Forum Diskusi M6 KB1

1. What are the differences and give explanation

of Assessment, Teaching, and Testing?

Teaching is a process of sharing of knowledge and

experience from teacher to students. To put it in another way, it
is the work that a teacher does in helping students to learn. For
English teacher, it refers to teaching English language to
students with different mother tongue or first language.
Assessment is a process of collecting information
systematically in relation to students’ learning, knowledge, skill,
time allocation and resources to make a decision about things
that affect students’ study. It is the use of many kinds of
technique to collect data as a means to take decision in relation
to the learning improvement and result.
Test is a tool or systematic procedure to measure
someone’s characteristics or certain objects with particular
conditions and methods. So, test is an assessment that is
intended to measure students’ knowledge, skills, attitude,
physical fitness or other classification.

2. Give definition, explanation and interpretation the

terms Standardized Testing and Teacher-Made Test.

A standardized test is a test that is administered and scored

in a consistent, or standard manner. Any test in which the same
test is given in the same manner to all test takers, and graded in
the same manner for everyone, is a standardized test. So, the
questions, conditions for administering, scoring procedures, and
interpretations are consistent and are administered and scored in
a predetermined, standard manner. In a national scale, this test is
very useful.
However for the local, Teacher-made test is a test used to
evaluate the outcomes and content of what has been taught in
the classroom. It is designed to solve the problem or
requirements of the class for which it is prepared. It is prepared
to measure the outcomes and content of local curriculum. Not
like standardized-test, it is very flexible so that, it can be adopted
to any procedure and material. It does not require any
sophisticated technique for preparation.

3. Define and explain the characteristics of good language

assessment (Reliability, Validity, Practicality, etc).
A good language test should have a positive effect on
learning and teaching. It should be developed well to provide an
opportunity for students to show their ability to perform certain
language tasks. There are several characteristics of a good
language assessment.
First, reliability is consistency, dependence and trust. This
means that the results of a reliable test should be dependable.
They should be consistent, remain stable, should not be different
when the test is used in different days. A test that is called
reliable if it makes similar results with similar group of students
took the same test under identical conditions.
Next, practicality is concerned with actual use. Practical test
is the test that is developed and administered within the available
time and with available resources. Based on this definition,
practicality can be measured by the availability of the resources
required to develop and conduct the test. Practicality refers to the
economy of time, effort and money in testing. Practical test
should be easy to design, easy to administer, easy to mark and
easy to interpret its results.
 Validity, to be precise, refers to whether or not the test
measures what it claims to measure. On a test with high validity
the items will be closely linked to the test’s intended focus. It
serves no useful function if it is not valid. In addition, a test needs
to be a representative sample of the teaching contents as defined
and covered in the curriculum.
Authenticity is another characteristic. It means that the
language response that students give in the test is appropriate to
the language of communication. The test items should be related
to the use of the target language. It is authentic if it attempt to
duplicate as closely as possible the circumstances of real-life
situations.
A test should be comprehensive and balanced too.
Comprehensive means it covers all the items that have been
taught or studied. It includes items from different areas of the
material assigned for the test so as to check accurately the
amount of students’ knowledge. In the same spirit, balance
means, it tests not only linguistic aspects but also communicative
competences, and it must reflect the real command of the
language. It tests also appropriateness and accuracy.

https://elttguide.com/2011-12-28-12-characteristics-of-a-good-test/

4. Mention, explain and give examples some types of

language assessment.
Generally, there are five types of language tests are given to
language learners.
A. Placement tests are administered in order to make decisions
about where a student should be placed within a language
instructional program. In most cases, language learner with
similar language abilities should be grouped together. The
instructor can then work with individuals who are at
 approximately the same level of development in language skills
and can help them strengthen those skills.
B. Diagnostic tests are prepared in order to discover the strengths
and weaknesses of language learner. This information is useful
to language instructors in helping the trainees make
improvement in their language skills.
C. Achievement tests are administered in order to provide some
indication of whether the instructional goals are being met.
Achievement tests are based directly on the instructional
content of the course.
D. Proficiency tests provide an opportunity to test the language
skills of the learners when the testing objectives are tied not to
the instructional objectives, but to abilities in a language
regardless of any specific instruction in it.
E. Aptitude tests is used as a screening device to exclude some
individuals from language study or as an initial placement test,
thus allowing a language program to group learners scoring
high or low on the aptitude test in separate classes. However,
some factors, such as language learning strategies, attitude,
motivation and personality factors may not be measured in
aptitude tests.

http://www.nzdl.org/gsdlmod?e=d-00000-00---off-0cdl--00-0----0-10-0---0---0direct-10---4--
-----0-0l--11-en-50---20-about---00-0-1-00-0--4----0-0-11-10-0utfZz-8-
10&cl=CL2.8&d=HASH019724750281a3eb70a5c0b5.2.5&gt=1
Forum Diskusi M6 KB2
Now, please answer or do the following instructions/
questions:
1. Mention various assessment of authentic assessment and
give examples based on each language skill.
2. Give your own interpretation based on your experiences of
implementing authentic assessment in your classroom. Please
find also some research-based articles related to authentic
assessment implementation (strength and weaknesses) which
support your answer.

1.
Based on the curriculum 2013, teachers are expected to apply performance,
project and portfolio in the assessment. They are called authentic assessment.
Those are quite applicable for English language test. Here are some of the
assessments we can use:
Speaking skill
There are several ways of assessing speaking skills. We are going to discuss
responsive speaking and extensive speaking. In responsive speaking, Students
respond questions that the test teacher asks. For example, student is asked to give
directions or instructions. Another way is student is asked to paraphrase in two or
three sentences about what he heard or read. In extensive speaking, we can just
simply ask students to do speech (they can memorize it before) or make them do
describing a story based on series of pictures that they previously saw. We may
evaluate it based on content and delivery.
Listening skill
We can use intensive listening tasks to assess students’ listening skills, for example
distinguishing phonemic pairs (e.g. grass – glass; leave – live), distinguishing
morphological pairs (e.g. Miss – missed), Distinguishing stress patterns (e.g. I can
go; I can’t go) or repetition of certain words. Next, we have Responsive listening
tasks, which we have several questions based on audio (they can be multiple
choices or open ended response). Another way is Selective listening tasks, for
example listening cloze (students fill in the blanks) and picture cued information
transfer (students choose a picture). The last one is extensive listening tasks, in
which we have a dictation technique (students listen, usually 3 times, and write a
paragraph), dialogue (students hear dialogue with multiple choices comprehension
questions or open response) or even narrative telling (students retell a story after
they hearing it with their own words)
Reading skill
Several assessments for reading skills are reading comprehension, identification,
cloze test. Reading comprehension assessments are the most common type of
published reading test that is available. The most common reading comprehension
assessment involves asking a child to read a passage of text that is leveled
appropriately for the students, and then asking some explicit, detailed questions
about the content of the text. They can be asked to identify some language feature of
the text too. on the other hand, we may have words that are omitted from the
passage, and the students are asked to fill in the blanks with appropriate words, that
is a cloze test.
Writing skill
For higher education, we may have academic writing and personal writing to
assess students’ writing skills. However, we can do several other methods too. We
can ask students to do intensive writing in which they have to produce appropriate
vocabulary within a context, collocations and idioms, and correct grammatical
features up to the length of a sentence. Other is responsive writing in which students
are to perform at a limited discourse level, connecting sentences into a paragraph
and creating a logically connected sequence of two or three paragraphs. To the
contrary of intensive writing, extensive writing encourages students to compose a
longer discourse like essay to the level of paper.

2.
As we know, authentic assessment is the measurement of students’ intellectual
accomplishments that are worthwhile, significant, and meaningful. The goal of
authentic assessment is to determine if student knowledge can be applied outside of
the classroom. This assessment is usually composed by teacher. In assessing,
teacher needs to do it carefully. Several steps are to be taken; they are planning,
preparation of assessment tools, collection of information through a number of
evidences that show the achievement of student learning outcomes, processing,
and the use of information about student learning outcomes.
The first step we do is planning. We make a blueprint of the form and method of
assessment. The assessment type and material should be matched. For language,
especially English, it can be done by test and non-test. A test means it is done by
oral/deed test and written test. Non-test means it is by interviews, observations /
observations, questionnaires, attitude scales and anecdotal notes (diary).
Next, we have to prepare for the assessment tool/instrument. For aptitude and
Attitude, we may provide Observation sheet. An essay (for example for writing and
speaking test) is to be used to evaluate students’ knowledge. Another thing,
assessment rubric can be used to measure students’ skill, it has various types
ranged from speaking, writing, listening to reading skills
Third, collecting the data of the assessment is possible after we conduct the test.
The collected evidences from execution must really show the achievement of
student learning outcomes.
Then, processing the information is to be administered. It cannot be done without
the instruments that have been made. This processing includes the calculation of
the scoring on the finished scores that has been converted along with its
description which determines how much students have mastered the material that
has been given in a certain period of time.
Lastly, we, as teacher, have to take benefit of the test/assessment. It is used to
know and understand the knowledge and skills of the students, also their
improvement. From the result, we can determine the next steps or efforts to
amplify our quality of learning process and its result as it shows the success (or
not) of the teaching-learning process.
Here some research-based articles related to authentic assessment
implementation :
Mundilarto. Authentic Assessment as A Means to Improve The Students’ Scientific
Skills. Physics Education Department of FMIPA Yogyakarta State University.
(http://staffnew.uny.ac.id/upload/130681033/penelitian/Authentic+Assessment.pdf
accessed on 28 April 2019)

Koh, Kim H. 2017. Authentic Assessment. Oxford Research Encyclopedias.

(http://staffnew.uny.ac.id/upload/130681033/penelitian/Authentic+Assessment.pdf
accessed on 28 April 2019)

Merickel, Mark L. (1998). Performance Assessment. Integration of the

Disciplines.
(http://oregonstate.edu/instruction/ed555/zone5/perf.htm accessed on 28
April 2019)

Anonim. (1997). What is Authentic Assessment?

(http://www.eduplace.com/rdg/res/litass/auth.html accessed on 28 April 2019)

Forum Diskusi M6 KB3

Do the following instruction:
1. Find another sources of how to design and construct good
language assessment, and give simple explanation about it.
2. Try to design good language assessment (you may choose
any skill either listening, speaking, reading, or writing) based
on the theories you got from the sources and the module you
have read.
1.
As we are about to design and construct a language assessment, we need
to be clear of several things such as the objective of the test (what will it measure?),
The need for the test (what advantages will it have?), The test population (who will
take it?), The content (what will the test cover?), The style of administration (how will
it be given), and The format (will it be open response or multiple choice?).
We need to prepare a table of specifications for the test. This will include
information on content, format and timing, criteria, levels of performance and scoring
procedures. After writing the test, we might as well do a pre-testing activity. From
there, we can check on its validity. We need to validate the item difficulty to the
extent in which an item is easy or difficult for the proposed group of students. We
also have to validate the Item discrimination to the extent in which an item
differentiates between high and low ability students.
 In addition, test specs serve as a blueprint of the test in the description of its
content, item types (methods, such as multiple-choice, cloze, etc.), tasks (e.g. written
essay, reading a short passage, etc.), skills to be included, how the test will be
scored, and how it will be reported to students.
According Brown (2005), test specification should include outline of the test,
skills to be included, and item types and tasks.
In outlining of the test, we have to construct it in certain manner, for example:
a. section A. vocabulary part 1 (5 items): match words and definitions, part 2 (5
items): use the words in a sentence
b. section B. grammar (10 sentences): error detection (underline or circle the
error)
c. section C. reading comprehension (2 one-paragraph passages): four short-
answer items for each
d. section D. writing respond to a two-paragraph article on Japanese culture.
Skills are essential in language acquisition. They need to be included. However,
sometimes due to time constraint, a 60-minute test can only assess 3 or 4 language
skills, e.g. listening, reading, writing and grammar. Other skill such as speaking is
done separately in another time as more time is needed if the teacher is assessing
the students one-by- one.
Last one we have is Item Types and Tasks. There are a limited number of modes of
eliciting responses (i.e. prompting) and of responding on tests of any kind. We need
to consider that the test prompt can be oral (student listens) or written (student
reads) and the student can respond orally or in writing.
Another thing to consider is a test format as we might want to follow a
consistent design so that the questioning process in itself does not give unnecessary
difficulty to answering questions. Level of difficulty is another consideration, just plan
number of questions at a level of difficulty and discrimination to best determine
mastery and non-mastery performance states. Teacher also need to think about
internal and cultural considerations, refrain from the use of slang, geographic
references, historical references or dates that may not be understood by certain
students (especially from different places/foreign students).

https://www.slideshare.net/midnightphantom26/designing-language-test

2.
Designing reading skill assessment.
Students are to be given questions based on a text.

TEST DESIGN

Grade : SMK (Vocational School)

Subject : English
Curriculum : 2013
Class : X (Ten)
Question numbers : 5
Question forms : Multiple choices with 5 options
 Basic Class Materi Question Cognitive Q. Form
Competence al indicators level No
3.4. X Descri With a descriptive Understanding 1 MC
Analyzing ptive text of 200-250 (L1)
social Text words about
functions, text tourist resort in
structures, Indonesia,
and language students are
elements/feat expected to
ures of oral determine a
and written detailed
descriptive description about
texts by it.
giving and With the same Reasoning 2 MC
asking short text, students are (L3)
and simple expected to
information determine the
about people, benefit of the text
things, and for the readers.
places to the With the same Application 3 MC
context of its text, students are (L2)
use. expected to
determine the
referring
word/pronoun on
a sentence of
based on context.

Scoring is quite simple. For example if the questions are 50 items, we just count how
many right answer there are and multiply by 2.

Forum Diskusi M6 KB4

I would like you to share your experiences and relate the
results of test or assessment to the theories you have read
from the module. In this case, it is very important for your
better understanding of the phenomena to browse other
information from any sources and relate them to your
experiences. Please, also give comment or answer on the
following parts of your sharing.
1. How is the quality of the test or assessment of teacher-
made test (of your own test given to your students) either
objective or essay?
2. Multiple choice test is considered to be applied/ used by
the teachers because the reliability is high. Now, please, give
your own interpretation of how to examine the multiple choice
test.
1.
In personal opinion, the tests that have been made are met with the criteria of
authentic assessment. Most of them are essay tests, orally or written. Personally, I
think that an objective essay question can assess students’ knowledge and skills
better than multiple choices as they will think in an open possibility (because they
are not restricted by given options). However, the tests are far from perfect, they
need an everlasting correction from time to time as each time we will face different
students with, of course, different characteristics, which result to the need of
applying different treatments and assessment.

Sometimes, the use of objective questions (for example; multiple choices, true-
false, matching and sentence completion, etc) is applicable too to measure
students’ understanding on the subject. We know that its reliability is high. And
actually, they can reach better scores in this kind of test (as it is strictly guided)
and of course the assessment is easy; however, it cannot afford to measure the
higher thinking students which need a flexible and wide opportunity.

2.
Multiple choice questions are a common method of assessment in language
assessment. However, as I mention above, multiple choices (which relate to a
reliable objective assessment) is incapable in measuring students’ higher thinking
and skills. It is great for knowledge though, considering the cognitive level such as
understanding, application, and reasoning. It focuses on a broad overview of the
course. Multiple choice questions should not only aim to assess knowledge
recollection, but also measure other teaching objectives. Multiple choices test is
best to do with reading and listening as they are categorized as a passive skill.
The test is easy to check on and grade.
To examine multiple choices test reliability and validity, we can use item analysis.
It is not only to assess the quality of those items and of the test as a whole but also
to improve or eliminate items which will be (or not be) used again in later tests. In
addition, item analysis is valuable for increasing teachers’ skills in test construction,
and identifying specific areas of course content which need greater emphasis or
clarity.