Characteristics of

Assessment
Presented by Asst. Lect. Ali
Al-
zurfi
 Introduction
Assessment, if it is to adequately fulfill its purpose, should satisfy the requirements of four
key characteristics:

1 Validity
2 Reliability
3 Practicality
4 Accuracy
A test must achieve validity ,reliability,
and practicality
1 A test is valid if it measure what you want it to measure.
Tests should based on the contents of the textbook and the
methodological teaching approaches ,as well as measuring what is
supposed to measure .
2Tests are reliable if their results are consistent .If
administered to the same students on another occasion ,they
would obtain the same results.
There are two main sources of reliability
A- The consistency of performance from candidates.
B- scoring
3-A test has practicality if it does not involve much time or money
 Validity

It is the degree to which a test measures what it is supposed to measure,

or can be used successfully for the purpose for which it is intended. This
means you should be clear about what exactly you want to test.

Two questions must be considered:

1 What precisely does the test measure?
2 How well does it do it?
 Types of Validity

1Content Validity: is concerned with what is being tested. The

most important issues for a teacher when preparing a test are:
a)Test relevance: the relative importance of each area, and the number
of items given to it. It requires the specification of the language areas to
be tested, which in turn requires a careful analysis of the subject or skill,
and the design of the test.
b)Content coverage: is concerned with the extent to which the
questions adequately cover the language areas being studied.
For example:

If a test is measure students’ mastery of English grammar, the teacher has

to study the unit(s) and pick out the new structure points. He has then, to
plan how the students are to demonstrate mastery of these
grammar points in behavioral terms. This concerns the design of
the test and whether it tests recognition or production or both.
 Types of Validity
2- Empirical Validity: is usually referred to as statistical validity. If we are to check
the effectiveness of a test and to determine how well the test measures, we should
compare the test results with the results of some independent outside criteria that
we believe is an indicator of the ability tested. If there is high correlation between
the two, then, our test has empirical validity.
Example of independent criteria:
* Scores given at the end of the course.
* The teacher’s judgment of his students.
* External examination.
 Types of Validity
3Face Validity: It is argued that test appearance has a considerable effect on
its acceptability to both test takers and test users. Face validity has to do with
surface credibility or public acceptability of a test.

4Construct Validity: It means that the testing methods should be in harmony

with teaching method used, and the theory upon which the instructional materials
have been prepared and developed.
For example: when a course of study emphasizes the communicative aspect of
the language, and the test is designed according to discrete point items. The
construct validity of this test will certainly be low.
 Reliability
It means the stability of test scores. Presumably, if the same test is given
twice to the same group of students, under the same conditions, it would
give the same results.

Multiple Sample Standard Tasks

Requisites of
Dependable Tests

Standard Conditions Standard Scoring

 1Multiple Sample: the more samples of students’ performance we
take, the more reliable will be our assessment of their knowledge and
ability. It should contain a wide variety of levels of difficulty.
2 Standard conditions: the reliability of the test scores can also be
assured
if all students take the test under identical conditions. In a listening
test, for example, all students must be able to hear the items clearly.
3Standard tasks: all students must be given the same items or items
of equal difficulty. In other words, the test must be identical so as the
format.
4Standard scoring: all the papers of a test must be scored in an
identical manner. The teacher or the scorer should give the same or nearly
the same score repeatedly for the same test performance. Objective tests
tend to be more reliable than free-response tests like composition, where
individual judgement must be made.
 Practicality
A third characteristic of assessment is its practicality or usability. A test which is valid
and reliable but difficult to administer, score, or require too much equipment or money
may fail to gain acceptance. The two factors that have to be considered to achieve
practicality of a test are:
1) Economy: the cost in time, money, and personnel of administrating a particular test.
2)Ease: the degree of difficulty experienced in the administrating and scoring of the
test, for example, an oral test that demands the use of a tape recorder is not practical if it
has to be administered to thousands of students.
 Accuracy
Accuracy means that,
a)The test should be free from grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors,
frequently found in EFL test papers. The teacher should choose the test material from
reliable sources like books.
b) The numbering of questions, sub-questions, and items should be correct.
c)The directions for each question should be accurately and concisely worded, with
the marks allotted for it as well as the time allotted for the whole test.
For instance, if the teacher wants his students to write the correct word chosen
from three or four choices (Multiple-choice questions), which should be more
accurate to write: write the correct answer or choose the correct option?
 Factors which affect a test and make it unacceptable
1Length of test – a short test is likely to be less valid and less
reliable than a long test. On other hand, a very long test also lacks
these two criteria as it will be tiring and scores will be distorted.
2Choice of test technique -- each technique has its drawback, for
instance, a composition test is less reliable than a multiple choice test.
3Writing the test -- vaguely worded questions, difficult vocabulary or
complicated structures certainly affect reliability and validity.
4Test administration – not adequate time given to the majority of
the students to finish the test may affect their answers and scores. In
addition, inadequate spacing, lighting, heating or distractions may also
affect their test results.
5The question paper --The question should be typed and not written by
hand, with ample spaces among the questions. The writing should be free
from careless errors. The directions should be clear and marks for each
question are given.
Thanks for listening