Essay About Evaluation

Analysis of the Test Design Process
Erick Alonso Picado Venegas
MEP-CONARE





Professor: Msc. Jose Chan
2011









Analysis of the Test Design Process

Today theterms assessment, evaluation and testing are thought of as a whole word. These words entail a lot of factors that teachers must take into account when preparing tests or tasks for students with theidea of making them succeed in their learning process. However, teachers sometimes underestimate their meaning and create tests or activities that are not correlated to the course objectives. They mustbe aligned with the intended outcomes, the designed objectives and what we expect from our students when acquiring the English language. According to Christine Coombe, Keith False and Nancy Hubbly( 2007), “evaluation includes the whole course or program while assessment is related to the learner’s achievement. Testing is part of the assessment process, and measures learners’ achievement.”(page xv).


Creating a test requires teaching experience and knowledge about some principles that must be known and followed for everyone attempting to design a good test. These principlesare usefulness, validity, practicality, washback, authenticity, transparency and security. These cornerstones are the prime elements that have to be considered before designing a test otherwise thetest and teacher would lack credibility and professionalism. Teachers for many years have been teaching and assessing their students based on what they learned or the way they were taught. It doesnot mean that they have performed their work inappropriately but with deficiency in some aspects that today we know by the theory studied.

The process of designing a listening and speaking test withtheir corresponding scales to assess students’ performance is daunting when someone asks you to create your own rubrics as well as your listening and speaking activities. Teachers are always busy...