Description and Review of a Standardized Test

Description and Review of a Standardized Test Review of the TOEFL test from the Educational Testing Service website is necessary to allow individuals learn the purpose of the test. Who needs to take the test, how users use the test results and for what purpose, what the content of the test is and how it is formatted. In addition, as students and teachers in the TESOL program, it is to our advantage to obtain such a test, we also need to ensure the test is bias-free and so is the content, and of course we need to know how the test is scored and how to interpret those scores. The TOEFL iBT® test is given in English and administered via the Internet(EST TOELF, 2016). There are four sections (listening, reading, speaking, and writing) which take a total of about four and a half hours to complete, including check-in. Combining All Four Skills: Listening, Reading, Speaking, and Writing. The TOEFL PBT measures listening, structure (grammar), reading and writing and takes approximately 3½ hours. It is given using paper and pencil 6 times a year at test centers where TOEFL iBT is not available (EST TOEFL, 2016). Test purpose: The purpose of the TOEFL test is to evaluate the English proficiency of people whose native language is not English. The test uses a multiple-choice format to measure the ability to understand North American English. The test consists of three sections: Listening Comprehension, which measures ability to understand English as it is spoken in North America. Structure and Written Expression, which measures ability to recognize language that is appropriate for standard written English. Vocabulary and Reading Comprehension, which measures the individual’s ability to understand nontechnical reading matter. Another purpose of the TOEFL test is aimed to evaluate the potential success of an individual whose native language is not English to use and understand standard American English at a college level. There are two versions of the TOEFL test, one is the Internet Based Test or iBT and the other is the Paper-Based Test or PBT. Test takers. The TOEFL iBT test measures an individual’s ability to use and understand English at the university level. And it evaluates how well an individual combine his or her listening, reading, speaking and writing skills to perform academic tasks. More than 9,000 colleges, agencies and other institutions in over 130 countries accept TOEFL. Test result users: More than 9,000 colleges, agencies and other institutions in over 130 countries accept TOEFL scores. Students planning to study at a higher education institution. English-language learning program admissions and exit. Scholarship and certification candidates. English-language learners who want to track their progress. Students and workers applying for visas. Content/format of test. In the TOELF test, you must answer at least one question each in the Reading and Listening sections, write at least one essay, and complete at least one Speaking task to receive an official score. For the TOEFL iBT® test, administered via the Internet, you will receive four scaled section scores and a total score: Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking and Score sections. In addition to your scores, your test taker score report also includes performance feedback that is a reflection of your performance level and a description of the kinds of tasks that test Bias-free content: The test you take may include extra questions in the Reading or Listening section that do not count toward your score. These are either questions that enable ETS to make test scores comparable across administrations or new questions that help ETS determine how such questions function under actual testing conditions. The TOELF EST test tries to avoid having any bias within the test content. However, as in everything else in life, it is almost impossible to avoid it completely. Scoring: Each section of the TOELF EST test is scored on each subject skill. Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking with similar point averages. The TOELF EST uses both human raters and automated scoring methods to offer a complete and accurate picture of a test taker's ability. While automated scoring models have advantages, they do not measure the effectiveness of the language response and the appropriateness of its content. Human raters are needed to attend to a wider variety of features, such as the quality of ideas and content as well as form. Interpretation of scores: There is a score range for each skill measured on the test. There are three or four proficiency levels for each skill. ETS administers some test forms with one or more sections omitted. When one of these forms is administered, scores are given only for the sections that were included in the form, and no total test score appears on the score report. If an institution receives such a score report and desires more information about the circumstances under which the test was administered, the institution should contact the test taker (Interpret Scores, 2016). References: TOEFL EST, 2016. Interpret Scores. Retrieved from; https://www.ets.org/toefl/institutions /scores/interpret/ EST TOEFL, 2016 Retrieved from: https://www.ets.org/toefl/ibt/about/content/