Testing

by

Mr.Samir Bounab
yellowdaffodil66@gmail.com
January 19th 2016
Sidi Naamane Medea 2

Planning of the day

time

Tasks

9:00

Opening session

9:05 - 9: 20

Quick review about the last meeting &

feed back about TD lesson plans for all
levels

9:20 10:30

Introducing the topic of the day

10:30
40

Coffee pause

10: 40
00

- 10:
-

11: Feed back about the presentation of the

day

11:00 - 11 :
30
11:30
55
12:00

- 11:

Workshops
Feedback of the workshop
Closure of the training

Standartized tests
1-Why are teachers of
English blamed fo rbad
results?
2- What are the causes
of such weak results?
Test anxiety
3- What solutions do
you suggest to get
better results?
Time
management

What
is
testin
g?
5 reflection

It is the thing or
product
that measures a
particular
behavior or set of
objectives.
http://www.speechandlanguage.com

Testing Vs
Assessment?

5 reflection

Teachers vs Testing
Many teachers dislike preparing
and grading exams, and most
students dread taking them. Yet
tests are powerful educational
tools that serve at least four
functions.

Yet tests are powerful educational tools

that serve at least four functions :

Why
testing?

First, tests help you evaluate

students and assess whether they
are learning what you are expecting
them to learn.
Second, well-designed tests serve to
motivate students

5
reflecti
on

Third, tests can help you understand

how successfully you are presenting
the material.
Finally, tests can reinforce learning
by providing students with indicators
of what topics or skills they have not
yet mastered and should concentrate
on

rinciples of Testing

- When developing tests/ examinations, designers must

consider the following questions:
1- Are the exams in accordance with the exit profile of
middle school education?
2- Do they contain the three competencies (interact,
interpret, produce)?
3-Do they contain the values set out in the curriculum
(identity, national consciousness, citizenship, openness
Recommendat
to the world)?
ions to
4- Do they reflect the crosscurricular competencies
examination
(intellectual, methodological, communicative, personal
designers
and social)?
5- Are the activities in accordance with the concept
matrix of the curriculum in terms of global
competencies, content , resources and descriptors?
6- Are there more grammar exercises than
communicative activities?
7-Are the themes and the vocabulary of the official
curriculum represented?
8-Do the assessment objectives match the learning
objectives?
9-Do the reading comprehension activities measure the

10- Are these activities repetitive ?creative?11-Do they require the learner to find answers in the text or to deduce
them from the context?
12- Do the vocabulary- related activities appear in a meaningful
context?
13- Do the grammar related activities appear in a meaningful context?
14- Do the pronunciation activities appear in a meaningful context?
15- Do the activities allow for the use of critical thinking or are they
merely referential ?
16- Are the activities assessing the writing skill in accordance with the
exit profile? Are they meaningful for the student?
17- Does the task at hand correspond to his level of proficiency or is it
beyond his cognitive abilities?
18- Are the tasks communication- oriented ?
19- Do the BEM questions cover an important part of the curriculum?
20- Are the targeted competencies assessed objectively?
21- Are the assessors aware of the rubrics used by the designers of
exams?
22- Do they use assessment criteria (relevance, correct use of
language, coherence and
development) and indicators to measure students production?
23- Are they aware of the four levels of mastery of competencies
(maximum, minimum, partial or lack of mastery)
24 -Do they use these criteria when they assess the work of learners?

when designing national examinations for the

middle school, it is important to:
a) target the learners exact level of performance.
b) Examinations must reflect the difficulty levels
described by the descriptors in the curriculum.
c) Inspectors should supervise and assist teachers
In conclusion while designing assessment tools which are conform to
the BEM examination materials.
d) It is evident that the assessment of learning should
focus on what was taught in class and based on
explicit descriptors .
e) In addition, the situations should be close to what
was done in class in order not to confuse the learner,
and must be varied; they should test listening and
reading comprehension,
speaking and written expression as well as the
language skills (grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation )

1- all the 24 recommendations ?

So you as teachers and test &
exam designers:
What recommendations will
you take into account?

Why ?
2- some of them?
Why?

2 reflection

3- None of them?
Why?

Bloom taxonomy and testing

Many teachers have found it difficult to apply this six-level taxonomy, and some educators
have simplified and collapsed the taxonomy into three general levels
The first category knowledge (recall or recognition of specific information).
The second category combines comprehension and application.
The third category is described as "problem solving, transferring existing
knowledge and skills to new situations.
To measure knowledge (common terms, facts, principles,procedures), ask these kinds
of questions: Define, Describe,Identify, Label, List, Match, Name, Outline,
Reproduce,Select, State. Example: "List the steps involved in titration.
To measure comprehension (understanding of facts andprinciples, interpretation of
material), ask these kinds of questions: Convert, Defend, Distinguish, Estimate,
Explain,
Extend, Generalize, Give examples, Infer, Predict, Summarize. Example:
"Summarize the passage."
To measure application (solving problems, applying concepts and principles to new
situations), ask these kinds of questions: Demonstrate, Modify, Operate, Prepare,
Produce, Relate, Show, Solve.
To measure analysis (recognition of unstated assumptions or logical fallacies, ability
to distinguish between facts and inferences), ask these kinds of questions: Diagram,
Differentiate, Distinguish, Illustrate, Infer, Point out, Relate, Select, Separate,
Subdivide.
To measure synthesis (integrate learning from different areas or solve problems by
creative thinking), ask these kinds of questions: Categorize, Combine, Compile,
Devise, Design, Explain, Generate, Organize, Plan, Rearrange, Reconstruct,
Revise, Tell.
To measure evaluation (judging and assessing), ask these kinds of questions:

How to plan tests and

exams?

5 reflection

Construction of Effective Exams

Prepare new exams each time you teach a course. Though it is time-consuming to develop tests, a past
exam may not reflect changes in how you have presented the material or which topics you have emphasized
in the course. If you do write a new exam, you can make copies of the old exam available to students.
Make up test items throughout the term. Don't wait until a week or so before the exam. One way to
make sure the exam reflects the topics emphasized in the course is to write test questions at the end of each
class session and place them on index cards or computer files for later sorting. Software that allows you to
create test banks of items and generate exams from the pool is now available.
Cull items from colleagues' exams. Ask colleagues at other institutions for copies of their exams. Be
careful, though, about using items from tests given by colleagues on your own campus. Some of your
students may have previously seen those tests.
Consider making your tests cumulative. Cumulative tests require students to review material they have
already studied, thus reinforcing what they have learned. Cumulative tests also give students a chance to
integrate and synthesize course content
Prepare clear instructions. Test your instructions by asking a colleague (or one of your graduate student
instructors) to read them.
Include a few words of advice and encouragement on the exam. For example, give students advice on
how much time to spend on each section or offer a hint at the beginning of an essay question or wish
students good luck
Put some easy items first. Place several questions all your students can answer near the beginning of the
exam. Answering easier questions helps students overcome their nervousness and may help them feel
confident that they can succeed on the exam. You can also use the first few questions to identify students in
serious academic difficulty.
Challenge your best students. Some instructors like to include at least one very difficult questionthough
not a trick question or a trivial oneto challenge the interest of the best students. They place that question
at or near the end of the exam.
Try out the timing. No purpose is served by creating a test too long for even well-prepared students to
finish and review before turning it in. As a rule of thumb, allow about one-half minute per item for true-false
tests, one minute per item for multiple-choice tests, two minutes per short-answer requiring a few sentences,
ten or fifteen minutes for a limited essay question, and about thirty minutes for a broader essay question.
Allow another five or ten minutes for students to review their work, and factor in time to distribute and collect
the tests. Another rule of thumb is to allow students about four times as long as it takes you (or a graduate
student instructor) to complete the test.

Multiple-choice tests. Multiple-choice items can be used to measure both simple

knowledge and complex concepts. Since multiple-choice questions can be answered quickly,
you can assess students' mastery of many topics on an hour exam. In addition, the items
can be easily and reliably scored. Good multiple-choice questions are difficult to write-see
"Multiple-Choice and Matching Tests" for guidance on how to develop and administer this
type of test.
True-false tests. Because random guessing will produce the correct answer half the time,
true-false tests are less reliable than other types of exams. However, these items are
appropriate for occasional use. Some faculty who use true-false questions add an "explain"
column in which students
write
one The
or two
sentences
justifying
their response.
Matching
tests.
matching
format
is an effective
way to test students'
Types of Tests recognition of the relationships between words and definitions, events and
dates, categories and examples, and so on. See "Multiple-Choice and
Matching Tests" for suggestions about developing this type of test.
Essay tests. Essay tests enable you to judge students' abilities to organize, integrate,
interpret material, and express themselves in their own words. Research indicates that
students study more efficiently for essay-type examinations than for selection (multiplechoice) tests: students preparing for essay tests focus on broad issues, general concepts, and
interrelationships rather than on specific details
Short-answer tests. Depending on your objectives, short-answer questions can call for
one or two sentences or a long paragraph. Short-answer tests are easier to write, though
they take longer to score, than multiple-choice tests. They also give you some opportunity
to see how well students can express their thoughts, though they are not as useful as longer
essay responses for this purpose. See "Short-Answer and Essay Tests" for detailed guidelines
Problem sets. In courses in mathematics and the sciences, your tests can include problem
sets. As a rule of thumb, allow students ten minutes to solve a problem you can do in two
minutes. See "Homework: Problem Sets" for advice on creating and grading problem sets.
Oral exams. Though common at the graduate level, oral exams are rarely used for
undergraduates except in foreign language classes. In other classes they are usually timeconsuming, too anxiety provoking for students, and difficult to score unless the instructor
tape-records the answers.

All test and exams

must be planned
according to:

Format of:
tests & exams

Part One :
< 14
points>
A/ READING
COMPREHENSION
(7points)

B / Mastery of Language

 Part Two : Written

Expression which
could be:
< Integrated
Situation >
< Problem Solving>
( 6 points)

The text

The activites

Lexis
4 words in all the text
[The words spread all over
the whole text].
The words given must
have at least 4 possible
answers for each word.
The words given in lexis
should be re-invested
likely in the written
Expression

ACTIVITY 1 :
Mechanic/Morphology
tasks
(word formation /
CTIVITY
2
:
Syntax
punctuation)

OBS : Not forbidden to give

2 syntax activities
ACTIVITY 3 :
Pronunciation

How to plan a situation

of
integration

Part Two: Written Expression

(situation of Integration
situation)
It
o
o
o
o
o
o

/ problem solving

must be:
Related Topically to the text .
Not taken from the text
Well worded
Well written
Contains topic task person addressed to
Hints : must not be
- questions .
- nouns
- verbs
- prepositions
Example(hints):
- Place ( abroad / Algeria.
- Time ( holidays..
- Stay ( how long / hotels..)

The instruction must be :

Use these hints

Write about :

Students are free to Not use the given hints

No

motivating
in accordance with
the pedagogical
objectives
adapted to the
level
of the pupil
conveys
positive
values

illustration
s
authentic
documents
a set of
instructions
significant

formulation
rather
than a
Situation of integration
question
(Target situation)
readable
formulation
should be within
reach
should be within
a situation of
communication

in accordance
with the context
of work
integrates the
knows ,skills;
attitudes
realistic practice
takes into account
the local means

in accordance
with the target
competence

Criteria

THE GRID OF EVALUATION OF THE WRITTEN

Good EXPRESSIONFair
Poor

Relevance(2points)

Topic(1pt)alltheideasare
relatedtothetopic
Format(1pt):correct

(2points)

Topic(0.5pt)

Topic

atleast4)
Format(0.5pt):
correct
(1pt)

1or2sentences)
Format:
Correct/incorrect
(0.5pt)

Ideaswell

SomeIdeasarewell
organized

topicsentences/
supportingsentences

Notopicsentence(no)
conclusion

Organized

Organisation
(2points)

conclusion

sentencesarelinkedcorrectly

(2points)

Someideasarerelatedtothetopic( Verylittlereferencetothetopic(

Topicsentences/no
conclusion
Somesentencesarelinked
correctly
(1point)

Ideasarenotwell
organiseddifficultto
follow
Notopicsentence
Noconclusion
Sentencesarenotlinked
correctly
(0.5point)

LinguisticResources
(2points)

Correctuseof(tense)/verb
form/linkwords
vocabularyvaried

(2points)

Correctuseof(tense)/verbform incorrectuseof(tense)/verb
form
Useof3linkwords
nolinkwords
Vocabularynotvaried
vocabulary(very)limited
3mistakesareaccepted

morethan6mistakes
(1point)

(0.5pt)

Note:
If a candidate is out of the
topic , Do not take into
consideration (do not
mark) organisation
and
linguistic
resources
Mark just Format
Write down the full
correction of the test or

rt One : Reading Comprehension

Examiner guide
2013 typology

lexis

Mastery of
language

pronunciatio
n

Typical correction
What should
teachers
do after delivering
a test

secti
on

Typical
correctio

scorin
g

Take into
account all th
possible ,
logical
answers

Respect
the
examiner
guide
scoring
scale

or

Test report = gather data using

an evaluation sheet

exam?

5 reflection

remedial work = lesson where

the weaknesses seen in the
Evaluation sheet are taken into account

est Report & Remedial Work

Sample of exam
paper conform
to he above
instructions:

Text :

Bill and Simone Butler left Miami one summer weekend in

their boat. They wanted to sail round the Caribbean Sea for two
weeks.
During their holiday, they saw a large group of whales.
Bill and Simone were very excited. unfortunately, while they
were watching them, the whales began to hit the side of the
boat. Suddenly water started getting in and they realized that
they were in trouble. They quickly jumped into the lifeboat while
the boat was sinking, and watched it disappear under the sea.
Fortunately, they had enough food and water for twenty
days. They also had a fishing line and a machine which made
salt water into drinking water. These helped them to survive
during their terrible experience .For the next fifty days, when
there was no food ,they caught ten fish a day and ate them raw.
The butlers saw about twenty ships, but although they
waved and shouted while they were passing, nobody saw them.
They were becoming weaker and weaker. Then,just as they were
beginning to lose hope, a fishing boat rescued them.t heir
disastrous holiday was over.
Adapted from Headway

Part One: - 14 ptsA Reading

Comprehension

(7pt)

Read the text carefully

and do the following
activities.

Activityone:(2pts)
Matcheachtitlewithitscorrespondingparagraph.

Paragraphone
TheHardDaysatSea
Paragraphtwo
Therescue
Paragraphthree
Asailingholiday
Paragraphfour
Theaccident

Activity two: ( 3pts)

Read the following statements and write
true , false or not mentioned

1-Some whales were swimming

close to the Butlers boat.
2- They did not damage the
boat.
3- Italian fishermen saved

Activity three : ( 2pts)

Find in the text words or phrases
that are closest in meaning to the
following:
a) had problems =
horrible =
c) cried =
saved =

b)
d)

Part One :
B- Mastery of
Language: (7
pts)

Activity one : (2pts)

Combine the following
sentences using the
appropriate words :
but so however
while
1- We were camping near a river. We
saw a crocodile.

Activity Two : (3pts)

Write the correct form
of the verbs in
brackets.
Bouchaoui (to be) a very
nice forest. Last weekend I
( to go) there with my
parents.As we (to have)

 Activitythree:
Findinthetextfourwordsthathavethefol owingsounds.
/ e/very / :/ water
1
1
2
2

Part Two: Written Expression ( 6pts)

As you were camping with some
friends, class or schoolmates, something bad
happened. So you decided to go back home.
Write an email to your pen-friend /or friend
living in another city (town).Tell him/her what
happened.

Write about :

- Date (when) : spring /summer

holidays.
- Place ( where) : forest / woods
/beach..
- The first three days : good / great /
lovely time

1234-

Resources
National Curriculum 2015
BEM Guide September 2013
Google Images.
From the hard copy book Tools for Teaching by Barbara Gross Davis; Jossey-Bass Publishers: San Francisco, 1993

By
Mr.Samir Bounab
At
yellowdaffodil66@gmail.com