Language Testing in Practice

This book relates language testing practice to current views of communicative language teaching and testing. It builds on the theoretical background expounded in Bachman's "Fundamental Considerations in Language Testing" and examines the design, planning, and organization of tests. The book is divided into three sections which discuss 1) objectives and expectations, the context of language testing, and the abilities to be tested; 2) the process of test development, including blueprints, resources, operationalization, and scoring methods; and 3) ten examples which illustrate the principles discussed in Parts One and Two.

Contents

Part One Conceptual bases of test development
1: Objectives and expectations
2: Test usefulness: Qualities of language tests
3: Describing tasks: Language use in language tests
4: Describing language ability: Language use in language tests
Part Two Language test development
5: Overview of test development
6: Describing, identifying, and defining
7: Developing a plan for the evaluation of usefulness
8: Identifying, allocating, and managing resources
9: Operationalization: Developing test tasks and blueprints
10: Preparing effective instructions
11: Scoring method
12: Language test administration
Part Three Illustrative test development projects
Project 1
High-stakes selection and placement test for students entering a university writing program
Project 2
Selection / placement test for telephone company employees
Project 3
Syllabus-based diagnostic achievement test for students in an ESP program
Project 4
Exit test for students in an adult education conversation course for immigrants
Project 5
High-stakes ESP screening test for making hiring and training decisions
Project 6
Placement test for an ESL reading course
Project 7
Employment / placement / achievement test for immigrants in a government-funded vocational training ESL course
Project 8
Classroom achievement tests for an introductory German course
Project 9
Classroom achievement test for the reading component of the Korean-English two-way bilingual immersion program
Project 10
Syllabus-based EFL progress test for primary school children

References
Index