Build Bright University

Language Testing and

Assessment

Chapter- 4
Standardized Testing
Prepared by Kheang Sokheng
Ph.D Candidate and MEd in TESOL

What is standardization?
A standardized test presupposes certain
standard objectives or criteria that are
held constant across one form of the
test to another.
A good standardized test is the product
of a thorough process of empirical
research and development.
It measures childrens mastery of the
standards or competencies that have
been prescribed for specific grade
levels.

What is standardization?

Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) is designed

for college entrance exam of many high
school seniors seeking further education.
The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) for entry
into many graduate school programs like
Graduate
Management
Admission
Test(GMAT) and the Law School Aptitude
Test(LSAT)
specialize
in
particular
disciplines.
Test of English as a Foreign Language
(TOEFL)produced by the Educational Testing

What is standardization?
Test for entry into many graduate school
programs
Graduate
Management Admission Test
(GMAT) & Law School Aptitude Test (LSAT):
tests
that
specialize
in
particular
disciplines
Test of English as a Foreign Language
(TOEFL): It is produced the Educational
Testing Service (ETS) in the United States
and/or
its
British
counterpart,
the
International English Language Testing
System(IELTS)

What is standardization?
in the U.S and/or British counterpart, the
International English Language Testing
System
(IELTS)
The tests are standardized because they
specify a set of competencies for a given
domain and through a process of construct
validation they program a set of tasks that
have been designed to measure those
competencies. In general standardized
test, items are in the form of MC.

What is standardization?
They

provide objective means for

determining correct and incorrect
responses.
However, MC is not the only test
item type in standardized test.
Human scored tests of oral and
written production are also
involved.

Advantages of Standardized Test

It is a ready-made previously validated

product that frees the teacher from
having to spend hours creating a test.
Administration to large groups can be
accomplished within reasonable time
limits.
In the case of multiple-choice formats,
scoring procedures are streamlined for
either scannable computerized scoring or
hand-scoring with a hole-punched grid for
fast turnaround time.

Disadvantages of Standardized
Test
Inappropriate use of such tests.
Example: using an overall proficiency
test
as an achievement test simply because
of
the convenience of the standardization
Potential
misunderstanding
of
the
difference
between direct and indirect
testing.

Characteristics of a standardized test

DEVELOPING A STANDARDIZED TEST

Knowing how to develop a

standardized test can be helpful to
revise an existing test, adapt or
expand an existing test, create a
smaller-scale standardized test
(A) The Test of English as a Foreign
Language (TOEFL) general ability or
proficiency

DEVELOPING A STANDARDIZED
TEST

(B) The English as a Second

Language Placement Test (ESLPT),
San Francisco State University
(SFSU) placement test at a
university
(C) The Graduate Essay Test (GET),
SFSU gate-keeping essay test

1. Determine the purpose and

objectives
of
the
test
.

Standardized tests are expected to be

valid
and practical.
TOEFL: To evaluate the English proficiency
of people whose NL is not English.
Colleges and universities in the US use
the score TOEFL score to admit or refuse
international applicants for admission
ESLPT: To place already admitted sts at
SFSU in an appropriate course in
academic writing and oral production

1. Determine the purpose and

objectives of the test.
To provide teachers some
diagnostic information about
students
GET: To determine whether their
writing ability is sufficient to permit
them
to
enter
graduate-level
courses in their programs. It is
offered at the beginning of each
term)

2. Design test
specification
TOEFL: This is the
step of laying the foundation stones

of the test.
Example:
TOEFL Specifications: 1. Listening Section
2. Structure Section
3. Reading Section
4. Writing Section
Each specs are not just stated that way, it should
include what does it measures, what does it covers, and
what material it uses.
.

2. Design test
specification
Listening section focuses on a
particular feature of language or
overall listening comprehension
Reading
section aims to test
comprehension
of
long/short
passages,
single
sentence,
phrases or words

3. Design, select and arrange test

tasks/items

Once specifications for a standardized

test have been stipulated, the task of
designing, selecting and arranging test
tasks/items begins.
The specs act much like a blueprint in
determining the number and types of
items to be created.

4. Make appropriate evaluations of

different kinds of items.

Item facility (IF) % of people who give

the right answer
Item Discrimination (IDis) indicates
the extent to which success on an item
corresponds to success on the whole
test.
Item Difficulty (ID) - finding out the %
of people who get the item right in the
try-out group.

4. Make appropriate evaluations of

different kinds of items.

Performing them may not be

practical, especially if the classroombased test is a one-time test. But for
a standardized multiple-choice test
that is designed to be marketed
commercially, or administered a
number of times, and administered
in different form, these indices are a
must.

4. Make appropriate evaluations

of different kinds of items
There are different form of
evaluation for other types of
response formats. (e.g,
Production responses)
Practicality

Clarity

of directions
Timing of the test
Ease of administration
Time required to score responses.

4. Make appropriate evaluations

of different kinds of items.
Reliability is the degree to which
an assessment tool produces
stable and consistent results.
Facility

Unclear

directions
Complex language
Obscure topics
Fuzzy data
Culturally biased information .

5. Specify scoring procedures or

formats

A systematic assembly of test items in

pre-selected
arrangements
and
sequences, all of which are validated
to conform to an expected level of
difficulty, should yield a test that can
then be scored accurately and reported
back
to test-takers and institutions
efficiently.

6. Perform on going construct

validation studies

No
standardized
instrument
is
expected to be used repeatedly
without a rigorous program of on
going construct validation.
Any
standardized
test,
once
developed, must be accompanied by
systematic
corroboration
of
its
effectiveness and by steps towards its
improvement.

Standardized Language Proficiency

Tests
Standardized oral production
tests
1. TSE Test of Spoken English
2. OPI Orals Proficiency Inventory
3. TWE Test of Written English

Standardized Language Proficiency Tests

Commercially produced standardized
tests of English language proficiency:
1. TOEFL The Test Of English as a
Foreign Language
2. MELAB Michigan English Language
Assessment Battery
3. IELTS International English Language
Testing System
4. TOEIC Test of English for
International Communication