Types of Assessment I
What type of assessment is used at the end of a course to measure students' overall achievement?
Summative Assessment
What is a test given before instruction to find out what students already know?
Diagnostic test
Which is broader: assessment or testing?
Assessment
What does the concept of constructive alignment mean according to Biggs (2011)?
It refers to the principle that learning objectives, activities, and assessments are interconnected. For example, if an objective requires critical thinking, the assessment should test that skill rather than simple recall.
What is the key difference between direct and indirect test items in language assessment?
Direct test items ask students to use language in practical tasks (e.g., writing a letter, participating in a conversation), while indirect test items focus on testing students' knowledge of language rules (e.g., grammar, word collocations).
Give one example of a summative assessment.
Final exam/End-of-course project/Standardized test
What kind of test is given during a course to monitor progress?
Formative assessment
True or False: All assessments are tests.
False
Why is authentic assessment considered more effective than traditional exams, according to Wiggins (1998)?
Because it reflects real-world applications of knowledge and skills—such as projects or case studies—and provides a better measure of what students have truly learned.
Why are multiple-choice questions considered advantageous in language testing?
They are easy to mark, can be scored by computers or transparencies, and provide reliable scorer consistency. However, creating effective distractors can be challenging.
True or False
Summative assessment is mostly informal and ungraded.
False
What is a test at the end of a course to measure overall learning?
Summative assessment
Give one example of an assessment that is not a test.
Observation, interview, portfolio, etc.
How do transparent assessment criteria benefit students, according to Sadler (1989)?
By clearly defining and sharing the assessment criteria in advance, students understand expectations and can align their learning strategies accordingly, leading to better performance.
What is a common issue when creating multiple-choice questions, according to the lecture?
The challenge lies in choosing appropriate distractors. If the distractors are too easy or too hard, the question may fail to differentiate between students who understand the material and those who don’t.
Which type of assessment helps determine a student’s starting level before instruction begins?
Placement test
What test helps place students in the correct level or group?
Placement test
Which focuses more on measurement and scoring—assessment or testing?
Testing
What is the importance of using SMART objectives when designing assessments?
SMART objectives ensure that learning goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound, making it easier to create aligned assessments that accurately measure student progress.
How do fill-in and cloze tests differ in assessing language knowledge?
Fill-in tests involve students completing sentences with a single word, while cloze tests require students to fill multiple gaps at regular intervals in a text, testing their understanding of word choice, collocation, and grammar.
How do diagnostic and placement tests differ in their purpose and timing within a language learning program?
Placement tests are used before instruction to group students by proficiency level, ensuring they start at the appropriate level. Diagnostic tests, on the other hand, are designed to identify specific strengths and weaknesses in learners’ language abilities and are often used at the beginning or during a course to inform instruction.
What is an assessment based on a collection of student work over time?
Portfolio
What does assessment include that testing does not?
Informal methods, feedback, observation, performance-based tasks
How can formative assessments, such as peer reviews or journal reflections, improve student learning?
Formative assessments provide ongoing feedback that allows students to adjust their learning before final assessments, significantly improving their understanding and performance.
Why is it important to align assessments with learning objectives? Give one example of misalignment.
Aligning assessments with learning objectives ensures that students are tested on the skills and knowledge they are expected to learn. Misalignment, such as using multiple-choice questions to test writing skills, would not accurately assess students' progress toward the intended objectives.