How accurately do you feel that classroom-based tests reflect student abilities? What are your experiences as a test-taker? Do you think there are students that do not test well? What method of testing do you think is most effective to measure students' language skills? Use examples to justify your point of view.
I feel that all in all, tests do a reasonably good job in reflecting student's abilities, so long as they test all four skills, as well as the different elements of communicative competence, and not just reading and writing. It is very important to include listening and speaking, as well as a cultural component into tests in oder to have a well rounded assessment of a student's abilities. Our textbook provides examples of the "Hybrid Approach" to classroom testing, which I believe does a serviceable job combining these different elements and placing them into a "naturalized" context. The test should mirror the format of classwork; this provides another layer of schema for students because they are already familiar with the expectations and format of the test.
The same principles hold true for testing as they stand for teaching; the testing and development of FL skills require multiple smaller skills (the different competencies) and an authentic context. The further that tests deviate from these principles, the less accurately they reflect student's abilities.
Luckily, I am a good test taker; I have never had a hard time taking exams regardless of their format, but I do believe that there are some students whose test scores do not accurately reflect their skills. I think that for the most part, anxiety is the biggest factor in these student's test performances. A student who allows the permanence of a test (the idea of a grade!) scare them into over-thinking and anxiety will have test scores that are probably much less proficient than their assignments (where they have more time and resources at their disposal) or in classwork, when it is unlikely that they are being graded.
In my experience, the most important factor in my success in a test has been whether or not the expectations of the test were clearly defined by the instructor. Above all, students need to know what to study, and how to study it in order to be successful. This means that teachers must clearly define what subjects will be on the test, and in what format. It is nearly impossible for a student to study all of the material—teachers can tell students what is the most important to know. For example: "The test will cover everything you have learned up to now," or "Study chapters 5 and 6," are not sufficiently defined expectations for a test. A better way to inform students would be "Please review the conjugations of all of the irregular verbs from chapter 6, there will be phrases to translate, also: reread the culture section, there will be related listening activities with true or false questions."
Chole - I am very interested in your idea related to test materials mirroring the format of classwork and homework. The other Spanish 401 instructors and I have been struggling with how to best address this issue, and whether or not our students should practice exclusively with the test format. On the one hand, we all seem to agree that students do better on certain sections of our tests when they are at least somewhat familiar with the format. This way they come to the exam already knowing what we as instructors are looking for. On the other hand, we do not want students to become too reliant on a single format, and hope that they can use what they are learning in various contexts, including real-life situations. We therefore struggle to decide how far to diverge from the classroom format, and whether or not our students, at the beginner level, should be able to manipulate the language in a variety of contexts. What do you guys think? How far should tests deviate from the classroom format, and to what extent should beginner students be able to manipulate their L2?
ReplyDeleteI totally agree that the testing format should mirror the material and the "schema" that is used in class to teach a unit. Surprising students with material that is unrelated to that which was covered during class does nothing to measure student ability and I think it would even cause resentment toward the teacher, which is terrible for overall class morale.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that teachers are responsible for telling students what they expect from students during a test, and within reason, what material they will be presented with. This provides for more focused study (cramming) time and will produce much better and more accurate results.
Tess—
ReplyDeleteI would say that the exam can be very diverse in format and still mirror the classroom activities so long as you have already been using a variety of formats in the classwork. I would agree that it is important to use the language in a may different ways, but this doesn't mean that it needs to diverge from the classroom schema; if the class activities are varied, there will be more than enough activities that the students will be prepared to complete on the exam.