Furthemore Fernandes 1984 states that a test as a systematic procedure for surveying a person‟s behavior and explaining it with the aid of
a numerical scale or a category system.”
2
While Airisian and Russel sais that “test is a formal, systematic procedure used to gather
information about students‟ achievement or other cognitive skill.”
3
In addition, according to Linn Gronlund 1995, “a test is a particular type of assessment that typically consists of a set of questions administered
during a fixed period of time under reasonably comparable conditions for all students”.
4
Based on the definitions above, the writer conclude that the test is the particular types of assessment to reinforce learning and to motivate students
by giving a task or a set of tasks. Through the test, the teacher do not only measure and motivate the students‟ ability but also improve the lesson in
teaching learning process. In order to make a proper decision, the teacher needs accurate data and to gain data, so a good instrument is needed.
2. The Kind of Test
There are many types of test used to measure student‟s achievement. According to Tinambunan, there are four types of achievement test which are
commonly used by teachers in the classroom:
1 Placement test
A placement test is designed to determine the pupils. Performance at the beginning of instruction.
2
H, J, X, Fernandes, Testing and Measurement, Jakarta: Nasional Education Planning, 1984, p.1
3
Peter W. Airisian, and Michael K. Russel, Classroom Assessment, New York: Beth Mejia, 2008, p. 9
4
Robert L. Linn Norman E. Gronlund, Measurement and Assessment in Teaching, Seven edition, London.: Merrill, 1995, p.5
2 Formative test
It is used at the end of a unit in the course book or after a lesson designed. The result of this test will also give the students immediate feed
back.
3 Diagnostic test
Diagnostic test is intended to diagnose learning difficulties during instruction. Thus, the main aim of diagnostic test is to determine the causes of
learning difficulties and then to formulate a plan for a remedial action.
4 Summative test
The summative test is intended to show the standard that the students have now reached in relation to other students at the same stage. Therefore it
typically comes at the end of a course or unit of instruction.
5
Other linguists divided the tests into four categories. There are achievement tests, aptitude test, proficiency tests, and placement test. Here,
the writer like to explain more about kind of tests.
a. Achievement Test
An achievement test is usually a formal examination given at the end of the school year or at the end of the course.
6
The achievement test may be written and administered by ministries of education, officially examining
boards, or by members of teaching institution.
5
Drs. Wilmar Tinambunan, Evaluation of students achievement, Jakarta: Depdikbud.,1998, p.7-9
6
Heaton J. B, Classroom Testing, New York: Longman, 1990, p14
While, Valette in his book Modern Language Testing, the achievement test is similar to the progress test in that it measures how much the student has
learned in the course of second-language instruction.
7
According to Hughes, achievement test are directly related to language course, their purpose being to establish how successful individual students,
group of students, or the courses themselves have been in achieving objectives. They are two kind of tests: final achievement tests and progress
achievement tests. 1
Final achievement tests are those administered at the end of a course of study.
2 Progress achievement tests, as their name suggests, are intended to
measure the progress that students are making.
8
Brown, he said that an achievement test is related directly to classroom lessons, units, or even a total curriculum. Achievements tests are limited to
particular material covered in a curriculum within a particular time frame, and are offered after a course has covered the objectives in question.
9
In addition, another expert, Tinambunan says that an achievement test is designed to indicate degree of student‟s success in some past learning
activities.
10
This purpose of achievement test is obviously different from the purpose of aptitude test, where the aptitude test is designed to predict success
in some future learning activities.
7
Valette Rebecca M, Modern Language Testing, New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc, p5
8
Arthur Hughes, Testing for Language Teachers, New York: Cambridge University Press, 2003, second edition. p.13
9
Brown, H. Douglas, Teaching by Principles An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy, San Francisco: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc, 2001 second edition, p.391
10
Wilmar Tinambunan, Evaluation of Student Achievement, Jakarta: Department Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan, 1998,p. 9
In order to have a good achievement test form, a test maker should consider that achievement test mush be constructed well by paying attention
to some following basic principles:
11
a. Achievement tests should measure clearly defined learning
outcomes that are in harmony with the instructional objectives. b.
Achievement tests should measure an adequate sample of the learning outcomes and subjects matter content included in
instruction. c.
Achievement test should include the types of tests items, which are most appropriate for measuring the desired learning outcomes
d. Achievement tests should be designed to fit the particular uses to
be made of the results. e.
Achievement test should be made as reliable as possible and should then be interpreted with caution.
f. Achievement tests should be used to improve student learning.
The content of tests based on the course objectives gives a number of advantages. The first, it compels course designers to be explicit about
objectives. The second, it makes possible for performance on the test to show just how far students have achieved the instuctional objectives. Consequently,
the course designer or teacher should construct a syllabus based on the instructional objectives and should select books and materials which are
consistent with the course objectives. b.
Aptitude Test The second type of test is the aptitude tests. Aptitude tests
– sometime termed prognostic or predictive tests
– are designed to predict, before beginning language study, a subj
ect‟s probable capability of acquiring the language.
12
By looking at, “predict” term, it can be recognized that these tests give some clue as to whether, how well and how quickly a person is likely to
success in learning.
11
Norman E, Gronlund, Constructing Achievement Tests, London: Prentice Hall, Inc., 1968, p.4
12
Merry Finnachiaro and Sydney Salo, Foreign Language Testing, New York: Regents Publishing Co. 1993, p.7
Fundamentally, aptitude tests have different features in nature from achievement test, which has been discussed previously. Aptitude tests are
primarily designed to predict success in some future learning activity, whereas achievement test are designed to indicate degree of success in some
past learning activity.
13
From a comparison above, it can be comprehended that a distinction founded between these two tests is made in term of the use
of the results rather than of the qualities of the tests themselves. According to Valete, The aptitude test is conceived a prognostic
measure that indicated whether a student is likely to learn a second language readily.
14
Beside that Brown states, a language aptitude test is designed to
measure a person‟s capacity or general ability to learn a foreign language and to be successful in that undertaking. Aptitude tests are considered to be
independent of a particular language.
15
c. Proficiency Test
The third type of test is proficiency tests. This test is used to know the proficiency of test-takers. It is hoped, after giving this test, the test-taker will
know their ability in language especially in English language. According to Arthur Proficiency tests are designed to measure people‟s
ability in a language, regardless of any training they may have in that language. The content of proficiency test is based on a specification of what
candidates have to be able to do in the language in order to be considered proficienct.
16
13
Wilmar Tinambunan, Evaluation of Student Achievement, Jakarta: Department Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan, 1998, p7
14
Valette Rebecca M, , Modern Language Testing, New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc, p5
15
Brown, H. Douglas, Teaching by Principles An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy, San Francisco: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc, 2001 second edition, p.391
16
Arthur Hughes, Testing for Language Teachers, New York: Cambridge University Press, 2003, second edition. p.11
While Harrison sates “the aim of a proficiency test is to assess the student‟s ability to apply in actual situations what he has learnt. It seeks
to answer the question: „having learnt this much, what can the student do with it?‟ this type of test is not usually related to any particular
course because it is concerned with the student‟s current standing in relation to his future needs. In view of this future orientation, a
proficiency test is the most suitable vehicle for assessing English for Specific Purposes ESP, such as language for business, for engineers,
or for postgraduate study. ”
17
This test usually consists of the standardized multiple choice items on structure, reading comprehension, listening comprehension, and sometimes
on writing. d.
Placement Test Placement test are intended to provide information which will help to
short or place students into groups according to their language ability at the beginning of a course.
18
Thus, they can start a course at approximately the same level as the other students in the class.
Such a test should be as general as possible and should concentrate on testing a wide and representative range of ability in English.
19
It should thus avoid concentrating on narrow areas of language and specific skills.
Consequently, questions measuring general language ability can form a useful part of a placement test.
Such question, however, should make up only on part of a placement test. The most important part of the test should consist of questions directly
concerned with the specific language skills which students will require on their course. Consequently, It is important to write questions which
concentrate on those skills and areas of language on which the early part of the future course concentrates.
17
Andrew Harrison, A Language Testing Handbook, London: Macmillan Press, 1983,p. 7-8
18
J.B. Heaton, Classroom Testing, New York: Longman Inc., 1990,p.15
19
J.B. Heaton, Classroom Testing, …..
For example, it scarcely matter how well a student performs on a test of reading stories in English if the course concentrates solely on the listening
and speaking skills.
3. The Characteristic of a Good Test
