Are you a test wise?

It's the beginning of the semester, and you have a mixed-level class. You want to get an idea of the class's strengths and weaknesses before you plan your lessons. Which kind of test would give you the information you need? (You will find the answer to this question in the Introduction.)

• placement

• diagnostic

• proficiency

• aptitude

You've heard the phrase, "Test what you teach and how you teach it many times. Which principle of good assessment does it exemplify? (You will find the answer to this question in the Introduction.)

• validity

• reliability

• washback

• practicality

Your college department team is planning the assessment strategy for the semester. You want to allocate sufficient time to each step of the assessment development process. Which step do most people tend to shortchange? (You will find the answer to this question in Chapter 1.)

• scheduling administration

• identification of outcomes

• establishing grading criteria

• analysis and reflection

You are writing a multiple choice exam for your students. Which is a potential threat to the reliability of your exam? (You will find the answer to this question in Chapter 2.)

• using three options as distractors

• keeping all common language in the stem

• providing an answer pattern (A B C D, A B C D, etc.)

• avoiding verbatim language from the text

Teachers often expand the True/False format to include a "not enough information" option. This has the advantage of reducing the guessing factor and requiring more cognitive processing of information. However, it's not appropriate for which language skill? (You will find the answer to this question in Chapter 2.)

• grammar

• listening

• reading

• vocabulary

You are about to assess student writing. What is the best strategy to ensure high reliability of your grading? [You will find the answer to this question in Chapter 4.)

• Require students to write a draft.

• Give students a very detailed prompt.

• Use multiple raters and a grading scale.

• Use free writing instead of guided writing.

Your class will soon sit for a high-stakes, standardized exam such as TOEFL®, PET, or IELTSTM. What is the most helpful thing you can do to prepare the students? (You will find the answer to this question in Chapter 7.)

• Coach them in strategies such as time management.

• Give them additional mock examinations on a daily basis.

• Revise material that appeared on last year's exam.

• Stress the consequences of failing the examination.

Your last encounter with statistics was years ago at university. Now your principal has asked you to do some descriptive statistics on your students' grades. Which of these indicates the middle point in the distribution? (You will find the answer to this question in Chapter 9.)

• mean

• mode

• median

• standard deviation

Your colleagues are using multiple measures to assess students in a course. You want to find a type of alternative assessment that demonstrates what students can actually do as contrasted to what they know about the subject or skill. What's your best choice? (You will find the answer to this question in the Introduction.)

• an objective multiple choice question test

• a showcase portfolio

• reflective journals

• a project

Your institution has a number of campuses with expectations for common assessments. What is the best way to ensure that the students on each campus are assessed fairly? (Youп will find the answer to this question in Chapter 1.)

• Write to test specifications.

• Utilize student-designed tests.

• Recycle last year's tests.

• Use exams from the textbook.