8
Wilmar states that; “A test is a set of questions, each of which has a correct answer, that examinees usually answer orally or in writing”.
10
From those views of test, it can be concluded that a test can be instrument, techniques, or procedures to have the students’ respond through
tasks or performance in the form of set of questions must be answered in order to achieve the teaching-learning objectives. In short, a test is a measurement
instrument designed to assess a specific sample of individuals’ behavior. Test is also a way to deliver information, which is very useful for
many practitioners of education. “A test is a formal systematic procedure for gathering information”.
11
Therefore, test a device of educational is necessary in a teaching process, since testing and teaching can not be separated. Heaton
states that ”both testing and teaching are so closely interrelated that is virtually impossible to work in either field without being constantly concerned with the
other”.
12
The reason of that interrelation and connection between testing and teaching is the material tested, must be based on the material taught in order to
find out how far the students comprehension.
C. Type of Tests
There are many kinds of tests used to measure students’ achievement that can be used in an evaluation process. The type of test can be classified
into two types, namely; function and way of scoring. 1.
Function According to Andrew Harrison, the types of functional test can be
categorized into four types: placement test, diagnostic test, achievement test, and proficiency test.
10
Wilmar Tinambuan, Evaluation of Students Achievement, Jakarta; Depdikbud, 1988 p. 310
11
Julian C. Stanley, Measurement in Today’s..., p.3
12
J.B. Heaton, Writing English..., p.1
9
a. The Placement test
Placement test is used to place a student to appropriate level or section of a language curriculum or school. It usually happens in the
beginning of course. According to Wilmar Tinambuan; A placement test is designed to determine pupil performance at the
beginning of instruction. Thus, it is designed to sort new students into teaching groups, so that they can start a course at
approximately the same level as the other students in the class. It is concerned with the student’s present standing, and so relates to
general ability rather than specific points of learning. As a rule the result are needed quickly so that the teaching may begin.
13
b. The Diagnostic Test
Diagnostic test is designed to diagnose a particular aspect of a language. “Diagnostic tests are also achievement test, but they are
characterized by one distinctive feature, namely that they are designed to show specific weakness and strengths within the skills or elements
measured”.
14
It can also be used to check the students’ progress in learning particular elements of the course. It is used for example at the end of a
unit in the course book or after lesson designed to teach one particular point.
15
“A diagnostic test is designed to determine the degree to which the specific instructional objectives of the course have been
accomplished”.
16
And J.B Heaton states that; “Diagnostic test is widely used, few tests are constructed solely as diagnostic tests. Note
that diagnostic testing is frequently carried out of groups of students rather for individuals”.
17
13
Wilmar Tinambuan, Evaluation of Students..., p. 7
14
Robert Lado, Language Testing, Hongkong; Wing Tai Cheung Printing Co Ltd, 1961, p. 369
15
Andrew Harrison, A Language Testing Handbook, London; Macmillan Press, 1983, p.6
16
James Dean Brown, Testing in Language Program, New Jersey; Prentice Hall Regents, 1996, p. 15
17
J.B. Heaton, Writing English... , p.173
10
Thus, diagnostic test is much comprehensive and detailed because it searches for the underlying causes of learning difficulties
and then formulates a plan for remedial action. c.
Achievement Test These tests are used to know what students have actually learnt
or on what have actually been taught. “Achievement tests are designed to measure relative accomplishment in specified areas of work”.
18
The purpose of achievement test as its name reflect is to establish how
successful individual students, groups of students, or the courses themselves have been in achieving objectives.
19
In another point of view Wilmar says that “the degree purpose of achievement test is
designed to indicate degree of students’ success in some past learning activities”.
20
And also “Achievement tests relate to the past in that they measure, what language the students have learned as a result of
teaching”.
21
Based on the argumentation above about achievement test, the writer can conclude that the achievement test are intended to measure
how effectively students have mastered the lesson and how far they have reached the instructional objectives. Thus, an achievement test
must be designed with very specific reference to a particular course. This link with a specific program usually means that the achievement
tests will be directly based on the course objectives and will therefore be criterion referenced. Such tests will typically be administered at the
end of a course to determine how effectively students have mastered the instructional objectives.
At the implementation level, the achievement test appears in two purposeful tests, they are formative test and summative test.
18
H.H. Remers, NL. Gage, J. Fraancis Rummel, A Practical Introduction..., p. 19
19
Arthur Hughes, Testing for Language Teachers, Cambridge; Cambride University Press, 2003, p. 13
20
Wilmar Tinambunan, Evaluation of Students..., p. 19
21
Tim Mc Namara, Language Testing, Hong Kong: Oxford university Press, 2000, p. 7
11
1 Formative test
Formative test is administered by the teacher during the learning progress with the aim of using the result to improve
instruction and to provide continuous feedback to both students and teacher. Rebecca M. Valette states “The formative test is given
during the course of instruction; its purpose is to show which aspects of the chapter the student has mastered and where remedial
work is necessary”.
22
Hence, formative test is part of the
instructional process. When incorporated into classroom practice, it provides the information needed to adjust teaching and learning
while they are happening. In this sense, formative test informs both teachers and students about student understanding at a point when
timely adjustments can be made. These adjustments help to ensure students achieve, targeted standards-based learning goals within a
set time frame.
23
2 Summative test
Summative test is a test that usually administered at the end of the course. Rebecca M. Valette states ”the summative test, on the
other hand, is usually gives at the end of a marking period and measures the “sum” total of the material covered. On this type of a
test, students are usually ranked and graded”. Moreover, summative test is given periodically to determine at a particular
point in time what students know and do not know. Summative test at the districtclassroom level is an accountability measure that is
generally used as part of the grading process. Arthur Hughes states that”the content of summative test should be based directly on a
detailed course syllabus or on the books and other material used”.
24
22
Rebecca M. Valette, Modern Language..., p.6
23
http:www.nmsa.orgPublicationsWebExclusiveAssessmenttabid1120Default.aspx
24
Arthur Hughes, Testing for Language…, p. 11
12
Finally, the writer can conclude that summative test is a test that usually administered at the end of a course of study.
d. Proficiency Test
The proficiency test is also used to measure what students have learned, but the aim of the proficiency test is to determine whether this
language ability corresponds to specific language requirements”.
25
According to J.B. Heaton that “the proficiency test is concerned simply with measuring a student’s control of the language in the light
of what he or she will be expected to do with it in the future performance of a particular task “.
26
And also James Dean Brown states that: “A proficiency-test assess the general knowledge or skill
commonly required or prerequisite to entry into or exemption from a group of similar institution”.
27
Then, it should never be undertaken lightly. Instead, these decisions must be based on the best obtainable proficient test scores as
well as other information about the student. The content of proficiency test therefore, is not based on the content of objective of language
courses that people taking the test may have followed. Rather, it based on a specification of what candidates may have to be able to do in
language, in order to be considered proficient”.
28
25
Rebecca M. Valette, Modern Language..., p.6
26
J.B. Heataon, Writing English... , p.172
27
James Dean Brown, Testing In Language..., p.10
28
Arthur Hughes, Testing For Language..., p. 9
13
2. Way of Scoring.
Based on the manner of scoring, the type of test item is divided into two general types: objective and subjective test. J.B. Heaton states
that “Subjective and objective test are terms used to refer to the scoring of tests”.
29
a. Objective test
An objective test item is any test item that there is only a single correct answer. In this test, the students must select one option from
some alternatives. According to Valette; “An objective test item is any item for which there is a single predictable correct answer”.
30
Hence, this item type referred as objective test item, because they can be scored objectively. That is, equally competent scorers can
score them independently and obtain the same result. Therefore, whether the item is scored by one teacher or another, today or last
week, it will yield the same score. That is, the advantages of the objective test items are objective scoring, that is quick, easy and
consistent. The objective test item commonly used in classroom testing are
true-false, multiple-choice, matching, and short answers. “These test item include all of the selection-type items-multiple choice, true false,
and matching.”
31
1 True-False
True-false is simply a declarative statement which the students must judge as true or false. As what J. Stanley explained
that “true-false item is referred to alternative response item; the
29
J.B. Heaton, Writing English..., p. 25
30
Rebecca M. Valette, Modern Language..., p.6
31
Norman E. Gronlund, Constructing Achievement Tests, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall., Inc., 1968, p. 25
14
item asks the students to answer with the “true” if it conforms to the truth or “false” if it essentially incorrect.
32
Thus, the item provides the students with a choice of two alternatives, so the students have possibility to guess the answer
and sometimes it will be the right answer. In other word, students indicate whether a statement is true or false.
Example: T F True-False items classified as supply-type item
2 Multiple-choice item
The multiple-choice item consists of a stem, which presents a problem situation, and several alternatives, which provide
possible solutions to the problem. The stem may be a question or an incomplete statement. The alternatives include the correct
answer and several plausible wrong answers, called distracters. Their function is to distract those students who are uncertain of the
answer. “A multiple-choice item consists of one or more introductory sentences followed by a list of two or more suggested
responses from which the examinee chooses one as the correct answer”.
33
Example: In objective testing, the term objective refers to the method of …
a. identifying the learning outcomes
b. selecting the test content
c. presenting the problem
d. scoring the answers
3 Matching
The matching test item consists of two parallel columns with each word. Number of symbol in one column is being
matched to a word, sentence or phrase in other column. This type
32
J. Stanley Ahman and Marvin D. Glock, Evaluating Pupil Growth..., p. 17
33
Anthony J. Nitko. Educational Test..., p. 190
15
of item is employed widely in situation where relationship of more or less similar ideas, facts and principles are to be examined or
judged. In this type, students indicate relationship between a set of premises and a set of responses.
Example: 1. The …. drives a car a. doctor
2. The …. checks the patience b. driver
This kind of test is an effective way to student’s recognition of the relationships between words, definitions, events, dates,
categories, examples, and so on.
b. Subjective Test item
Subjective test is a test where in its scoring requires judgment and evaluation of scores. While Vallette states that “Subjective item is
one that does not have a single right answer”.
34
It means that the scoring is inconsistent and the answer of the question is in form of
composition where the students are given a chance to relate their idea or argument in their own words. In other word, the answer is
commonly in a form of composition or statement. “Subjective tests, like translation and essay, have the advantage of measuring language
skill naturally, almost the way English used in a real life”.
35
The subjective tests that are commonly used in classroom are completion, short-answer, and essay item.
1 Completion
The completion item is a written statement that requires the examinee to supply the correct word or short phrase in response to
an incomplete sentence, a question or a word association.
34
Rebecca M. Valette. Modern Language..., .p. 10
35
Harold S. Madsen, Technique In Testing, Oxford; Oxford University Press, 1983 p.8
16
Completion test can be used effectively to measure the recall of terms, dates, and names.
36
The completion item and short answer item are both supply type test items, but in the short answer type, the blank is nearly
always at the end, whereas in the completion, type of the blank may occur everywhere in the statement.
37
2 Short- answer Item
The short answer item consists of a question, which can be answered with a word or short phrase.
38
A student provides a short response to a direct question or direction.
Generally, teachers prefer to use the short answer type question, probably because they think it has some advantages. It is
relatively easy to construct, it also gives the teacher some opportunity to see how well students can express their thought and
it is also not difficult to score or mark than the essay question.
39
However, it is difficult to phrase the short answer question, so that only one answer is correct. And this type of question will be more
useful only in testing knowledge of facts and quite specific information.
3 Essay test.
The most notable characteristic of the essay test is freedom of response it provides. The student is asked a question which
requires him to produce his own answer. He is relatively free to decide how to approach the problem, what factual information to
use, how to organize his reply, and what degree of emphasis to give each aspect of the answer. Thus, the essay question places a
36
Wilmar Tinambuan, Evaluation of Students..., p. 61
37
Victor H. Noll, Introduction to Educational..., p. 140
38
Victor H. Nol, Introduction to Educational..., p. 138
39
Victor H. Nol, Introduction to Educational..., p. 138
17
premium on the ability to produce, integrate, and express the ideas. As what Norman E Gronlund states that;
“Essay tests are inefficient for measuring knowledge outcomes . . . but they provide a freedom of response which is needed for
measuring certain complex outcomes . . . . These include the ability to create . . . . to organize . . . . to integrate . . . . to express . . . and
similar behaviors that call for the production and synthesis of ideas”.
40
Finally, from the explanation above about both objective test and subjective test concerned on the essay test, the writer conclude that for the
measurement of most knowledge outcomes we would use objective test items to take advantage of their more extensive sampling and greater reliability. For
the measurement of such complex learning outcomes as the ability to create, organize, and evaluate ideas, however, the teacher would use essay questions
despite their limitation. Of the types of test item above, the writer will concern only with the
multiple choice test item in English summative test for the second year students of Mts. Darul Ma’arif, administered at the end of the second semester
2008209 academic year.
D. Criteria Of A Good Test
