Rangkuman 1-2

APPROACHES IN LANGUAGE TESTING AND

TESTS BASED ON ITS CATEGORIES

CREATED BY:

NAME: SULASTRI PANJAITAN

STUDENT ID NUMBER: 1706102020049

COURSE: LANGUAGE ASSESSMENT / TEST IN SCHOOL

LECTURER: HENDRA HERIANSYAH, M.PD, M. TESOL.

UNDREGRADUATED STUDY PROGRAM OF ENGLISH EDUCATION

FACULTY OF TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION

SYIAH KUALA UNIVERSITY

2019
SUMMARY 1

1. APPROACHES IN LANGUAGE TESTING

1.1 Traditional Approach

Traditional approach is commonly referred to as the pre-scientific stage of language testing.

Tests usually consist of essay writing, translation and grammatical analysis. No special skill or
expertise in testing is required.
Public examinations resulting from the tests using this approach sometimes have an oral
component at the upper intermediate and advance levels.
There are some strengths in traditional approach This approach is easy to follow because
teachers will simply use their subjective judgement. The essay-translation approach may be used
for testing any level of examinees. The model of tester can easily be modified based on the
essentials of the tests.
There are some weaknesses of this approach, the subjective judgement of teachers tends to be
biased, and the tests have a heavy literary and cultural bias.

1.2 Discrete Approach

This approach also known as Psychometric Approach/Structuralist Approach. This

approach based on the assumption that a language contains a set of components such as phonology,
vocabulary, and grammar. It views that language learning is chiefly concerned with systematic
acquisition of a set of habits.
The structuralist approach involves structural linguistics which stresses the importance of
constructive analysis and the need to identify and measure the learners’ mastery of the separate
elements of the target language.
A language skill is separately tested in a time. The strengths of this approach are, in testing
students’ capability it may objectively and surely be used by testers, many forms of tests can be
covered in the test in a short time, and this approach in testing will help students find their strengths
and weaknesses in every skill they study.
1.3 Integrative Approach

This approach involves the testing of language in context and is thus concerned primarily
with meaning and the total communicative effect of discourse. Integrative tests are concerned with
a global view of proficiency.

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 Integrative testing involves functional language but not the use of functional language. The
use of cloze test, dictation, oral interview, translation and essay writing are included in many
integrative tests.
The approach to meaning and the total communicative effect of discourse will be very useful
for students in testing. This approach can view students’ proficiency with a global view.
A model cloze test used in this approach measures the reader’s ability to decode ‘interrupted’
and ‘mutilated’ messages by making the most acceptable substitutions from all the contextual clues
available.
Dictation, another type using this approach, was regarded solely as a means of measuring
students’ skills of listening comprehension.
Even if many think that measuring integrated skills is better, sometimes there is a need to
consider the importance of measuring skills based on students’ need, such as writing only,
speaking only, etc.

1.4 Communicative Approach

Language use is often emphasized to the exclusion of language usage. The attempt to measure
different language skills in communicative tests is based on a view of language referred to as
divisibility hypothesis.
The test content should totally be relevant for a particular group of examinees and the tasks set
should relate to real-life situation. Communicative testing introduces the concept of qualitative
modes of assessment in preference to quantitative modes of assessment.
Communicative tests are able to measure all integrated skills of students. The tests using this
approach face student in real life so it will be very useful for them. Because a communicative test
can measure all language skills, it can help students in getting the score. Consider students who
have a poor ability in using spoken language but may score quite highly on tests of reading.
Detailed statements of each performance level serve to increase the reliability of the scoring by
enabling the examiner to make decisions according to carefully drawn-up and well-established
criteria.
Unlike the structuralist approach, this approach does not emphasize learning structural
grammar, yet it may be difficult to achieve communicative competence without a considerable
mastery of the grammar of a language. It is possible for cultural bias to affect the reliability of the
tests being administered.

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2. TESTING AND TEACHING

Test is a method of measuring a person’s ability. knowledge, or performance in a given

domain. Method is an instrument, a set of techniques, procedures, or items that requires
performance on the part of test-takers. Domain is a sample of specific skill or area of language
tested.
A test must measure. Some test measures general ability, while others focus on very
specific competencies or objectives. A multi-skill proficiency test determines a general ability
level.
A test measures an individual’s ability, knowledge or performance. Testers need to
understand who the test-takers are. What is their previous experience and background? Is the test
appropriately matched to their abilities? How should the test-takers interpret their scores?
A test measures performance, but the results imply test-taker’s ability, or, to use a concept
common in the field of linguistics, competence.
Tests form important instruments in the nation’s education and training framework. They
should not just measure achievement and provide assurance that someone has met the required
standard; tests also influence classroom practice. If they are well-constructed, they promote
effective learning, help identify learning needs and inform the planning and delivery of teaching.
It is thus in the interest of standards setting and funding bodies, teachers and learners, and the
taxpayer who part-funds language provision, to have tests which assess skills accurately and
effectively.
Teaching sets up the practice games of language learning, the opportunities for learners to
listen think, take risk, set goals, and process feedback from the coach and then recycle through the
skill that they are trying to master.

3. THE ROLE OF LANGUAGE TESTING

Teaching process divided into three primary components namely teaching goal, teaching
implementation, and teaching result assessment (Jiwandono 1996:3) Regarding this, the role of
language test is as one of the main components from the implementation of teaching related to
measuring students’ learning outcomes.
Language testing is the practice and study of evaluating the proficiency of an individual in
using a particular language effectively.

4. ASSESSMENT, EVALUATION, AND WASHBACK

Assessment is the measurement of the ability of a person, or the quality, or success of a

teaching course. Assessment could be by a test, interview, questionnaire, and observation.

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Assessment is an ongoing that encompasses a much wider domain. It is given to the students
incidentally.
Evaluation is the systematic gathering of information for purposes of decision making
about both the quality and individual in a teaching program (Richard)
Evaluation is processes and procedures for gathering information about a program or
curriculum for purposes pf improvement (Nunan)
Washback is the effect of a test on the teaching and learning leading up to it. According to
Harmer, washback is the influence that a test has on the ways students are taught. The effect of
testing on teaching and learning is known as backwash (Hughes)

SUMMARY 2

2. TEST BASED ON ITS CATEGORIES

2.1 Placement Test

The purpose of placement test is to place a student into a particular level or section of a
language curriculum or school. It usually includes a sampling of the material to be covered in the
various courses in a curriculum. A student’s performance on the test should indicate the point at
which the student will find material neither too easy nor too difficult. Placement tests come in
many varieties: assessing comprehension and production, responding through written and oral
performance, multiple choice, and gap filling formats. One of the examples of Placement tests is
the English as a Second Language Placement Test (ESLPT) at San Francisco State University.

2.2 Diagnostic Test

Diagnostic test is a test that is used to diagnose what skill a student has demonstrated
proficiency on. It helps the teacher and the students to identify problem that they have with the
language.

The purpose of this test is to diagnose specific aspects of a language. It offers a checklist
of features for the teacher to use in discovering difficulties. Therefore, the test will typically offer
more detailed subcategorized information on the learner. For example, a writing diagnostic test
would first elicit a writing sample of the students. Then, the teacher would identify the
organization, content, spelling, grammar, or vocabulary of their writing. Based on that identifying,
teacher would know the needs of students that should have special focus.

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2.3 Achievement Test

Achievement test is a standardized test developed to measure skills and knowledge learned
in a given grade level, usually through planned instruction, such as training or classroom
instruction.
Furthermore, the purpose of achievement tests is to determine whether course objectives
have been met with skills acquired by the end of a period of instruction. Achievement tests should
be limited to particular material addressed in a curriculum within a particular time frame.
Achievement tests belong to summative because they are administered at the end on a unit/term of
study. It analyzes the extent to which students have acquired language that have already been
taught.

2.4 Proficiency Test

The purpose of proficiency test is to test global competence in a language. It tests overall
ability regardless of any training they previously had in the language. Proficiency tests have
traditionally consisted of standardized multiple-choices item on grammar, vocabulary, reading
comprehension, and listening comprehension. One of a standardized proficiency test is TOEFL.

2.5 Standardized Test

Standardized test is a test that is administered and scored in a consistent, or standard
manner. Everyone gets the same test and the same grading system. In this test everyone gets the
same test and the same grade system.

2.6 Teacher Made Test

Teacher made test arranged and prepared by the teacher accordance with his/her necessity.
It aims to determine the level of student’s learning progress in learning language.
Teacher-made tests are normally prepared and administered for testing classroom
achievement of students, evaluating the method of teaching adopted by the teacher and other
curricular programmers of the school.
Teacher-made test is one of the most valuable instrument in the hands of the teacher to
solve his purpose. It is designed to solve the problem or requirements of the class for which it is
prepared.
It is prepared to measure the outcomes and content of local curriculum. It is very much
flexible so that, it can be adopted to any procedure and material. It does not require any
sophisticated technique for preparation.

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REFERENCES

Brown, H. Doughlas. (2001) Language Assessment Principle and Classroom Practices, White
Plains: Pearson Education
Djiwandono, M. Sunardi. (1996) Test Bahasa Dalam Penngajaran, Malang: ITB Bandung
www.longman.com