Although there is a big range of ways to assess learners, tests are, by far, the most common and necessary when assessing. However, there are some features tests designers need to take into account to develop good tests.
The vast majority of the institutions and schools, at least in Colombia, do not have especialists on test design, the adminisstrators of the education just lean on teachers` backs and give them the task of test-design. These designs are based on grids and many teachers just design tests, quizzes, etc. without taking into account the different characteristics a good test need to have and mainly, being careless of the students` needs. Following, the principal features for a good test are listed.
Each one of the characteristics are in the same level of importance, but some of them are more complex than the others in different ways. First, Brown (2000) mentions practicallity, which means that any test should not be expensive, it also must be time efficient to take and to score, easy to administer, and easy to evaluate.
Second, a test design needs to consider many factors that can affect , somehow, the test score and may result in an unreliable test; these factors can be from the student/taker as temporal iiliness, a "bad day", etc, or just basing the scores on subjectivity, bias or a simply human error, as many test evaluators could have experienced from time to time. Tests administrators must guarantee the appropiate conditions to take a test, not just in terms of resources, but also in terms of infraestructure, and enviromental issues. The test itself also could be a limitant for reliability.
The validity is perhaps the most complex of the characteristics a test has. This validity is the accomplishing of the objective by having some references of what the test is measuring. According to the test-taker`s needs, the test is designed to cover the abilities he/she needs to reach a higer level to demostrate a better proficiency.
Authenticity, is defined by Bachman and Palmer as "the degree of correspondence of characteristics of a given language test task to the features of a target language task". Test should not only be taken in the formal pattern, but everything is taught/learnt with a practical purpose. In language learning, four abilities are tested just because they are needed to achieve communicative approaches of the language.
Last but not least, washback, which "is the effect of testing on learning and teaching ". Sometimes, testing could be meaningless, because students work for a simple grade to get the other level, and they know that the most effective way to reach that goal is by passing exams. So, students just get ready, and study to take the exam and have a high grade. However, this ephemeral preparation tends to put the learning process into a vague process; it could be said that students learn for the moment to take the exam, but then, they forget about what the studied, so they end up knowing anything.
This testing process should not be taken so lightly, it is important to know how to design a test, taking into account all the implications this task has. Institutions need to wake up and have the space for teachers to be trained in fields as Test design for the sake of quality education.
Great Natalia! I just want to add that it is essential to clarify some of the fundamental principles and issues which need to be applied to the design of any assessment strategies. First, practicality, an effective test is effective, when is not excessively expensive, stays within the appropriate time constraints, is relatively easy to administer, has a scoring/evaluation procedure that is specific and time-efficient, all of these has determined by teachers. To determine if a test is effective for your needs use this checklist. Assessment needs to provide evidence that accurately reflects an individual student’s education, skills and understandings. That is, reliability this means that teachers need to use a variety of assessment strategies to give students multiple opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge in a range of contexts, using the same criteria and mark scheme would come to exactly the same judgment about a given piece of work. There are must be a collection of information at different times in order to get a clear idea of the students assessed. They should be explicit to the students when the task has set, and where there are multiple markers they should be discussed, and preferably used on some sample cases prior to be using used ‘for real’. Also lighting, temperature, noise and other classroom conditions are equal and optimal. Content validity, means teachers are going to measure in an artificial way, their real life, if the classroom objectives has identified and frame appropriately. A test should have a structure that follows logically from the lesson or unit that teacher are testing. Also if the instructions are clear, the structure of the test has organized logically, has no surprises, and timing is appropriate. Authentic, if the language in the test has contextualized and natural if the situations are interesting and enjoyable and very important if the task are real-world task. Wash back are the effect of the test have on instruction terms of how students prepare for the test. The challenge of teachers is to create classroom test that serve as learning devices through which wash back has achieved.
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