Type of Test Achievement Test, Diagnostic Test, Proficiency Test

                      

TYPE OF TESTS

ACHIEVEMENT TEST

DIAGNOSTIC TEST

PROFICIENCY TETST

Preface

Language is a complicated thing to measure. Consequently, there are many types of language testing, each type measuring different skills for different reasons.

Type of tests

Achievement test -Definitions

An achievement test on the other hand tests the students' knowledge of the material that has been taught on a course.

This is also called as teacher made achievement test. 

Achievement test is the tool which helps in measures the capacities and capabilities of an individual.

According to Free Man, “Achievement test is a test designed to measure knowledge, understanding and skills in a specified subject or a group of subjects”.

     According to N.M. Downie, “Any test that measures the attainments or             accomplishments of an individual after period of training or learning is called     achievement test. It helps to permote the student to next class.”

 

The terms achievement and attainment are generally used to refer to more formal tests which mastery of a particular syllabus have been designed to show (e.g. end of year tests, school-leaving examinations, public tests).

It is used to measures a pupil’s achievement and progression in a specific subject or topic over a set period of time. It helps in evaluating the effectiveness of teaching instructions. It also provides feedback to the students as well as to the teachers. The achievement test has the focus on the realization of objectives of teaching and learning

 Construction of Achievement test

1. Identifying instructional objectives,

2. Making the design,

3. Preparing blueprint,

4. Writing the test items, and

5. Developing marking scheme.

Objectives of Achievement test

to identify the students of different categories such as slow learners, gifted and average students etc. as result of which the teachers would be able to provide remedial instruction and enrichment programme for the students

to give promotion to the students to the next higher classes or new courses considering the obtained result as an yard stick for promotion of the structures.

to help students to choose suitable subjects or courses according to their achievement levels.

to measure the amount of general knowledge that a student has accrued in a particular subject area.

 

Need and importance of achievement tests

Achievement tests are very useful in evaluating and improving the curriculum meant for the students of different grades.

Achievement tests are helpful for the purpose of identifying and classifying the students in the various groups on the basis of their achievement merits.

Achievement tests are helpful in providing scholarships, awards or special award of merit to the students those who perform better in the achievement tests.

Achievement tests enable the parents to know strength and weaknesses in the context of their academic achievements as a result of which the parents can be able to provide special help and guidance to their children.

Achievement tests are helpful for the teachers to enable them to know strength and weaknesses of students in different subjects and skill as a result of which the teacher can be able to prepare their students for different competitions so far competitions of different subjects or courses are concerned.

Diagnostic tests  -Definitions

A test designed to identify and investigate the difficulties, inadequate and gaps of pupils in specific curriculum areas with a view to helping them to overcome those difficulties through remedial instruction is called diagnostic test

"A diagnostic test undertakes to provide a picture of strengths and weaknesses.” -Payne

      The diagnostic test is the test which is constructed in order to find out the causes of failure of a student or group of students in learning a particular part of subject matter taught to them and with the help of which findings remedial suggestions are given.

  

It helps the teachers in identifying the status of learner at the end of a particular lesson, unit or course of learning as to what specific teaching or learning points have been properly grasped by the learners.Ø A diagnostic test is a test designed to locate specific learning deficiencies in case of specific individuals at a specific stage of learning so that specific efforts could be made to overcome those deficiencies

Steps of Diagnostic tests construction

The following are the broad steps involved in the construction of a diagnostic test. Diagnostic Test may be Standardized or Teacher made and more or less followed the principles of test construction i.e.,

preparation,

planning,

writing items,

assembling the test,

preparing the scoring key

marking scheme 

reviewing the test

Objectives of Diagnostic tests

To provide educational and vocational guidance to students and guardians on the basis of
traits realized from specific subject-related learning unit.

To make teaching-learning circumstances effective.

To make evaluation process more meaningful and effective.

To arrange for remedial teaching.

To give advice to a teacher for proper improvement in his teacher process.

To know about the weaknesses, deficiencies and difficulties of a student.

To assist in the selection of different tests, techniques and tools for knowing the causes related to the problem.

To assist in the selection of different types of questions for the construction of different achievement tests.

To amend textbooks of different subjects on the basis of the specific points and shortcomings
and to make them more useful for students.

 

Characteristics of Diagnostic tests

These tests are standardized, but some specialists opine that diagnostic tests should not be standardized.

Time limit for these tests is not specified.

These tests form an essential part of the curriculum.

These tests reveal the form of mental process of a learner.

These tests are according to the specific objectives.

The basis of these tests is formed by such facts or norms which are established on the basis of experiments.

These tests do not measure a child’s ability, but diagnose his weakness in order to provide for remedy.

These tests are analytical and analyze all parts of a process fully.

Scores obtained by students are not attached any importance in these tests. They only see the level of difficulty of questions which a student can solve.

These tests test the progress of a student objectively.

 Uses of Diagnostic tests

• Items, units or skills, which are understood by a majority of students, car1 be located and teaching can be adjusted to the situation • Items, units or skills which are not understood by a majority of pupils can be located and there by special emphasis in these aspects can be attempted. • The causes for the difficulty in certain items can be found out, for which remedial measures can be taken. • Individual weakness can be found out which would serve as the baseline for individual correction work and personal guidance. • Diagnostic test may be used for prognosis. It helps to predict the possible success in certain type of courses or vocation and therefore it helps in providing guidance and counselling

Diagnostic tests can be made the basis of individualized instruction. Differentiated teaching methods, ability grouping, individual drill. differentiated assignments etc. can be attempted on the basis of the results of diagnostic tests • Diagnostic test measures 'real understanding' as opposed to superficial mastery of subject areas measured by achievement of pupils in subject areas • Diagnostic tests can assist the pupil in locating one's weakness and so they can be corrected with maximum ease and economy

 Proficiency Test Definition

It is an exam which test how proficient or skilled someone is in a particular activity, field of study, language, etc

Examples

IELTS- International English Language Testing System

TOEFL - Test of English as a Foreign Language

 

A proficiency Test measures an individual's abilities and skills in a domain or subject to know how well he/she has learned, understood and internalised the related concepts and principles.

the proposed Proficiency Test will mainly focus on assessing students' abilities and skills to apply knowledge and understanding of any subject to new and unfamiliar everyday life situations.

The proficiency test is concerned simply with measuring the student’s control of the language in the light of what he will be expected to do with it in his future performance of a particular task. Does the student know enough English, for example to follow a certain university or college course given in the medium of English ?

Differing from an achievement test, which measures knowledge of specific information (what a person knows), a proficiency test targets what an individual can do with what he or she knows. As in a driver's test, an achievement test would represent the paper and pencil questions on the written examination, while a proficiency test determines how well the person can drive the car. The language proficiency test is an evaluation of how well a person can use language to communicate in real life.

 

Unlike an achievement test, in which it is possible to "get all the answers right," a proficiency test does not allow for a "perfect score," nor does it compare the results of the test to those of other test takers. In proficiency tests, one's performance is compared to a set of criteria,

The language proficiency test is an evaluation of how well a person can use language to communicate in real life.

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