the scoring.
Summative evaluation: refers to a test that is given at the end of a course or course segment; the aim of summative evaluation is to give the student a grade that represents his/her mastery of the course content.
back to topValidity: one of the cornerstones of good testing practice; refers to the degree to which a test measures what it is supposed to measure.
Washback: one of the cornerstones of good testing practice; refers to the impact a test or testing program may have on the curriculum.
Weighting: refers to the value that is placed on certain skills within the exam
determined through prior administrations to large numbers of students.
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