TESL 0100 – Unit 8 – Reflections
Assessments have always been an afterthought for me.
My experience as a learner was that assessment occurred after the course was
finished. I had no concept of assessment before or during the course teaching.
Furthermore, my understanding of assessment was strictly Normative based
testing. Prior to this course, I had no idea of criterion-based testing. To use
a set of objectives rather than simply making questions regarding the content
of the entire course is a new concept to me. Being new to me, developing
criterion-based tests is very daunting. Identifying a set of objectives for the
test and drawing up specifications is challenging. After that, it seems that
drafting, revising, and finalizing the test is a little easier. However, a big
concern regarding developing tests is test validity. Am I actually testing what
I am wanting to test? In language testing, it can be difficult to validly test
for proficiency. Much of the scoring can be subjective. Therefore, developing a
set of objectives is important. The objectives help identify what the test
taker has accomplished. The validity of the test comes from ensuring the test
is testing the objectives. It is also important that the test looks like it
tests what the test taker is expecting. It is possible that even if the content
of the test is valid in assessing the set criterion, the test may not look like
it to the test takers. It is important that the test be carefully constructed,
clear, and organized. Developing criterion-based tests and ensuring their
validity will take some time for me to become proficient.
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