1. Lecture 6
Standardized testing Standard-based assessment Performance based assessment
Chapter 4 & 5 BROWN, 2004

2. LECTURE’S OBJECTIVES Students will understand the differences between:
Standardized testing , Standard-based assessment, and Performance based assessment
Students will acknowledge the advantages and disadvantages of these types.

3. WORM UP DISCUSSION What is Standardization?
Standardization means that there are set of criteria or objectives applied to broad competencies which are not exclusive to certain curriculum. (Brown, p,67)
Every one of you at some point of your academic life
have been affected by a standardized test. Do you agree?

4. 1- STANDARDIZED TESTS
They are Standardized because they specify a set of competences (standards) for every domain.
A standardized test is one in which a student's performance is measured in comparison to everyone else who took the test. In other words, your rating is dependent on everyone else's performance. (connecting: what type of test is the standardized test?)
Standardized tests have uniform procedures for administration, design, scoring, and reporting. (Brown, 2004)

5. EXAMPLES OF STANDARZIED TESTS
SAT: scholastic aptitude test
GMAT : graduate management admission test
IELTS: international English language testing system
GRE: graduate record program
TOEFL: test of English as a foreign language
*How about standardized tests in Saudi Arabia, can you give examples?

6. EDUCATIONAL ASSESSMENTS IN SAUDI ARABIA

7. 2- STANDARDS-BASED ASSESSMENT
Educators found out that standardized tests have disparity between the content /the tasks and what students’ actually taking in the classroom. Therefore educators specified the criteria with in each content area that going to bet tested.
For example, each grade level has its specified standards ( objectives, criteria); In each subject area: math, language, science..
Example: page 107 (Brown, 2004)
In Standards-based assessment the criteria and information are taken directly from content that a student has been taught or is expected to learn.
Standards-based assessments are particularly helpful when a school district or state education department has defined a set of learning standards that each student needs to learn. The test can then measure not only student achievement, but teacher effectiveness as well.

8. CONTINUED
“The classroom teacher presents the set of standards or objectives for which students will be responsible.
In this manner, students know exactly what they are being tested on. They should no longer be able to say "I didn't know you were going to ask me that.”.
Source:

9. CONTINUED
Students will know objectives being assessed, and you knew the grading criteria. It was your responsibility to be ready for this test.“
students are measured not against each other, but against these clearly stated performance objectives. Therefore, it is possible for ALL students to perform well. Indeed, it is the goal for all students to do extremely well. When using standards based teaching and assessment, these questions can be answered confidently, by pointing to the standards and objectives, as well as the grading criteria, and showing that either the students have mastered these standards, or that the students did not master them”.
Source:

10. THE DISADVANTAGES OF STANDARDIZED TESTS AND STANDARD- BASED TESTS
It is true that standardized tests are high in practicality and reliability, yet, they have some issues/ problems:
1. Test bias
2. Authenticity criterion
3. Does not support the multiple intelligences theory
4. Create negative attitude toward learning
5. Teachers teach for the test
pages

11. 3- PERFORMANCE BASED TESTS
Performance based test involve learners in actually performing the behavior that we want to measure. In interactive tasks, test-takers are measured in the act of speaking, requesting, responding, or in combining listening and speaking, and in integrating reading and writing.
-Performance-based assessment is an alternative form of assessment that moves away from traditional paper and pencil tests. Performance-based assessment involves having the students produce a project, whether it is oral, written or a group performance*.
-The students are engaged in creating a final project that exhibits their understanding of a concept they have learned.
-A unique quality of performance-based assessment is that is allows the students to be assessed based on a process. The teacher is able to see first hand how the students produce language in real-world situations. In addition, performance-based assessments tend to have a higher content validity because a process is being measured. The focus remains on the process, rather than the product in performance-based assessment”.
Examples: portfolios, journals, presentations, oral reports, letters, stories , interviews.

12. REFERENCES
Source:
Brown, H. Douglas, Language Assessment: Principles and classroom practices. Pearson Education, Inc.