Assessment
Assessment
FACULTY OF ENGLISH
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FINAL ASSIGNMENT
TESTING AND ASSESSMENT IN LANGUAGE EDUCATION
TOPIC: SPEAKING
Ha Noi, 2024
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TESTING AND ASSESSMENT IN LANGUAGE EDUCATION
FINAL ASSIGNMENT
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TESTING AND ASSESSMENT IN LANGUAGE EDUCATION
FINAL ASSIGNMENT
1. Test Specifications:
a. Objectives/Operations
Operations:
b. Medium/Channel
Channel: Face-to-face
Medium: Oral test, conducted in person.
c. Structure
d. Topic(s)
Part 1 :
o Personal information
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Part 2 : One of the 10 topics in Global Success grade 10th textbook
o Family life
o Humans
o Music
o Volunteer
o Inventions
o Gender equality
o Vietnam and international organizations
o Learning
o Environment
o Ecotourism
f. Scoring
To calculate the total score and assess the overall ability of a student, you can use a
simple averaging formula:
Overall assessment:
After calculating the total score, you can categorize the overall performance
into general levels:
o Under 5 stars: 1 points
o 5 – 6 stars: 2 points
o 7 - 9 stars: 3 points
o 10 - 13 stars: 4 points
o 14 - 15 stars: 5 points
o 16 - 17 stars: 6 points
o 18 - 19 stars: 7 points
o 20 - 21 stars: 8 points
o 22 - 23 stars: 9 points
o 24 - 25 stars: 10 points
For example: If a student's total score is 18 stars, the overall assessment would be 7
points.
Needs
Unsatisfactory Improvement Satisfactory Good Excelent
( 1 star) (2 stars) ( 3 stars) (4 stars) (5 stars)
Student can not The student Student was The student Student was
produce basic struggled to able to was able to able to
sentence forms communicate express their express their express their
their ideas and ideas and ideas and ideas and
responses responses made mistakes responses
clearly due to edequately with their fairly well
Grammar grammar but often tenses; and
mistakes.. displayed however, they responses
inconsistenci were able to with ease in
es with their correct proper
sentence themselves. sentence
structure and structure and
tenses. tenses.
Speech is often The student The student The student's Pronunciatio
unintelligible was difficult occasionally pronunciation n was very
to understand, had unclear was good and clear and
Pronunciati
spoke quietly, pronunciatio did not easy to
on
and had n, but it was interfere with understand
unclear generally fair communicatio
pronunciation. overall. n.
Lexical No usable The student The student Students The student
Resource vocabulary. had a limited was able to utilized the demonstrated
vocabulary, use a broad words learned a rich,
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which vocabulary in class, in an precise, and
hindered their but often accurate impressive
ability to struggled manner for the usage of
express ideas with situation vocabulary
effectively expanding given. words
and respond on their learned both
adequately. ideas, in and
leading to beyond the
repetition classroom.
and lack of
elaboration.
No The student The student The students The student
understanding struggled to had a were able to comprehende
the questions comprehend reasonable understand and d and
the questions understandin respond to the responded to
Comprehen
and topics g of some of most of the all of the
sion
being the questions questions and questions and
discussed. and topics topics being topics being
being discussed. discussed
discussed. effortlessly.
No Speech is very The speech Speech is The speech is
communication slow, is slow and mostly smooth fluent and
possible stumnling, often but with some effortless,
nervous, and hesitant, hesitation and approaching
uncertain with with unevenness the speed of a
response, irregular caused native
except for pauses, and primarily by speaker.
Fluency short or sometimes rephrasing and
memorized sentences are groping for
expressions. left words
Difficult for a incomplete;
listener to however, the
understand. student is
able to
continue.
2. Design a test
Test Level: A2
Ensure the students are familiar with the structure of the test and the topics
beforehand.
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The test is divided into two parts: Social interaction and Individual Long Turn.
Set up a comfortable environment for the speaking test.
There are 2 examiners: Teacher 1 will call students to draw a topic card and give
them a paper. Teacher 2 will manage and score the speaking test, including Part
1 and Part 2.
Make sure you have all the necessary materials, such as a timer, recording
device (if needed), and the test questions.
Each section should be clearly marked and timed. Ensure each student has equal
opportunity to speak.
Teacher:
Sample Question
Part 1:
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What is your full name?
What is your daily routine?
What activities do you do in your free time?
Why do you spend your time doing these activities?
Teacher:
Explain to the student that they will have to speak about a topic related to music
for 3 minutes.
The student will have 2 minutes to prepare.
The student should speak for 1-2 minutes uninterrupted. If they finish early,
prompt them with follow-up questions.
For example: “Now, let’s move on to part 2. In part 2, I’d like you to talk about your
music event that you attended or would like to attend. Let’s begin”
Sample Question
Part 2: Talk about a music event you attended or would like to attend.
What the event was (or what event you would like to attend)
Where it take place (or where it will take place)
Who performed there
How you feel about the event (or how you think you will feel)
This analysis delves into the key dimensions that shape the effectiveness of speaking
exams, namely Reliability, Validity, Practicality, and Washback. Each of these factors
plays a critical role in not only evaluating language proficiency but also influencing
learning outcomes and instructional practices
Reliability
Reliability is measured by the consistency of results when the same test is administered
under similar conditions. Firstly, in the context of a face-to-face oral test designed to
evaluate students' achievement and communicative abilities, factors such as practice
and memory can significantly influence the reliability of the test scores. For instance,
students may improve their performance simply due to familiarity with the test format
and questions from their previous experience, leading to inflated scores on subsequent
administrations. Likewise, remembering specific prompts or topics from the first test
session may bias their responses during the retest, potentially inflating the correlation
between the two sets of scores.
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Secondly, having multiple judges assess the responses helps mitigate individual biases
and ensures a more objective evaluation process but just one rater is involved in
grading. Examiners might become inconsistent due to fatigue, bias, and exhaustion.
However, examiners require some initial training and can administer and score the test
consistently and efficiently. Training examiners helps ensure consistency in scoring,
enhancing the reliability of the test.
Thirdly, to maintain test administration reliability, students will be assessed in a quiet
room to ensure the test will not have disruptions which can create distractions for test-
takers, potentially affecting their concentration and performance.
Finally, The test has clear scoring guidelines, which help examiners understand how to
score, reducing variability in evaluations. This test uses detailed and uniform rubrics
for scoring aspects such as Fluency, Lexical Resource, Grammar, Comprehension and
Pronunciation, ensuring consistent scoring. Uniform rubrics ensure all students are
scored according to the same standards. Detailed rubrics and clear descriptors for each
score band provide a consistent basis for scoring, helping different examiners give
similar scores for similar performances.
Validity
The validity principle is used to refer to whether the test is actually measuring what it
claims to measure . In the context of the described oral achievement test for 10th
students, several aspects contribute to its validity. Firstly, face validity is evident
through the formal structure of the test, conducted face-to-face with specific time
limits, no typing mistakes in the test and structured questions aimed at eliciting spoken
responses. This format inherently appears as a typical oral examination, aligning with
expectations of what such assessments entail.
Secondly, content validity is supported by the clear alignment of test objectives with
educational goals and outcomes, focusing on students' ability to engage in social
interactions and deliver monologues on relevant topics from their textbook.
Moreover, the topics selected for Part 2, such as music events and environmental
issues, are relevant and familiar to the students, ensuring that the test content is not
challenging and it reflects their educational experiences.
Lastly, construct validity is demonstrated by the test's comprehensive coverage of
speaking skills, assessed through both social interaction and extended monologue
tasks. This ensures that the theoretical constructs underlying language proficiency such
as pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary are effectively evaluated through
appropriate speaking tasks rather than unrelated activities like reading aloud. Together,
these validity principles affirm that the test accurately measures students'
communicative abilities in alignment with its intended educational outcomes.
Practicality
The practicality principle in test design emphasizes several key factors to ensure an
efficient and feasible assessment process.
Firstly, the test must adhere to budgetary constraints set by educational institutions,
ensuring that costs for test materials, administration, and scoring remain manageable.
This speaking test is designed and administered by the school teachers, making it cost-
effective and staying within the school's budgetary constraints.
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Secondly, the total time for the test is 10 minutes per student, which is a reasonable
duration. However, for a class of 40 students, this would require 400 minutes (nearly 7
hours), making it time-consuming if conducted by a single examiner and leading to
significant time delays in score reporting.
Thirdly, designing the test requires creating relevant questions and prompts, which can
be done by teachers based on the textbook and previous material.
Finally, scoring requires more effort as it involves listening and evaluating each
student's performance individually.
Washback:
The washback principle, referring to the effects of tests on teaching and learning,
reveals both positive and negative impacts.
Negatively, test preparation may consume a teacher's valuable time, potentially
limiting the scope of teaching to align closely with test content at the expense of
broader learning goals. This can lead learners to focus solely on test-specific material,
neglecting other important aspects of their language development. Additionally, the
pressure to perform well can demotivate students, causing anxiety about revision and
fear of low scores. Furthermore, if the test grading emphasizes errors over correct
usage, it may not accurately reflect a student's overall proficiency.
Conversely, the test serves beneficial purposes. It motivates learners to improve their
language skills, and offers constructive feedback for future improvement. For teachers,
it helps identify struggling students and common errors, prompting adjustments in
teaching strategies to better support student needs. Institutionally, the test promotes
school accountability, highlights syllabus weaknesses, and encourages a balanced
curriculum approach that supports comprehensive language learning objectives. Thus,
while tests can exert significant influence, careful design and implementation are
crucial to maximize positive impacts and mitigate potential drawbacks.
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ENGLISH SPEAKING TEST
10
SPEAKING TEST RUBRIC
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