McNamara Chapter 2

Just like theories on how we learn languages, there are theories on language testing. The psychometric-structuralis was the first period where it only focused on testing the four-macro skills of listening, reading, writing, and speaking. Next, came the integrative assessments where it focused on pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary. The third was John Oller who came up with the cloze test as a substitute for language production skills, and the on-line processing of “real” language (sort of like authentic language). The cloze test was a good introduction to the educational world, but it doesn’t show what communication skills the learners acquired. After that came the communicative competence assessments where the researchers learned that language assessments are more than grammar. It involves socioculture factors of the correct way to communicate, gestures, beliefs, and so on.
In AE, the only language test we have is the YPT. In the beginning, this book was literally translated from the English Proficiency Test. Each year, the students take the same test, and some had literally memorized the test a few years ago (they’ve taken the test too many times where one student said the phrase I was about to ask him, so this test was not reliable anymore). We continue to assess our students with the YPT. The beginning part of the test involves giving a one word answer to pictures. As the test progresses, it gets a little more complicated to listening to a story, answering questions, and retelling the story.