A set of English assessment for fourth semester students of primary school teacher education study program of Sanata Dharma University.

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

A SET OF ENGLISH ASSESSMENT
FOR FOURTH SEMESTER STUDENTS OF PRIMARY SCHOOL
TEACHER EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM
OF SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
A SARJANA PENDIDIKAN THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree
in English Language Education

By
Christina Eli Indriyani
Student number: 071214062

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM
DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION
FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
2012

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

A SET OF ENGLISH ASSESSMENT
FOR FOURTH SEMESTER STUDENTS OF PRIMARY SCHOOL
TEACHER EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM
OF SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
A SARJANA PENDIDIKAN THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree
in English Language Education

By
Christina Eli Indriyani
Student number: 071214062

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM
DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION
FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY

YOGYAKARTA
2012
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I would like to dedicate this thesis to:
1. God in Heaven and Holy Mary
2. My parents
3. My brother and sisters
4. All members of 9C boarding house
5. My best friends, Ria and Febri

6. And all people in my life

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STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY

I honestly declare that this thesis, which I have written, does not contain the work
or parts of the work of other people, except those cited in the quotations and the
references, as a scientific paper should.

Yogyakarta, 24 January 2012
The Writer

Christina Eli Indriyani
071214062

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LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN
PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS
Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma:
Nama

: Christina Eli Indriyani

Nomor Mahasiswa

: 071214062

Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan
Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul:
A Set of English Assessment for Fourth Semester Students of Primary School
Teacher Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University
Beserta perangkat yang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan demikian saya memberikan
kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan,
mengalihkan dalam bentuk media lain, mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalan

data, mendistribusikan secara terbatas, dan mempublikasikannya di Internet atau
media lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu meminta ijin dari saya
maupun memberikan royalti kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya
sebagai penulis.
Demikian pernyataan ini yang saya buat dengan sebenarnya.
Dibuat di Yogyakarta
Pada tanggal: 24 Januari 2012
Yang menyatakan

Christina Eli Indriyani
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ABSTRACT
Indriyani, C.E. (2012). A Set of English Assessment for Fourth Semester Students
of Primary School Teacher Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma
University. Yogyakarta: English Language Education Study Program, Sanata
Dharma University.
Nowadays, teacher is expected to have not only teaching skill but also

language skill, especially English. There are many schools which use two
languages (Indonesian and English) to deliver the materials. This situation
encourages the teacher to learn English so that they are able to survive in working
world. In this case, Primary School Teacher Education (PGSD) Study Program of
Sanata Dharma University tries to prepare the students to face the working world.
English subject is included in the curriculum and given to the first up to fourth
semester students. To know the students’ learning progress, assessment is needed.
In this study, the writer designed English assessment for fourth semester students
of PGSD Sanata Dharma University. There are two problems discussed in this
study, those are 1) How is the English Assessment for fourth semester students of
Primary School Teacher Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University
designed? and 2) What does the English Assessment for fourth semester students
of Primary School Teacher Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma
University look like?
In order to answer the first question, the writer adapted Harris’
Constructing Test. The theory was also employed as the research method. The
writer employed the first three steps: 1) planning the test, 2) preparing the test
items and directions, and 3) reviewing the items. Firstly, interview and
questionnaire were conducted to know students’ needs. The obtained data were
used to determine the topics and indicators of the test. The blueprint of the tests

was also arranged. It consists of competence standard, basic competence, learning
indicators, indicators of the test, type of the test, and cognitive domain. Then, the
designed tests were developed. In the last step, the designed tests were evaluated.
In order to check the face and content validity, the writer also gave try-out of one
set of the tests to the students. The results of the evaluation and try-out were used
to improve the designed tests and revise it.
The second question in the problem formulation was answered by
providing the final version of the designed tests after having made improvements.
There were four sets of the designed tests. Each set may have two or three
instructions based on the appropriateness with the materials. The result of the
evaluation showed that the face and content validity of the tests had been
achieved, and most participants agreed and strongly agreed with the opinions
related to the designed tests. It means that the designed tests were appropriate for
the Primary School Teacher Education students of Sanata Dharma University.
Keywords: assessment, Primary School Teacher Education

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ABSTRAK
Indriyani, C.E. (2012). A Set of English Assessment for Fourth Semester Students
of Primary School Teacher Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma
University. Yogyakarta: English Language Education Study Program, Sanata
Dharma University.
Sekarang ini banyak sekolah menggunakan dua bahasa (Indonesia dan
Inggris) sebagai pengantar pembelajaran sehingga guru tidak hanya dituntut
untuk memiliki keahlian dalam mengajar tetapi juga keahlian lain seperti bahasa
Inggris. Hal ini mendorong guru untuk mempelajari bahasa Inggris sehingga
mereka mampu bersaing di dunia kerja. Program studi Pendidikan Guru Sekolah
Dasar Universitas Sanata Dharma juga mempersiapkan calon guru agar mampu
bersaing di dunia kerja. Bahasa Inggris dimasukkan dalam kurikulum dan
diberikan pada siswa semester 1-4. Maka dari itu, dibutuhkan tes untuk mengukur
sejauh mana kemampuan mereka dalam bahasa Inggris. Dalam penelitian ini,
penulis merancang tes pembelajaran bahasa Inggris untuk mahasiswa PGSD
semester 4. Ada dua permasalahan yang akan dibahas dalam penelitian ini: 1)
Bagaimana tes untuk mahasiswa semester 4 Program Studi PGSD Universitas
Sanata Dharma dirancang? dan 2) Seperti apakah rancangan tes untuk
mahasiswa semester 4 Program Studi PGSD Universitas Sanata Dharma?
Pertanyaan pertama dari rumusan masalah akan dijawab dengan

menggunakan teori Harris tentang constructing test. Teori tersebut juga
digunakan sebagai metode penelitian. Ada 3 tahap yang dilakukan, yaitu 1)
merencanakan tes, 2) mempersiapkan instruksi dan soal tes, dan 3) mengevaluasi
tes. Pertama-tama, pendistribusian kuesioner dan wawancara dilakukan untuk
mengetahui kebutuhan siswa. Data yang diperoleh digunakan untuk menentukan
topik, indikator tes, dan sebagai dasar dalam menyusun kisi-kisi yang terdiri dari
standar kompetensi, kompetensi dasar, tujuan pembelajaran, tujuan tes, jenis tes,
dan ranah kognitif. Kemudian, rancangan tes dikembangkan. Dalam tahap akhir,
tes yang telah dirancang dievaluasi oleh dosen dan penulis juga mengadakan tryout. Hasil evaluasi dan try-out digunakan untuk merevisi tes yang telah
di r anc ang.
Untuk menjawab pertanyaan kedua, penulis menampilkan versi akhir tes
setelah sebelumnya memperbaiki dan menambahkan beberapa hal berdasarkan
hasil evaluasi. Penulis merancang 4 set tes yang terdiri dari pilihan ganda,
jawaban singkat, benar/salah, mencocokan, dan esai. Hasil evaluasi menunjukkan
bahwa validitas tes telah dicapai dan tes yang dirancang telah memenuhi kriteria
yang ditetapkan. Maka dapat disimpulkan bahwa tes yang telah dirancang tepat
diterapkan untuk mahasiswa semester 4 Pendidikan Guru Sekolah Dasar
Universitas Sanata Dharma.
Kata kunci: tes, Pendidikan Guru Sekolah Dasar

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to acknowledge my gratitude to those who have given their
contribution for the completion of this thesis.
My deepest gratitude is dedicated to Jesus Christ who has granted me his
blessing for keeping me strong during the process of completing my thesis.
In particular, I thank Christina Kristiyani, S.Pd., M.Pd., who has given
her sincere guidance for shaping my ideas, reading my thesis, and checking my
grammar.
My deepest gratitude is addressed to C. Tutyandari, S.Pd., M.Pd.,
Ag. Hardi Prasetyo, S.Pd., M.A., and Lhaksmi, S.Pd., M.Pd., who were willing
to give comments and sugestions on my designed test. I also thank my academic
advisor, Drs. JB. Gunawan, S.Pd., M.Pd., for giving me advice and support
during my study. I would also like to appreciate all of the English Language
Education Study Program lecturers, secretariat staff, and all of the librarians.
It was my pleasure to have a good cooperation with the big family of
Primary School Teacher Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University,

especially the fourth semester students.
My deepest gratitude goes to my beloved parents, Petrus Triyono and
Fransisca Suparmi, for their great love. I also thank my lovely brother,
Rm. Tri Margono, Pr., my lovely sisters, Evi and Sr. Yeni, CB., for their
continued encouragement and prayer.
I would like to mention the Mangun family and the Parto family, especially
my cousin, Mas Joko, for helping me many times and many ways. I also thank
my big and beautiful cousins, Eri and Sari, for their care, love, support, and
kindness. I really enjoyed my time with them.
My deep appreciation also goes to all 36B’ers, especially Febri and Ria. I
want to express my gratitude to Mbak Pink and all of PBI-07ers, especially Susi,
Clara, Yani, and Beni. I thank my beloved friends in 9C, especially Mbak Nia,
Bu Byti, Mbak Gendhis, Mbak Betha, Fitri, Endah, Rini, Awang, Aster and
Ita for their kindness, friendship, and support. I also thank the special guests of
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9C, Mbak Septi and Mbak Cece, for their kindness and support. I have learned
many things from them.
My deepest gratitude also goes to Cantus Firmus Choir Family and
Mas Mbonk, for their love as my second family. There are many experiences and
beautifull memories with them.
It will take a lot of pages to mention everyone who has given his/her
contribution to my thesis. For those who have not been mentioned, I do
acknowledge my sincere thanks. God bless you all.

Christina Eli Indriyani

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE .........................................................................................

i

APPROVAL PAGES .............................................................................

ii

DEDICATION PAGE ............................................................................

iv

STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY ......................................

v

PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI .......................................

vi

ABSTRACT ...........................................................................................

vii

ABSTRAK ...............................................................................................

viii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...................................................................

ix

TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................

xi

LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................

xi i i

LIST OF APPENDICES ........................................................................

xi v

Chapter I. INTRODUCTION .............................................................

1

A. Research Background .....................................................

1

B. Research Problem ...........................................................

5

C. Problem Limitation .........................................................

5

D. Research Objectives .......................................................

6

E. Research Benefits ...........................................................

6

F. Definition of Terms ........................................................

7

Chapter II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE ....................

9

A. Theoritical Description ...................................................

9

B. Theoretical Framework ..................................................

48

Chapter III. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY .................................

54

A. Research Method ............................................................

54

B. Research Setting .............................................................

56

C. Research Participants .....................................................

57

D. Instruments and Data Gathering Technique....................

59

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E. Data Analysis Technique ...............................................

62

F. Research Procedure .........................................................

64

CHAPTER IV. RESEARCH RESULTS AND FINDINGS .............

66

A. The Steps of Designing English Assessment for Fourth
Semester Students of Primary School Teacher Education
Study Program of Sanata Dharma Universtity ...............

66

B. The Presentation of The Designed Assessment .............

80

CHAPTER V. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ...

85

A. Conclusions ....................................................................

85

B. Recommendations ..........................................................

88

REFERENCES .....................................................................................

90

APPENDICES ......................................................................................

92

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LIST OF TABLES

Table
2.1 Syllabus ..................................................................................

35

2.2 The Cognitive Process Dimension .........................................

46

3.1 Points of Agreement of the Participants’ Opinions ...............

62

3.2 The Data of the Participants’ Opinion ...................................

63

4.1 The Basic Competencies and Learning Indicators .................

71

4.2 The Indicators of the Test ......................................................

73

4.3 The Data of the Participants’ Opinions ..................................

77

4.4 The Order of the Topics and Types of the Test in the Designed
Tests ........................................................................................

81

4.5 The Summary of Total Items of the Tests ..............................

84

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LIST OF APPENDICES

Appendix A : Surat Permohonan Ijin Penelitian ......................

92

Appendix B

: The Interview Guideline .....................................

93

Appendix C

: The Questionnaire for the Students
(Questionnaire A) ...............................................

94

Appendix D : The Questionnaire for the Lecturers
(Questionnaire B) ...............................................

99

Appendix E

: The Result of Questionnaire A ...........................

101

Appendix F

: Blueprint of the Tests ..........................................

104

Appendix G : The Results of the Try-out ..................................

11 6

Appendix H : The Designed Tests ............................................

118

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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION

In this chapter, the writer would like to discuss the research background,
research problem, problem limitation, research objectives, research benefits, and
definition of terms which are employed in this study.

A. Research Background
People have got education since their early childhood. They can learn
everything around them, from the simplest things until the most difficult ones.
Talking about education, learning is a continuous process. According to Purwanto
(2009), education constitutes a program which involves some components in a
process to reach the goals (p. 1). The components are not merely the subject in
education, such as students and teachers. The learning materials, learning media,
and assessment are also important components that support the achievement in
learning.
Nowadays, education develops significantly. The education system is
always renewed in a period of time. In the past ten years as the example,
Indonesia has changed the curriculummore than three times (“Perubahan
Kurikulum Pendidikan dan Inkonsistensi Pemerintah,” 2007). Since the quality of
education increases, many schools try to improve the quality of the teachers; not
only in material mastery but also in material delivery. The teachers are expected
to understand the learning concepts such as deep-learning, high order thinking

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2

skills, and contextual learning (“Tentang Sekolah Bertaraf Internasional,” 2009).
In order to provide qualified teachers, most schools which especially have
international standard provide English learning for the teachers. The teachers are
expected to have ability in English so that they can help themselves and their
students to learn more (“Pelatihan Guru Berstandar Internasional,” 2010). For
example, English mastery or ability can be useful in understanding references for
lessons that are available in English.
Facing the development of education, Primary School Teacher Education
(PGSD)Study Programof Sanata Dharma University prepares the students to be
ready in order to survive in the working world. It is a study program which trains
students to be elementary teachers. Now, considering the improvement in
education, especially for increasing the qualityof the students, PGSD Study
Program not only includes the subjects that are related to its field but also English
as one of the subjects in the curriculum. One of the purposes of the study program
includes English subject in the curriculum is PGSD students are later expected to
be able to teach English, since most English teachers for elementary students
nowadays are from English Language Education Study Program.
Based on the interview with some PGSD students from fifth semester and
the English lecturer, the researcher obtained some information. PGSD Study
Program provides English courses for the students for four semesters. It is used to
help the students prepare themselves in teaching.In semester one up to three, the
emphases of the English learning are vocabulary, reading, and writing. Then, in
the fourth semester, the focus is in Teaching English for Young Learners (TEYL).

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3

The students learn how to use English in class when they are teaching elementary
students.The materials which PGSD students have got for four semesters are
expected to be applied in teaching process. In semester four, students have to
master all materials so that they need an assessment to measure their abilities in
English. For example, the English mastery that is achieved within four semesters
is then measured through standardized test in Language Institute. If they can reach
the standard, it will be useful for their qualification in looking for a job.
To increase students’ ability in English, especially in speaking skill, PGSD
Study Program provides English Club. The course is for students who are in first
and third semester or second and fourth semester. This facility really encourages
students to study English more and more. Tough the Study Program has provided
compulsory English course, some students are found to join additional English
course in other institution. This shows the students’ motivation in learning
English.
Based on the researcher’s observation, the researcher found that most
students have good motivation in learning English. They are enthusiastic in
learning English so that it also influences their confidence. PGSD students are
confident to practice speaking English although their grammar and pronunciation
still need to be improved. Besides, they have not had enough vocabularies to
support them in speaking English. Furthermore, the result of the interview with
some English teachers for PGSD students is that students who are in the first,
second, and third semester have to get basic knowledge as the foundation in
learning English, whereas the fourth semester students have to get more practice.

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During the English course, PGSD students have English assessments. It is
needed to measure students’ improvement. The assessment consists of tests; midtest and final test, oral test, group project, group presentation, and weekly
assignment. Most of the tests are in the form of written test because the focus is
still on reading and writing skills. In the oral test, the lecturer usually gives
questions about the book or article which students have read. The students are also
asked to write a reflection. For the group project, the students are asked to read an
interesting book or article, then they have to analyze it. The students not only
provide the written report but also present it in front of the class. Then, weekly
assignment is given in order to monitor students’ progress. It helps students to
learn English regularly. In addition, students’ abilities in listening and speaking
skills can be measured from the English Club they join. The assessment is usually
in form of dialogue or role play.
As it has been stated above, PGSD students need to be equipped with
English proficiency. Thus, it is highly important to measure students’ ability in
English after they have learned English for four semesters. The researcher’s focus
is on designing assessment for fourth semester PGSD students based on the
materials they have learned in semester one up to three. Hopefully, the English
assessment can give contribution to the study program in developing English
course which can facilitate students in developing their English.

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B. Research Problem
Considering the previous explanation, there are two problems to be solved
in this research.
1. How is the English Assessment for fourth semester students of Primary School
Teacher EducationStudy Program of Sanata Dharma University designed?
2. What does the English Assessment for fourth semester students of Primary
School Teacher Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University look
like?

C. Problem Limitation
The research is limited to designing English assessments for Primary
School Teacher Education (PGSD) students in the fourth semester. The researcher
chooses PGSD students because they are prepared to teach elementary students
and they have to master almost all subjects including English. The fourth semester
students are chosen due to the fact they have got English material for about four
semesters so that they are expected to master spoken and written English. It is
hoped that through the assessments students can be facilitated to measure their
abilities in English and they have been ready to have standardized test in the final
grade.

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D. Research Objectives
Two objectives will be achieved in this study. They are stated as follows.
1. To find out how the English Assessment for fourth semester students of
Primary School Teacher EducationStudy Program of Sanata Dharma
University is designed.
2. To provide the fourth semester students of Primary School Teacher
EducationStudy Program of Sanata Dharma University with the English
Assessment that can measure their language skills and proficiency in the
teaching area.

E. Research Benefits
It is expected that the study may give some benefits to the students of
Primary School Teacher Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University,
the Primary School Teacher EducationStudy Program, and to future researchers.
1. To the students of Primary School Teacher Education Study Program of Sanata
Dharma University
After doing the assessment, the students will get the result. Using the
result, they can see whether they have studied effectively or not. The assessment
can be the measurement of how far the students prepare for the lessons. In
addition, knowing the result of the assessment, students can motivate themselves
to study. They will know whether they have achieved the objectives or not.If the
students achieve good result, the students will feel satisfied and it can motivate
them to do better. Meanwhile, if the students get bad result, they will improve

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7

their way in studying. From the result, the students are also able to measure
whether they have readily prepared themselves to join standardized tests.
2. To the Primary School Teacher EducationStudy Program
The designed assessment can give solution toward how the study program
knows the students’ abilities in English. Instead of students’ preparation in
teaching, the assessment is required to know how deep the students master the
English materials. It is not only as students’ knowledge in teaching but also as
their measurement in joining TOEFL test or other standardized tests. Besides, the
study program can also facilitate the students to achieve English language
proficiency.
3. To future researchers
It is hoped that the result of this study can be used as a reference to support
future relevant studies done by other researchers.

F. Definition of Terms
There are two terms which are used in this study. They are assessment and
Primary School Teacher Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University.
1. Assessment
There are many definitions of assessment related to educational. Purwanto
(2009)claimed that assessment is “the decision making based on the criteria
provided” (p. 4). He also revealed that the wayto know the objectives that have
been achieved in an activity or work is through assessment.A more extended
definition, supplied by Richard M. Wolf, describes that “assessment not only

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8

involves gathering and interpreting information about how well an educational
program is succeeding in reaching its goals, but judgments about the goals
themselves” (1979, p. 4).
Another definition of assessment comes from Michael Priestley. An
assessment program is a unified approach to assessment for a specific purpose; it
is not synonymous with a test (Priestley, 1982). An assessment program may
include a number of requirements, all designed to assess various aspects of
students. Therefore, in this study, the researcher wants to use the assessmentto
measure the English ability of PGSD students. The achievement of the assessment
is about the amount of learning that students have accomplished. The designed
assessment will be in the form of a final test for fourth semester PGSD students
that evaluates students’ skills in English based on English materials which they
have learned for four semesters. Since the focus of English learning materials for
PGSD Study Program is reading and writing, the designed test will include those
two skills.
2. Primary School Teacher EducationStudy Program of Sanata Dharma
University
PGSD Study Program is a study program which is in charge of preparing
the students to be Elementary School teachers. This study program belongs to the
Faculty of Teachers Training and EducationofSanata Dharma University. It is
located in the first campus of SanataDharma University in Mrican. In this study
program, English course is included in the curriculum, but only for the first
semester until fourth semester students. This study focuses on the fourth semester

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students since it intends to design the assessment for them.

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CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

There are two topics that will be discussed in this chapter. The two topics
are theoretical description and theoretical framework.

A. Theoretical Description
There are five topics of theoretical description that are discussed in this
study. Those are theory of assessment, theory of constructing test, testing reading,
syllabus, and cognitive domains.
1. Theory of Assessment
a. Types of assessment
Assessment is an ongoing process that encompasses a much wider domain
(Brown, 2004, p. 4). Whenever a student responds to a question, offers a
comment, or tries out a new word or structure, the teachermakes an assessment of
the students’ performance. Assessment takes an important role in education,
however. It is a systematic process that plays a significant role in effective
teaching (Miller, 2009, p. 6). According to Frederick G. Brown (1972),
assessment is as a monitor (p. 3). Assessment can be used to monitor students’
progress. It is not just to provide instructor with some evidence of each students’
rate of progress. A more important purpose is to provide students with evidence of
the effectiveness of their learning.

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10

The teacher needs feedback to help him know the students’ progress. The
assessment can be used to find out what has been taught and what students have
learned. The teacher should make sure that the students have understood the
materials properly so that misconceptions can be corrected. If one piece or
understanding of the material has not been mastered, the students have to acquire
it before continuing the next material. Therefore, assessment is important to
monitor the learning process.
In the learning process, there are two types of assessment. According to
Brown (2004), assessment can be distinguished into two types, those are formal
assessment and informal assessment (p. 5).
1) Formal assessment
Formal assessment is exercise or procedure specifically designed to dig
outthe skills and knowledge. They are systematic, planned sampling techniques
constructed to give teacher and students an approach of student achievement.
2) Informal assessment
Informal assessment can take a number of forms, starting with incidental,
unplanned comments and responses, along with coaching and other impromptu
feedback to the student. It can be in the form of compliment or comment on
students’ performance.

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Then, based on the procedure to be used in assessment, assessment is
divided into two types. They are formative assessment and summative assessment.
1) Formative assessment
Most of classroom assessments are formative assessments, that are
evaluating students in the process of “forming” their competencies and skills with
the goal of helping them to continue that growth process (Brown, 2004: 6). The
examples of formative assessment are by giving comment or suggestion, or call
attention to an error.
2) Summative assessment
Summative assessment aims to measure or summarize what a student has
grasped, and typically occurs at the end of a course or unit of instruction (Brown,
2004, p. 6). It is designed to determine the extent to which the instructional goals
have been achieved and is used primarily for assigning course grade or for
certifying student mastery of the intended learning outcomes (Miller, 2009, p. 39).
Final exams in a course and general proficiency exams are examples of
summative assessment.
Because this study focuses on designing English assessment for fourth
semester students of Primary School Teacher Education (PGSD)Study Program
which includes the English materials from semester one up to three, the
assessment is designed in form of final test. Final test is a kind of achievement
test. Achievement tests playimportant roles in the school program. These tests are
typically interpreted by means of the extent to which a limited set of instructional
objectives has been mastered. Thus, they describe in terms of specific educational

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tasks what each pupil has learned and has yet to learn in some clearly specified
achievement domain (Gronlund, 1990, p. 265).
According to Brown (2004), achievement test is related directly to
classroom lessons, units, or even a total curriculum (p. 47). The primary role of an
achievement test is to determine whether course objectives have been met by the
end of a period of instruction. Brown also mentioned some specifications to
determine an achievement test (2004, p. 48). They are as follows.
x The objectives of the lesson, unit, and course being assessed,
x The relative importance (or weight) assigned to each objective,
x The tasks employed in classroom lessons during the unit of time,
x Practicality issues, such as the time frame for the test and turnaround time,
x The extent to which the test structure lends itself to formative washback.

b. Principles of assessment
Brown (2004) explored some principles of language assessment (p. 19).
There are five principles in designing assessment; those are practicality,
reliability, validity, authenticity, andwashback.
1) Practicality
An effective test is practical which means it is relatively easy to administer
and not excessively expensive. The test also stays within appropriate time
constraints and has scoring procedure that is specific and time efficient.

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2) Reliability
Test must be reliable. It means that the test is consistent and dependable. If
the teacher gives the same test to the same students or matched students on two
different occasions, the test should yield similar result (Brown, 2004, p. 20). The
issue of reliability of a test may be addressed by considering a number of factors
that may contribute to the unreliability of a test.
a) Student-Related Reliability
The issue in reliability is caused by temporary illness, fatigue, a “bad day”,
anxiety, and other physical or psychological factors, which may make an
“observed” score deviate from one’s “true” score.
b) Rater Reliability
There are two factors in this context. First, inter-rater reliability occurs
when two or more scorers yield inconsistent scores of the same test, possibly for
lack of attention to scoring criteria, inexperience, or inattention. Second, intrarater reliability occurs when classroom teachers provide unclear scoring criteria,
fatigue, bias toward particular “good” and “bad” students, or simple carelessness.
c) Test Administrator Reliability
Unreliability may also result from the conditions in which the test is
administered. For example, students sitting next to windows could not hear the
tape accurately because of street noise outside the building. Other sources of
unreliability are found in photocopying variations, the amount of light in different
parts of the room, variations in temperature, and the condition of desks and chairs.

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d) Test Reliability
Test unreliability may be caused by the nature of the test itself. If a test
takes a long time, test-takers may become fatigued by the time they reach the later
items and hastily respond incorrectly. Timed test may also influence students who
do not perform well on a test with time limit, moreover by the presence of a clock
ticking away. Another factor is the test items that are ambiguous or that have more
than one correct answer.
3) Validity
The extent to which inferences made from assessment results are
appropriate, meaningful, and useful in terms of the purpose of the assessment
(Brown, 2004, p. 22). In addition, test’s validity may focus on the consequences
of a test, or even on the test-taker’s perception of validity. The evidences are
described as follows.
a) Content-Related Evidence
Content-related evidence can be identified if a test requires the test-taker to
perform the behavior that is being measured or if the test clearly represents the
content of the subject being tested. It can also be observationally identified if a
test clearly define the achievement that is measured. Another way of
understanding content validity is to consider the difference between direct and
indirect testing. Direct testing involves the test-taker in actually performing the
target task. In an indirect task, learners are not performing the task itself but rather
a task that is related in some way.

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b) Criterion-Related Evidence
Criterion-related evidence is the extent to which the “criterion” of the test
has actually been reached. It is best demonstrated through a comparison of results
of an assessment with results of some other measure of the same criterion.
Criterion-related evidence usually falls into one of two categories, those are
concurrent and predictive validity. A test has concurrent validity if its results are
supported by other concurrent performance beyond the assessment itself. The
predictive validity of an assessment becomes important in the case of placement
tests, admissions assessment batteries, language aptitude tests, and the like.
c) Construct-Related Evidence
Construct validity can support validity but it does not play as large a role
for classroom teachers. A construct is any theory, hypothesis, or model that
attempts to explain observed phenomena in our universe of perception. In the field
of assessment, construct validity questions whether the test actually taps into the
theoretical construct as it has been defined.
d) Consequential Validity
Consequential validity encompasses all the consequences of a test,
including such considerations as its accuracy in measuring intended criteria, its
impact on the preparation of test-takers, its effect on the learner, and the (intended
and unintended) social consequences of a test’s interpretation and use.

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e) Face Validity
Face validity refers to the degree to which a test looks right, and appears to
measure the knowledge or abilities it claims to measure. Face validity will likely
be high if learners encounter
x a well-constructed, expected format with familiar tasks,
x a test that is clearly doable within allotted time limit,
x items that are clear and uncomplicated,
x directions that are crystal clear,
x tasks that relate to their course work, and
x a difficulty level that presents a reasonable challenge.

4) Authenticity
According to Bachman and Palmer (as cited in Brown, 2004, p. 28)
defined authenticity as “the degree of correspondence of the characteristics of a
given language task to the features of a target language task.” In authenticity, the
test is related to the real world, which involves what is happening nowadays or
new issues.In a test, authenticity may be present in the following ways.
x The language used in the test is as natural as possible.
x Items are contextualized rather than isolated.
x Topics are meaningful (relevant, interesting) for the learner.
x Some thematic organization to items is provided, such as through a
story line or episode.
x Tasks represent, or closely approximate, real-world tasks.

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5) Washback
Washbackrefers to the effects the tests have on instruction in terms of how
students prepare for the test (Brown, 2004, p. 28). For instance, informal
performance assessment is by nature to have washback effects because teacher is
usually providing interactive feedback. Formal test can also have positive
washback, but they provide no washback if the students receive a simple letter
grade or numerical score.

2. Theory of Constructing Test
In this study, the writer employsHarris’s Test Construction.It consists of
seven parts. They are planning the test, preparing the test items and directions,
reviewing the items, pretesting the material, analyzing the pretest result,
assembling the final form, and reproducing the test (Harris, 1969, p. 94-109).
Each part will be explained as follows.
a. Planning the test
The following steps provide a brief guide to the planning of tests of
English as a second language.
1) Determining the General Course Objectives
In the preparation of an achievement test, the test objectives may directly
be based on the objectives of the course. The objectives sometimes have been
carefully formulated by the teacher or his department, and in other cases they are
implicit in the methods and materials of the course.

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2) Dividing the General Course Objectives into their Components
The objectives which are defined in step one are extremely broad. It is
needed to break down into their specific components. Then, the test writer can
determine which components shall be measured in the test. The following
elements are suggested to be included in listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
x Phonology/orthography: the sound system (in listening and speaking)
and graphic system (in reading and writing), which seem sufficiently
parallel to be treated in a test outline as a single “either-or” component
of language.
x Grammatical structure: the system of grammatical signaling devices.
Not all grammatical patterns are equally common in the written and
spoken forms of the language.
x Vocabulary: the lexical items needed to function effectively in each of
the four skills. The course materials utilize much the same stock of
lexical items in reading selections, dialogues, and writing exercises –
that the various types of activities are designed to reinforce the learning
of a controlled vocabulary.
x Rate and general fluency: the speed and ease with which the user of a
language can decode and encode messages.
3) Establishing the General Design of the Test
After establishing the two preliminary steps, the test writer should decide
upon the general design on the final achievement test. In this step, two important
factors must be considered, those are the time to be provided for testing, and the

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degree of speed to build into the test. For example, the test writer provides two
hours for a test. Of the total 120 minutes, the test writer should reserve at least 10
minutes for administrative procedures, such as handing out the materials, giving
general directions, collecting the materials at the end of the testing period, etc.
Thus, there is 110 minutes left for actual testing. After that, the test writer should
check the test content against the detailed course outline which has been prepared
earlier.
b. Preparing the Test Items and Directions
1) Additional Notes on the Preparation of Items
In the preparation of multiple-choice items, it is necessary to write more
items than will be needed in the test. Since in the careful review of the complete
collection of items will almost disclose flaws in individual item in the time of
writing, some materials therefore have to be discarded. If some items are still
found inappropriate or defective, a further reduction will be necessary. As items
are written, it is a good procedure to type each one on a separate slip of paper
with the answer on the back so that it will be easy to check.
2) Writing Test Directions
The directionsof the test should be clear, brief and simple to understand
and free from ambiguities. Examples should also be provided in order to help the
learners understand the problem type.Then, it is also important to indicate the
length of time that is allowed for the test. If the test is highly speeded, examinees
should be prepared for this in the directions so that they will not become
unnerved by their inability to finish.

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c.

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Reviewing the Items
When all the items have been written down, the test writer must submit it

at least to one colleague who has experience in subject-matter-field or teacher of
English as a second language and ask for some commentsoneach item.
d.

Pretesting the Material
The function of pretesting is the test maker has opportunity to try the

direction of the test and whether time allocation for the test item is appropriate or
not. Pretesting is trying out the test material to which the test was made. The items
are said statically satisfactory if they fulfill two requirements forpretesting the
material. First, whether it is suitable at the level of difficulty or not (too hard or
too easy). Second, whether there is discriminating in skill or abilities that being
tested or not. In some case, pretesting is omitted in informal classroom tests.
Pretesting also provides an opportunity for the test writer to try out the test
directions and to check the estimated time required for examinees to work the
items of the test. The important point in pretesting is to allow sufficient time for
all examinees to attempt every item, for if a substantial number do not reach the
end of the pretest, there will be insufficient data on the last items in the pretest.
e.

Analyzing the Pretest Result (Item Analysis)

1) Determining Item Difficulty
In analyzing the pretest result, the test writer determines the difficulty level
of each item. Multiple-choice items that are easy (correctly answered by at least
92 percent of examinees)or unreasonably difficult (correctly answered by less

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than 30 percent of examinees) will be discarded. Those which remain must still
meet the second of the two requirements, that is, discrimination.
2) Determining Item Discrimination
In determining item discrimination, there are three steps recommended;
those are (1) separate the highest and the lowest 25 percent of the papers, (2)
subtract the number of “lows” who answered the item correctly from the number
of “highs” who answered correctly, (3) divide the result of step 2 by the number
of papers in each group to obtain the item discrimination index. For example,if
there are 100 sample completed papers, the highest and the lowest 25 papers are
separated. If the first item answered correctly by 22 “highs” and 10 “lows”,
subtracting 10 from 22, obtaining +12, and divided by 25 (the size of each group
of papers), gives item discrimination index +.48. In the conclusion it shows
positive

or satisfactory discrimination.

Meanwhile,

if

the

number of

discrimination below .30, it should be revised or distracted. Actually, the analysis
of multiple-choice items is to inspect the way each item distracter functioned.
3) Recording Item Analysis Data
During the process of the item analysis, the data should be recorded on an
“item analysis slip”. It contains (1) the item, written out in full, (2) an
identification of the pretest in which the item was tried out, (3) the position of the
item in the pretest, (4) the item difficulty and discrimination indices, (5) a
tabulation of how the “highs” and “lows” responded to the several choices.

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f.

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Assembling the Final Form
In this part, the changes of the directions and the selection of items can be

made. The choice of items will depend on the level of difficulty desired. It is
advisable to begin with rather easy items, lead gradually to more difficult
problems, and end with those items which can be correctly answered by the
students. In addition, the test maker should ensure two important things. First,
each answer position is used about the same number of times. Second, the answer
positions do not form any observable pattern.
g.

Reproducing the Test
This is the last step in constructing test. It is also the final work based on

the analysis of pretesting before. There are some important points that should be
considered in this step. Those points will be explained as follows.
1) It is essential that test materials be reproduced as clearly as possible, for poor
reproduction of a test will almost certainly affect student performance.
2) Test material should be spaced so as to provide maximum readability. For
multiple-choice item types, two columns per page will make the reading task
easiest. Whereas, for short-answer items, it is generally best to extend the text
the full width of the paper.
3) No multiple-choice item should be begun on one page and continued on the
next, for such a break in the text will disrupt the reader’s train of thought.
4) When blanks are left for the completion of short-answer items, a guideline
should be provided on which the examinee may write his response.

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5) It is advisable to indicate at the bottom of each page whether the examinee is
to continue on to the next page or stop his work. In this case, simple
constructions such as “Continue on the next page” or “STOP. Do not go on
the next part of the test until you are told to do so” should be given.
6) If each part of the test is separately timed, the directions for each part should
occupy a right-hand page of the book so that examinees cannot see the next
set of items until the examiner gives instruction to turn the page.
7) The use of a separate cover sheet will prevent examinees from looking at the
test material before the actual adm