ESL Assessment & Evaluation Techniques 2

Question 1

A teacher notices students began practicing oral presentations more after a speaking component was added to the final exam. This effect is best described as:

Accepted Answer

Positive washback

Answer

Washback is the influence a test has on teaching and learning, and positive washback encourages beneficial practice.

Question 2

In item analysis, an item answered correctly by 90% of students has an item facility (difficulty) index of:

Accepted Answer

0.90

Answer

Item facility is the proportion of test takers answering correctly, so 90% equals 0.90.

Question 3

An item is answered correctly more often by low scorers than by high scorers. What does this indicate?

Accepted Answer

Negative discrimination

Answer

Negative discrimination means the item favors weaker students, signaling a flawed item that should be revised.

Question 4

Which assessment approach involves the examiner providing graduated prompts during the test to measure a learner's potential to learn?

Accepted Answer

Dynamic assessment

Answer

Dynamic assessment, based on Vygotsky's ZPD, integrates mediation to gauge learning potential.

Question 5

A math test for ELLs contains long, idiom-heavy word problems, lowering ELL scores regardless of math skill. This is an example of:

Accepted Answer

Construct-irrelevant variance

Answer

Language complexity unrelated to the math construct introduces construct-irrelevant variance that distorts results.

ESL - Certified English as a Second Language Instructor Practice Test

ESL - Certified English as a Second Language Instructor Practice Test

ESL Assessment & Evaluation Techniques 2