Learn to Be Competent in Language Testing

Keywords: language testing, usefulness

At present, tests are used to decide whether one can receive a higher education or be appointed a position.  They are much more often used in schools to make students learn.  Some people complain that too many tests have made study a heavy burden for students while others argue that testing is the most effective way to stimulate students to keep learning and the fair means to choose best students.  However, no one can deny that testing is necessary and important.  It is the same with language tests.

Language tests can be a valuable tool for providing information that is relevant to several concerns in language teaching.  They can provide evidence of the results of learning and instruction, and hence feedbacks on the effectiveness of the teaching program itself.  They can also provide information that is relevant to making decisions about individuals, such as determining what specific kinds of learning materials and activities should be provided to students, based on a diagnosis of their strengths and weaknesses, deciding whether individual students or an entire class are ready to move on to another unit of instruction, and assigning grades on the basis of student’s achievement. Moreover, testing can also be used, as a tool for clarifying instructional objectives and in some cases, for evaluating the relevance of these objectives, the instructional materials and activities based on them to the language use needs of students following the program of instruction.

Considering the necessity and importance of testing in teaching and learning process, a teacher is sure to have the competence in language testing, which involves an understanding of the fundamental considerations that must be addressed at the start of any language testing effort, whether this involves the development of new tests or the selection of existing language tests, an understanding of the fundamental issues and concerns in the appropriate use of language tests and an understanding of the fundamental issues, approaches, and methods used in measurement and evaluation.  A teacher also should be able to design, develop, evaluate and use language tests in ways that are appropriate for a given purpose, contest, and group of test takers.  Or at least, he should be able to critically read published research in language testing and information about published tests in order to make informed decisions.

Facing such challenges, we teachers of English are obliged to know what to do so that we can obtain these abilities.

In my opinion, first we should be aware of some misconceptions about the development and use of language tests and try to avoid them.  Some teachers are likely to choose tests which are inappropriate for the students because they have the false belief that there is one ‘best’ test for any given situation.  They may also misunderstand the nature of language testing and language test development so that they may choose tests which do not meet the specific needs of students. Another misconception is having unreasonable expectations about what language tests can do and what they should be.  Sometimes students have to face uninformed use of tests or testing methods simply because the tests have become popular.  Besides, it is essential for teachers not to place blind faith in the technology of measurement or if one is unable to find or develop the perfect test, he will become frustrated. Also he may lose faith in his own capacity for developing and using tests appropriately and feel that only ‘expert’ can understand and do the language testing.

Then we ought to keep in mind the philosophy of language testing when we design tests. Remember to relate language testing to language teaching and language use, design the tests so as to encourage and enable students to perform at their highest level of ability. Also keep in mind to build considerations of fairness into test design, to humanize the testing process seeking ways in which to involve students more directly in the testing process; treating them as responsible individuals and providing them with as complete information about the entire testing procedure as possible.  We also have to remember to demand responsibility for test use and to recognize that decisions based on test scores are full of dilemmas, and that there are no universal answers to these.

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