Autonomous University of Baja California

UNIVERSIDAD AUTÓNOMA DE BAJA CALIFORNIA

Language School

Bachelor’s Degree in Language Teaching

Educational Evaluation.

Grammar tests

Teacher: Icela López Gaspar

Presenters:
Fernanda Paola Alcantar Leal
Leticia Jazmín Corrales Domínguez

Mexicali, B.C., April 2nd, 2019.

 Grammar tests are designed to measure student proficiency in matters
ranging from inflections to syntax.

➔ Inflections: A change in or addition to the form of

a word. (bottle-bottles)

➔ Syntax: Relation of words in a sentence.

Grammar tests don’t measure actual

communication.

Harold S. Madsen . (1983). Techniques in testing . Oxford University Alcántar Leal Fernanda Paola
Press: Russell N. Campbell and William Rutherford. Corrales Domínguez Leticia Jazmín
 1. Limited
Response

2. Multiple
3. Cloze Choice
Test Completion.

3. Simple
Completion

Alcántar Leal Fernanda Paola

Harold S. Madsen . (1983). Techniques in testing . Oxford University
Press: Russell N. Campbell and William Rutherford. Corrales Domínguez Leticia Jazmín
 The grammar is checked without having the students speak or write
anything.
➔ There are two basic ways:

A) Testing them individually

● You can test them by using oral request.
● These requests can ask for easy spoken replies.
● You can permite answers in their native language.

B) Testing them in groups

● Using directed physical responses.

Harold S. Madsen . (1983). Techniques in testing . Oxford University Alcántar Leal Fernanda Paola
Press: Russell N. Campbell and William Rutherford. Corrales Domínguez Leticia Jazmín
 A) Testing individually
Using pictures. For example, you can
use it for preposition recognition.

B) Testing in groups
Drawing activity. Tell the students
to write an airplane, then draw a
house under the airplane.

Harold S. Madsen . (1983). Techniques in testing . Oxford University Alcántar Leal Fernanda Paola
Press: Russell N. Campbell and William Rutherford. Corrales Domínguez Leticia Jazmín
 An incomplete sentence stem followed by four multiple-choice options
for completing the sentence.
1. She is ______ breakfast.

A. Eating B. Ate C. Eats D. Eaten

Procedure 1. Choose the grammar point that you need to test.

2. Prepare the right kind of sentence context for the
grammar context.
3. Select three logical distractors.
4. Prepare clear instructions.

Harold S. Madsen . (1983). Techniques in testing . Oxford University Alcántar Leal Fernanda Paola
Press: Russell N. Campbell and William Rutherford. Corrales Domínguez Leticia Jazmín
 A) Grammar choice B) Context preparation

● You determine what structures you ● Choose a structure and then use it
have taught since the last test. correctly in a sentence.

Notice that…

1. “I don’t want to go.” (to plus verb)

1. “Jimmy hasn’t eaten anything, and

he wont talk or play. He must be
● Decide the different “weight” you are
ill.”
going to give to each grammar type.
(conclusion or deduction)
Harold S. Madsen . (1983). Techniques in testing . Oxford University Alcántar Leal Fernanda Paola
Press: Russell N. Campbell and William Rutherford. Corrales Domínguez Leticia Jazmín
 C) Distractor Preparation
These are the incorrect options which ● You can get it from the lady ____ he
we put with the correct word or phrase
sold it to.
to complete the sentence.

A. Which
Things to avoid
B. Who
➔ Using distractors that sound C. Whom
alike. D. Why
➔ Items that test divided
usage, or items that only
test different levels of
formality.

Harold S. Madsen . (1983). Techniques in testing . Oxford University Alcántar Leal Fernanda Paola
Press: Russell N. Campbell and William Rutherford. Corrales Domínguez Leticia Jazmín
 Consist of a sentence from which a  He went to school.
grammatical item has been removed.

Ideal to check quickly the  I would have gone if

mastery of a few specific he had invited me.
points.
Steps to prepare tests:

1. 2. 3.
Select grammar points Provide an Write good
to be tested. appropriate context. instructions.
Harold S. Madsen . (1983). Techniques in testing . Oxford University Alcántar Leal Fernanda Paola
Press: Russell N. Campbell and William Rutherford. Corrales Domínguez Leticia Jazmín
 Directions: Complete the following
A) sentences with “do” or “make.”
The easiest simple-completion items are like
Option multiple-choice
1. He made aquestions with
lot of money only
last two options.
year.
Form 2. I always do my best.

He is singing (sing). (or) He is

singing now. (Add one word.)
B) • He’s the tallest (tall) person in
Testings
the class. the mastery of inflections provides for a
Inflection • productive response.
They were (be) in Colorado last “What’s Tom doing now?”
Form week. “Oh, he is singing (sing).

Directions: Write in the

C) missing part of the two-word
Sometimes
Add a questionatag
fewto simple terms can
these senteces: be used if the
Free- verb.
whole class
Hamlet was knows what
indecisive, wasn’tthey
he ? mean.
“What time did he get up this
Response morning?”
Harold S. Madsen . (1983). Techniques in testing . Oxford University Alcántar Leal Fernanda Paola
Press: Russell N. Campbell and William Rutherford. Corrales Domínguez Leticia Jazmín
 Are passages, usually a paragraph or more, from which
words have been deleted.

Student relies on the context in order to supply the missing

words.
Steps to prepare tests:
1. Select an appropriate passage.
2. Decide on the numbers of words to take out.
3. Write the instructions and prepare an example.
Harold S. Madsen . (1983). Techniques in testing . Oxford University Alcántar Leal Fernanda Paola
Press: Russell N. Campbell and William Rutherford. Corrales Domínguez Leticia Jazmín
 Not enough context.
“We lost two superstars in 1977. Neither Scoring
man’s admirers have __ able to understand
the ___ of the other one. __ this tells us a) Give credit for only the exact
something __ the difference between the __ word from the story.
that the two singers _____.”
Low-intermediate ESL reading. (been, b) Allow full credit for
success, And, of, generations, represent)
equivalent words as well.
Cloze Test To Test Grammar.
Every day thousands of people jog. Why
has jogging-running slowly for long
distances-become so popular? Donald
Robbins, who is forty-two years old ___
works in an office, began jogging___ few
year ago because he felt __ was too fat.

Harold S. Madsen . (1983). Techniques in testing . Oxford University Alcántar Leal Fernanda Paola
Press: Russell N. Campbell and William Rutherford. Corrales Domínguez Leticia Jazmín
When you usually hear the word
grammar and exam in one sentence
we generally think of something
traditionalist, and we don’t think
about a whole process to evaluate
and create grammar tests.
However, after analyzing all this
information we could notice that
there are several ways to evaluate
the grammar through tests and
even doing it in an inductive way.

Alcántar Leal Fernanda Paola

fernanda.alcantar@uabc.edu.mx

Corrales Dominguez Leticia Jazmin

Alcántar Leal Fernanda Paola
Leticia.corrales@uabc.edu.mx
Corrales Domínguez Leticia Jazmín
Harold S. Madsen . (1983). Techniques in testing . Oxford University Press: Russell N.
Campbell and William Rutherford.

Inflection. (2019) In Cambridge Dictionary. Retrieved from:

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/es/diccionario/ingles/inflection