Designing Classrooms Language Tests

In this session I will talk about designing tests, the first thing we have take into account is that the types of tests. According to H. Douglas Brown there are mainly five types of tests: Language aptitude test, it is designed to measure capacity or general ability to learn foreign language. Proficiency test, it consists of multiple-choice items on language skills.

Placement test, it is for placing a student into a particular level or section of a language curriculum or school.  I am going to make a parenthesis here since I am related to this type of test. About six years ago, I had to take a test like this when I was about to enter at Language Institute at UIS university in Bucaramanga. I wanted to take an English course because I wanted to learn to speak English. I was really scared since I had not had any test before. I took about 1 hour and half, anyway I had to begin with a basic one.

The third one is Diagnostic test; it is designed to diagnose specified aspect of a language. The last one which is one of the most relevant for us as teachers is Achievement test; it is directly related to classrooms, lessons, units or even total curriculum. For teachers, designing tests is something that sometimes tends to be hard because it is time consuming. In addition to this, we have to take into account many aspects, such as the objectives of the lesson or unit, the time the students may spend, ask only for things that were explaining in class, among others.

I would say that designing tests is a hard work since then we have to check the tests and give students the appropriate feedback and on time. But in the same breath, they are also useful and necessary because tests allow the teacher to know the needs, weakness, failures and doubts students have and also notice which skills they have to improve. Personally I have no problem in designing tests, the problem is that sometimes those tests are too long.