Standardized Testing

• Standardized tests are tests that have a certain objective, or criteria that is held constant across one form of the test to another.
• Examples are: SAT, GRE, GMAT

1. Ready-made previously validated product; frees teacher from having to spend hours creating a test

2. Administration to large groups w/in reasonable time limits

3. Scoring procedures are streamlined and easy for multiple choice tests

1. Inappropriate use of tests; using overall proficiency test as achievement test simply because of convenience of standardization

2. Potential misunderstanding of difference between direct and indirect testing

3. Those using standardized tests need to acknowledge both advantages and limitations of indirect testing

4. More serious issue lies in assumption that standardized tests correctly assess all learners equally well

1. Determine the purpose and objectives of the test.

a. TOEFL purpose: evaluate the English proficiency of people whose native language is not English

b. ESLPT purpose: designed to place already admitted students at San Francisco State University in an appropriate course in academic writing

• c. GET purpose: 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

• 2. Design test specifications
• a. Laying foundations of standardized test
• b. TOEFL design: first step in developmental process is to define the construct of language proficiency; focuses on different skills to test

c. How you view language will affect the way to assess your students’ language ability

d. Construct validity, face validity are all important to consider when designing a standardized test

3. Design, select, and arrange test tasks/items

• a. TOEFL: Make sure each item
• is coded for content and statistical characteristics

• b. ESLPT: selection of items
• entailed two entirely different processes

4. Make appropriate evaluations of different kinds of items

• a. Practicality, reliability
• and facility important measures for evaluating whether the items you’ve selected for your test are at high level

• 5. Specify scoring procedures and reporting formats
• a. Should make sense and be straightforward
• 6. Perform ongoing construct validation studies