Includes bibliographical references and index.

Preface 1 Testing, Assessing, and Teaching What Is a Test? Assessment and Teaching Informal and Formal Assessment Formative and Summative Assessment Norm-Referenced and Criterion-Referenced Test Approaches to Language Testing: A Brief History Discrete-point and Integrative Testing Communicative Language Testing Performance-Based Assessment Current Issues in Classroom Testing New Views on Intelligence Traditional and Alternative Assessment Computer-Based Testing Exercises For Your Further Reading 2 Principles of Language Assessment Practicality Reliability Student-Related Reliability Rater Reliability Test Administration Reliability Test Reliability Validity Content-Related Evidence Criterion-Related Evidence Construct-Related Evidence Consequential Validity Face Validity Authenticity Washback Applying Principles to the Evaluation of Classroom Tests 1. Are the test procedures practical? 2. Is the test reliable? 3. Does the procedure demonstrate content validity? 4. Is the procedure face valid and biased for best? 5. Are the test tasks as authentic as possible? 6. Does the test offer beneficial washback to the learner? Exercises For Your Further Reading 3 Designing Classroom Language Tests Test Types Language Aptitude Tests Proficiency Tests Placement Test Diagnostic Tests Achievement Tests Some Practical Steps to Test Construction Assessing Clear, Unambiguous Objectives Drawing Up Test Specifications Devising Test Tasks Designing Multiple-Choice Test Items 1. Design each item to measure a specific objective 2. State Both stem and options as simply and directly as possible 3. Make certain that the intended answer is clearly the only correct one 4. Use item indices to accept, discard, or revise items Scoring, Grading, and Giving Feedback Scoring Grading Giving Feedback Exercises For Your Further Reading 4 Standardized Testing What Is Standardization? Advantages and Disadvantages of Stand

Features: *Solid foundation in the basics of validity and reliability, as well as all of the different forms of assessment *Concise, comprehensive treatment of all four skills includes classification of assessment techniques. *Thorough examination of standards-based assessment and standardized testing. * Practical examples illustrate principles. *End-of-chapter exercises and suggested additional readings provide opportunities for further exploration.