PRINCIPLES OF ASSESSMENT

There are many things that we, as teacher, need to take into account when we assess our students. However, it is also really important to consider essential factors when we create and apply formal tests. According to Brown, H. D. (2000) there are five cardinal criteria for “testing a test”:  practically, reliability, validity, authenticity, and washback.

First of all, a test should be practical; it means that a test should not be expensive or it should not consume too much time. A test should be easily to administer and it should have a scoring/evaluation procedure; for example: a test that can be scored only by computer is impractical if the test takes place a far away from the nearest computer. Secondly, when we talk about the reliability of a test it has to be taken into account a number of factors like: fluctuations in the student (temporary illness, fatigue, “a bad day” etc), scoring (human error or subjectivity), test administration (the conditions in which the test is administrated) and the test itself (the test can cause measurement errors) (Brown, H. D. 2000).

On the other hand, Validity contributes ensure that a test is measuring what it is assumed to measure. It is essential for a test to be valid because the results can be accurately applied and interpreted. Another major principle of language is Authenticity, and it is when the task is likely to be enacted in the “real world”. The language in the test is natural, the items are contextualized, the topics are meaningful and the tasks represent real-world tasks. Finally, Washback refers to the effects the tests have on instruction in terms of how students get ready for the test. (Brown, H. D. 2000).

As a conclusion, all these principles of a language testing are really relevant when attempting to assess students. We, as teachers, have to have these principles very clear in order to carry a better learning process in which students can develop their language skills successfully.