英语测试学

英语测试学 经济与管理学院 0902 冯珊 I What is test? How do you distinguish different kinds of tests. Explain at least four different tests and illustrate them with some real examples.(50’) II Make some comments on the present College English Tests System, such as CET or TEM. Illustrate their positive and negative backwash to college students’ English learning. You should write at least 300 words. (50’) (1)Test, in plain, ordinary words, is a method of measuring a person’s ability or knowledge in a given area. The definition captures the essential components of a test. Test is a procedure designed to elicit certain behavior from which one can make inferences about certain characteristics of an individual generally speaking, we can distinguish tests from their different scales, which represent only the means of describing or reporting the results of the test. A test is first a method. There is a set of techniques, procedures, test items, that constitute an instrument of some sort. And that method generally requires some performance or activity on the part of either the testee or the tester or both. The method may be quite intuitive and informal, as in the case of judging offhand someone’s authenticity of pronunciation. or it may be quite explicit and structured, as in a multiple-choice technique in which correct responses have already been specified by some “objective” means. Next, a test has the purpose of measuring. Some measurements are rather broad and inexact while others are quantified in mathematically precise terms. The difference between formal and informal testing exists to a great degree in the nature of quantification of data. Informal tests, the everyday intuitive judging that we do as laypersons or teachers. In formal testing, in which carefully planned techniques of assessment are used, quantification is important, especially for comparison either within an individual or across individuals. A test measures a person’s ability or knowledge. Care must be taken in any test to understand who the testees are. Also being measured in a test is ability or knowledge — that is, competence. A test samples performance but infers certain competence. A language test samples language behavior and infers general ability in a language. Finally, a test measures a given area. In the case of a proficiency test, even though the actual performance on the test involves only a sampling for skills, that area is overall proficiency in a language — general competence in all skills of a language. Other tests may have more specific criteria. One of the biggest obstacles to overcome in constructing adequate tests is to measure the criterion and not inadvertently something else. How to distinguish different kinds of tests. As far as I am concerned, we can distinguish them by what can we get from the test. According to different function of different tests, I can distinguish them clearly. Proficiency Test .They are designed to measure people's ability in a language regardless of any training they may have had in that language ,just like GRE or TOEFL. Achievement Test. In contrast to proficiency tests ,achievement tests are directly related to language courses ,their purpose being to establish how successful individual students ,groups of students, or the courses themselves have been in achievement objectives .They are of two kinds :FINAL ACHIEVEMENT TESTS and PROGRESS ACHIEVEMENT TESTS. Diagnostic Test .They are used to identify student's strengths and weakness. They are intended primarily to ascertain what further teaching is necessary, such as PRACTICE TEST. Placement Test .They are intended to provide information which will help to place students at the stage of the teaching programme most appropriate to their abilities. Typically they are used to assign students to classes at different levels. (2) CET—— It is a kind of nationwide teaching test. CET was created to enhance residents' education about career opportunities in academic psychiatry. Its purpose is to improve graduating residents' readiness for success as clinician-educators and to broaden residents' understanding of research and publication in education. Most importantly, the CET will help residents learn to become better teachers. The CET provides an alternative to the Research Track; however, residents may choose to do both tracks. Selection into the CET will provide recognition and training for those interested in becoming a faculty member of an academic institution. Its aim is to measure the college students' real English ability objectively and accurately, to provide efficient service for college English teaching. Many students are prepared for CET and some other examination only for graduating and looking for better jobs. With the development of English learning and teaching, CET has become a authoritative and formal test in our country. Without the certification of CET4, you won't graduate from college. Even the scores of CET can be accepted by most companies in our society. More and more personnel departments recruit employees through their scores of CET. On the contrast, the CET and other English text may give us better. Through the examination, we may know more about western countries and improve our learning skills. As far as I am concerned CET has its positive and negative aspect. On one hand, as we all know, listening, reading, and writing are the main parts of CET; through these we can make a comprehensive test on our English skills. After the traditional exam of entering college, most of us begin to ignore the deeply study of English, even give up learning. In order to graduate successfully, college students have to keep learning. It's a kind of pressure, also motive power. At least, they won't and dare not totally forget it. Though it's passive, to a degree, it has some positive effects. On the other hand, we not only need to learn English, also our own majors. Compare it, major classes are our main tasks. Entering a college, we just want to learn some professional skills, and then find a proper job. Not each one will find a job related to English. What's more, the core of learning a language is using it. Frankly speaking, most students will put it away after graduating from school, if they need not to use it in their field. Each coin has two sides. We can't only get the only one side. We must take advantage of the different College English Tests System; we can take use of them. Through the CET and TEM, we can improve our English both in listening and speaking. We should try our best to understand English and master how to use it. And what we do is not only for pass the exam.