Language testing and assessment routledge applied linguisticsis a series of comprehensive resource books, providing students and researchers with the support they need for advanced study in the core areas of english language and applied linguistics. The ged esl test is a criterionreferenced, multiple. Briefly, construct validity is to interpret test scores in order to assess the language proficiency of the subject and test tasks. Our clients depend on us to help them create defensible assessment programs whether through the use of our standard language tests, or through the customization of tests specifically for their companies, organizations, or agencies. Lados measurement in english as a foreign language in 1949 kunnan 1999. Validity and washback in language testing messick 1996. His structuralist approach promoted discrete point testing, a concept. Introduction educational assessment is the responsibility of teachers and administrators not as mere routine of giving marks, but making real evaluation of learners achievements.
Ultimately, i argue that important ethical questions, along with other issues of validity, will be articulated differently from a critical perspective than they are in the more traditional approach to language assessment. Additionally, it is important for the evaluator to be familiar with the validity of his or her testing materials to ensure. The validity of a test is critical because, without sufficient validity, test scores have no meaning. Before a validation study is carried out, however, the researcher has to formulate a number of hypotheses pertaining to the test results. An argumentbased approach to validity 278 contents ix. Language test reliability alta lang quality assurance. There are four major categories of language testing and assessment that lti provides. When choosing a test, first think about what you want to know. The article is a brief historical overview of english language testing, particularly the testing of english as a second or foreign language.
While there are numerous methods to assess language, what you want to measure will determine how you assess students. The present study examined the reliability and content validity of an english as a foreign language efl gradelevel test for turkish 3 rd grade primary students. Validity of content assessments it is important to distinguish between content assessments and assessments of english language proficiency. An alternative in language testing research karim sadeghi email. Ensuring valid content tests for english language learners.
Discrete point test language can be broken down into its component parts integrative tests measure all proficiency creates unitary trait hypothesis communicative language testing included pragmatic and strategic ability performancebased test involves oralproduction, written production, openended responses, integrated. Concurrent validity is derived from one test s results being in agreement with another test s results which measure the same ability or quality. The impact of test content validity on language teaching. Improving the validity of english language learner assessment systems executive summary mikyung kim wolf, joan l. Teachers are the frontiers who are assigned to carry out the. She has taught mathematics at the university level for over 30 years in nigeria and the united states, with at least 20 of those 30 years at the borough of manhattan community college bmcc, city university of new york cuny. While studies have been done to rate the validity and reliability of the oral proficiency interview opi and oral proficiency interviewcomputer opic independently, a limited amount of research has analyzed the interexam reliability of these tests, and studies have yet to be conducted comparing the results of spanish language. An instrument that is a valid measure of third graders language skills probably is not a valid measure. This way you are more likely to get the information you need about your students and apply it fairly and productively. New views of validity in language testing claudia deste abstract language testing has been defined as one of the core areas of applied linguistics because it tackles two of its fundamental issues.
Continued attention to the issues of validity and reliability in second language performance assessment is a challenging but necessary endeavor that will advance the development and use of performance tests. The evidence you collect and document about the validity of your test is also your best legal defense should the exam program ever be challenged in a court of law. A test is valid for some purposes, but not for others. The goal of the current study was to examine the validity and topic generality of a writing performance test designed to place international students into appropriate esl courses at a large midwestern university. Reliability and content validity of an english as a.
Collecting validity evidence we now discuss some of the types of evidence that can be collected in the test validation process. In addition to that, various written books regarding language testing has also been examined and used to present the relevant findings. After covering the selected algebraic concepts, the course. Robert lado went on to do further research and in 1961 presented his views in language testing. As the exclusive licensee of actfl, we supply tests that ensure the highest validity standard in language testing to both individuals and organizations. Points to keep in mind about validity validity is a property of a test. Validity refers to the inferences made from test scores. The routledge handbook of language testing offers a critical and comprehensive overview of language testing and assessment within the fields of applied linguistics and language study. A brief summary of the issues related to reliability in language testing source.
Improving the validity of mikyung kim wolf english language. Each book in the series guides readers through three main sections, enabling them. Always test what you have taught and can reasonably expect your students to know. Office of evaluation and testing wille administration building room 2 160 convent avenue new york, ny 10031 212. The office of instructional testing at bmcc supports the college community by maintaining exemplary testing standards and practices, protecting the confidentiality of personal data, providing resources that support intellectual and personal growth of test takers, and creating an optimal testing environment that meets the needs of students, faculty, administration and all other bmcc community. Part 1 testing as validity 3 1 language testing past and present 5 1. Rr9617 validity and washback in language testing author. Defining validity a test is said to be valid if it measures accurately what it is intended to measure hughes, 2003, p. For example, during the development phase of a new language test, test designers will compare the results of an already published language test or an earlier version of the same test with their own. Reliability and validity evidence for the ged esl 2 abstract the ged english as a second language ged esl test was designed to serve as an adjunct to the ged test battery when an examinee takes either the spanish or frenchlanguage version of the tests. Specially commissioned chapters by leading academics and researchers address the most important topics facing researchers and practitioners. The concept of washback, especially prominent in the field of applied linguistics, refers to the extent to which a test influences teachers and learners to do things they would not otherwise necessarily do. Issues of validity and reliability in second language.
According to city, state and federal law, all materials used in assessment are required to be valid idea 2004. Language testing, content validity, test comprehensiveness, backwash, language education 1. Content validity can be compared to face validity, which means it looks like a valid test to those who use it. Validity and topic generality of a writing performance. Validity refers to the degree to which an item is measuring what its actually supposed to be measuring. Eric ed403277 validity and washback in language testing. Testing language has traditionally taken the form of testing knowledge about language, usually the testing of knowledge of vocabulary and grammar. This indirect means of assessment raises issues of adequacy, appropriateness, and utility of the measures in testing an individuals ability or skill. With the contribution of campbell and fiske 1959 to the field of language testing, a multitraitmultimethod mtmm approach has been used by many. It contains some 600 entries, each listed under a headword with extensive crossreferencing. Messick, samuel the concept of washback, especially prominent in the field of applied linguistics, refers to the extent to which a test influences teachers and learners to do things they would not otherwise necessarily do. Bmcc s modern languages department offers more than 60 different courses to help you understand dialect, grammar, intonations, and word usage while improving idiomatic and grammatical conversational abilities.
Test reliability which is caused by the nature of a test. To make a valid test, you must be clear about what you are testing. February 7, 2012 a comparison of the performance of analytic vs. Mar 08, 2015 a brief summary of the issues related to reliability in language testing source. New views of validity in language testing semantic scholar. Hence, construct validity is a sine qua non in the validation not only of test interpretation but also of test use, in the sense that relevance and utility as well as appropriateness of test use depend, or should depend, on score meaning.
Demands of being professional in language testing 270 unit b10 validity as argument 278 kane, m. The predictive validity of language assessment in a pre. Validity and washback in language testing keywords. In addition to majoring in modern languages, you can take language courses to use as an elective in another major. Reliability could be described as the consistency of an assessment. Statistics with algebra same as mat 150 statistics with algebra is a statistics course 4 credits and 60 hours with an additional 30 hours focusing on elementary algebraic concepts useful in statistics. It offers a discussion of how dffirent language testing. An instrument that is a valid measure of third graders language skills probably is not a valid measure of high school students language proficiency. Holistic scoring rubrics to assess l2 writing cynthia s. While there are several ways to estimate validity, for many certification and. Bachman slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising. The search keywords have been language testing, validity, reliability, and washback.
Fundamental considerations in language testing lyle f. A test must be appropriate in terms of objectives we have set. In the classroom not only teachers and administrators can evaluate the content validity of a test. Content validity teachingenglish british council bbc. This book explores the notion of validity evaluation as a means for helping educators to ensure the utility and worth of their assessment practices. With over 30 years in the language services business, alta has built a reputation as a trusted provider of valid and reliable language tests. Improving the validity of mikyung kim wolf english. This article summarizes some technical issues that add to the complexity of language testing. Dictionary of language testing alan davies, annie brown. After defining your needs, see if your purposes match those of the publisher. Exploration 291 unit c1 validity an exploration 293 unit c2 assessment in school systems 298.
Oct 25, 2014 discrete point test language can be broken down into its component parts integrative tests measure all proficiency creates unitary trait hypothesis communicative language testing included pragmatic and strategic ability performancebased test involves oralproduction, written production, openended responses, integrated. For example, is the assessment about the ability to use certain phrases appropriately in a situation. Individuals in the last three categories are sometimes referred to collectively as language minority students. While the content validity index cvi was found to be low. In the classroom not only teachers and administrators can evaluate the. Language testing, v24 n3 p307330 2007 the goal of the current study was to examine the validity and topic generality of a writing performance test designed to place international students into appropriate esl courses at a large midwestern university. It is intended for those who may or may not have had experience in the field of language assessment but who do have a need for.
It focuses on the criterionreferenced nature of the actfl proficiency guidelinesspeaking. Some writers invoke the notion of washback validity, holding that a tests validity should be gauged by the degree to which it has a positive influence on teaching. Recipient of this years sageilta book award the routledge. Types of language tests the needs of assessing the outcome of learning have led to the development and elaboration of different test formats. Test administration reliability which can be caused by the conditions in which a test is administered. A prominent example is the 3year study on the validity of the test, starting from october 1992, conducted by the national cet4 and cet6 commission in china and the centre for applied language studies cals of university of reading in britain. Example public examination bodies ensure through research and pretesting that their tests have both content and face validity. Individuals in the last three categories are sometimes referred to collectively as languageminority students. Reliability in language testing linkedin slideshare.
The validity of inferences made depend on the assessment having a degree of reliability. This book offers a succinct theoretical introduction to the basic concepts in language testing in a way that is easy to understand. Because for each test administration the test randomly rotates three academic topics integrated with listening and reading sources, it is necessary to investigate the extent to which. Testing english as a foreign language sprachenmarkt. In the japanese context, this book is highly recommended for university faculty members involved in obtaining assessment literacy, teachers who want to validate their exploratory teaching and testing, or applied linguistics students new to the language testing field. A variety of measures contribute to the overall validity of testing materials. Example public examination bodies ensure through research and pre testing that their tests have both content and face validity.
Validity and topic generality of a writing performance test. Feb 10, 2000 this book offers a succinct theoretical introduction to the basic concepts in language testing in a way that is easy to understand. Achievement of construct validity in language testing. Evaluation and testing the city college of new york. Evidence for a general language proficiency factor. The validity of a test is the extent to which it measures what it is supposed to measure and nothing else heaton, 1988, p. In the context of unified validity, evidence of washback is an instance of the consequential aspect of construct validity, which is only one of six important aspects or forms of evidence contributing to the validity of language test interpretation and use 1996. How test validity works posted by jocelyn in language testing on april 29, 2010 2 comments from a young age, our lives are filled with assessments. In order to decide what methods to use in assessment, it is important to clarify what you are trying to assess. This book explores the notion of validity evaluation.
With a particular focus on foreign language testing, the author challenges assessment traditions and argues for a fundamental reconceptualization of assessments and their validation in language. This dictionary of language testing was written over a number of years by a group of researchers at the language testing research centre at the university of melbourne. Reliability and validity evidence for the ged english as a. It can be internal the questions in the test or external the context of the testing situation. According to payan and nettles 2008, the ell population doubled in 23 states between 1995 and 2005. An instrument is valid only to the extent that its scores permit appropriate inferences to be made about a a specific group of people for b specific purposes. Reliability and content validity of an english as a foreign. Herman, and ronald dietel english language learners ells are the fastest growing group of students in american public schools. She is also former director of the center for excellence in teaching, learning and scholarship cetls at bmcc.
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