5 Principles of Language Assessment
Language assessment is the process of gathering information about a learner's language proficiency. This information can be used to make decisions about placement, instruction, and program evaluation. There are a number of principles that should be considered when conducting language assessments. These principles include:
Practicality
Practicality is one of the five major principles of language assessment. It refers to the logistical, down-to-earth, administrative issues involved in making, giving, and scoring an assessment instrument. These include costs, the amount of time it takes to construct and administer, ease of scoring, and ease of interpreting/reporting the results. A test that fails to meet such criteria is impractical. Teachers can use practicality as a guideline for designing assessments that are efficient and cost-effective while still accurately measuring what students know and are able to do in the target language.
Reliability
Reliability is one of the five major principles of language assessment. It refers to the consistency and dependability of a test. If you give the same test to the same student or matched students on two different occasions, the test should yield similar results. Teachers can use reliability as a guideline for designing assessments that produce consistent and dependable results, which are essential for making valid interpretations about student learning.
Validity
Validity is one of the five major principles of language assessment. It refers to the extent to which a test measures what it is intended to measure. A valid test accurately measures the knowledge, skills, and abilities that it is designed to assess. Teachers can use validity as a guideline for designing assessments that accurately measure what students know and are able to do in the target language. It is important to note that validity is not an all-or-none proposition, and various forms of validity may need to be applied to a test in order to be satisfied with its overall effectiveness.
Authenticity
Authenticity is one of the five major principles of language assessment. It refers to the extent to which a test task simulates real-world tasks and situations. An authentic test accurately reflects the types of language use that students will encounter in real-life contexts. Teachers can use authenticity as a guideline for designing assessments that are relevant and meaningful to students, as well as for evaluating existing assessments to determine whether they accurately reflect real-world language use. It is important to note that many test item types fail to simulate real-world tasks, and teachers should strive to design assessments that are as authentic as possible.
Washback
Washback, also known as the effect of testing on teaching and learning, is a facet of consequential validity. It refers to the impact that a test has on teaching and learning. When a test has a positive washback, it can enhance language acquisition by promoting intrinsic motivation, autonomy, self-confidence, language ego, interlanguage, and strategic investment. Teachers can use washback as a guideline for designing assessments that promote positive learning outcomes and for evaluating existing assessments to determine their impact on teaching and learning.
Reference
Brown, H. D. (2018). Language assessment: Principles and classroom practices (3rd ed.). Pearson Education.