Santiago Felipe Silva Rodríguez – Language Testing – 1st Bimester

ESSAY PART

ACTIVITY 1A) Design a short 10-itesm grammar test.

- In the following sentences, circle the option that best fits to fill the blank spaces. (Each question is worth 1 point)

1. According to medical research, sugar is _____ dangerous for health _____ fat.A) so / asB) as / thanC) more / than

2. The desk was _____ big _____ fit through the door, so we had to take it apart first.A) too / toB) more / thanC) so / that

3. I don't have ______ much time for studying ______ I would like to.A) as / asB) more / thanC) so / that

4. The band began to rehearse _____ as the concert approached.A) more frequentB) as frequentC) much more frequently

5. In Ecuador, Quichuan is ______ language after Spanish.A) the most spokenB) the more spokenC) most spoken

- In the following sentences, circle T if the grammar structure is CORRECT, and F if it is NOT CORRECT. (Each question is worth 1 point)

6. Some people say that they have the greatest job in the world; many others do not think the same.T) F)

7. Once you get a job, you have to save as much than you can in order to buy a car.T) F)

8. Barcelona is the soccer team with the bigger amount of fans in Ecuador.T) F)

9. The roots of the old tree spread out as many as thirty meters in all directions.T) F)

10. The book was too hard to find that I had to walk the whole day.T) F)

B) Tell why your test should be considered reliable, practical, and valid.

The foregoing test should be considered practical since it can be taken in a maximum of 20 minutes, additionally it has clear directions for the test-taker, and it is very objective, so the teacher will not have to spend too much time scoring it. Talking about costs and time, it uses just one sheet of paper, so to make a copy for each student will not exceed the budgetary limits; and its design did not take more than 30 minutes.

It also should be considered reliable since the tasks are clear and unambiguous to the test-taker. The rubrics for evaluation are uniform and well distributed; and the distractors in the multiple-choice questions are well designed so the test-taker will have to think and analyze the context before answering. Additionally, this test can be used in different administrations, with different students of the same level, and will produce similar results.

Finally, it should be considered valid since it measures only the expertise of the students using adverbs and adjectives, it does not contain irrelevant items that may deviate the student’s attention. Also, the tasks have a familiar format for the students, and they already have developed similar tasks in class, so they will know how to develop it; but nevertheless, the test presents a reasonable difficulty level.

List of references/sources.

- Brown, D & Abeywickrama, P (2010). Language Assessment: Principles and Classroom Practices. (2nd Ed.) White Plains, NY: Pearson Education, Inc.

- Cambridge English, Principles of Good Practice Quality management and validation in language assessment (2013). (http://www.cambridgeenglish.org/images/22695-principles-of-good-practice.pdf)

- Coombe, C & Hubley, N. Creating Effective Classroom Tests (http://taesig.8m.com/createii.html)- http://www.ukessays.com/essays/psychology/reliability-practicality-and-validity-psychology-essay.php

ACTIVITY 2Personal analysis about the Professional Performance Standards stated by

the Ministry of Education in Ecuador.

Through analyzing the new standards for teachers in Ecuador, we can notice that every time more importance is given to the quality of education and the better preparation of teachers, all of that in order to contribute to build a better society for our country.

In my case, as a future English teacher, those standards have many implications on my level of performance; for example, I have to stay updated with the didactics of the subject taught, and the research and educational theories that support it. Additionally, I have to competently use the language I teach, this implies keep practicing and researching about changes in the language. There are many other standards that are very necessary for me to keep in mind in order to be an efficient teacher, like: good class planning and organization, support to the students, appropriate assessment and evaluation, etc. I think all those standards will be for the benefit of all of us, as students, educators, and members of the society.

List of references/sources.

- Ministerio de Educación del Ecuador, ESTÁNDARES DE CALIDAD EDUCATIVA: Aprendizaje, Gestión Escolar, Desempeño Profesional e Infraestructura, 2012