Information of LTA assignments

Assignments of Language Test Administration Class (PLEASE READ!)

Dear my students of LTA class (107, 109, 503, and 507)

Since we are going to meet the study week (about the end of June 2012), I would like to inform you some assignments that are very important for you to practice to achieve our objectives of LTA class.
The followings are explanation and information of assignments (Analysing test items and Designing test items):

1. In groups of 3, analyze the classroom test of multiple choice items made by teachers (could be summative tests of UTS or UAS for secondary school students of SMP, MTs, SMA or MAN). In analysing the test, you should consider the questions mentioned in chapter 3 of Brown's (2004). Those questions are:

1. What is the purpose of the test? (consider whether it is achievement test?, proficiency test?, placement test, or .....?)
2. What are the objectives of the test? (consider what language ability to be assessed):

• Assessing clear, unambigious objectives for the items. Analyse whether each item has met the objectives from the existing curriculum (KTSP). You can check its basic competence and competence standard, also the indicator.

     3. How well test specification reflects both purpose and objectives?

•  Drawing up test specification. Consider what skills are to be tested? and what items look like (test items types) ? Give opinion!

     4.How will the test task be selected and the separate items arranged?

• Give opinion by considering some factors:
• Are the instructions clear?
• Is there an example of doing the test?
• Does each item item measure specific objective?
• Is each item stated in clear and simple language?
• Does each multiple choice have clear distractor?
• Is the difficulty of each item appropriate for each student?
• Is the language of each item sufficiently authentic?

      5. What kind of scoring, grading or feedback is expected?

• Analyse and give opinion of how do you think the teachers give score and grading (if there is any grading for the students' result).

After you analyse based on those questions, you should also analyse its multiple choice items. Consider the followings:

1. Item Facility (IF)
2. Item Discrimination (ID)
3. Distractor Eficiency (DE) 

Please see me if you want to see the example of the previous assignment made by last semester students! 

2.  This is the final assignment but not your final test. The procedures are: First, make three groups of different grades, Group Junior High School (SMP), Group Senior High School (SMA) and Group Vocational School (SMK). Second, each group is divided again into three groups, they are Group SMP grade 7, Group SMP grade 8, Group SMP grade 9, Group SMA grade 10, Group SMA grade 11, Group SMA grade 12, Group SMK (for group of SMK, you can decide to divide three groups based on the majority, for example, electricity class, accounting class, and Cooking class, or your own preference depends on the subject majority you concern on). Then, after you divide the groups, you can start designing the assessment for English by considering to the existing curriculum (KTSP SMP, SMA and SMK). Look at SK (Standar Kompetensi) and KD (Kompetensi Dasar) for each grade. You can choose what semester you will design the assessment. After that, you have to design the items of assessment based on the sample types on Brown (2004)

LANGUAGE TEST ADMINISTRATION 

FINAL ASSIGNMENT

EXAMPLES OF DESIGNING ENGLISH TEST

SUBJECT     : ENGLISH

CLASS          : VII

SEMESTER : 1, II

SEMESTER 1

LISTENING SKILL:

Standar Kompetensi :

Memahami makna dalam percakapan transactional dan interpersonal sangat sederhana untuk berinteraksi dengan lingkungan terdekat.

Kompetensi Dasar :

1.1 Merespon makna dalam percakapan transaksional (to get things done) dan interpersonal (bersosialisasi) yang menggunakan ragam bahasa lisan sangat sederhana secara akurat, lancar, dan berterima untuk berinteraksi dengan lingkungan terdekat yang melibatkan tindak tutur: menyapa orang yang belum/ sudah dikenal, memperkenalkan diri sendiri/ orang lain, dan memerintah atau melarang.

1.2 Merespon…..etc

Indicators:

1. The students are able to know the way how people greet each other formally and informally

2. The students are able to understand the expression of greeting formally and informally

3. The students are able to know the way how people introduce themselves and others

4. The students are able to understand the expression of introduction.....

5. etc

Tujuan (Objectives):

1. The test items are used to test whether students are able to recognize greeting.
2. The test items are used to test whether students can respond to the greeting in conversation.
3. The test items are used to test whether students are able to respond to questions of introduction in conversation

4. ………..

5. etc

Designing Listening Test Items:

Objective (1) to test whether students are able to recognize greeting. (3 – 5 items)

I. Intensive Listening :

a. Bloom’s taxonomy in category of “Knowledge” (old version), or “remembering” (revised version)

b. Recognizing Phonological and Morphological Elements

Phonemic pair, consonants

I. Listen to these sentences about greeting and choose the correct answer from what you have heard!

1. Test Takers hear: How is she?

Test Takers read: 

 (a) How is she?

 (b) How is he?

Phonemic pair, vowels

2. Test takers hear: She is fine.

    Test takers read:

     (a) she is fun.

     (b) she is fine.

                c. Paraphrase recognition

Sentence paraphrase

3. Test takers hear: Hello, my name’s Susan. I come from America.

Test takers read: (a) Susan likes America

(b) Susan is going to America.

(c ) Susan is American.

Etc.

Objective (2) To test whether students are able to respond to greeting expression in conversation.

Etc.

Principles on Language Testing Class on Thursday at 13.00, at 15.00 and at 17.00

Discussion topic :
Characteristics of a Good Test and Preparing the Classroom Test

Dear my students,

Please comprehend and think critically about three qualities of all good tests: Validity, reliability and practicality.
Each of you has to write on my blog dealing with your understanding of the definition of validity, reliability and practicality. I will give you feedback after all. Start right now or today!!!
I will wait for your critical comment on that topic.

1. Mention your name, your class or rombel (write the time of your class), then write your critical comment or definition about each of the characteristics.

Then, after you give your critical understanding about the characteristic of a Good Test, I would like to know about your comprehending on the preparing the classroom test. The same task as in the previous topic, I want you to write on my blog about your understanding of how teachers, especially classroom language teachers, establish an efficient testing program, such as preparing the course objective using long range goals or short range performance objectives, etc.

2. Mention your name, your class or rombel, then write your critical comment about how the teachers should do to establish an efficient testing program.


Hope you are fine and do the task well

Thank you

Your lecturer

Novia Trisanti

My Paragraph Based Writing Class (Feb - June 2011)

Overview of Teaching Paragraph Based Writing Class Using Writing Workshop to Increase Students' Ability in Writing a Paragraph

Backkground of the Study

• The need of university students to understand academic writing which differs from other kinds of writing explained in part by its special audience, tone, and purposes. Also, it focuses on the need to understand creative writing as part of the students’ academic life.
• Writing focuses on the need of both process and product
• The students’ difficulties in writing the paragraph structure of each type.
• The students’ difficulties in applying the steps of writing. Also, their difficulties in using correct grammar, vocabulary, good coherence, and mechanics of writing.
• Paragraph Based Writing is a writing class in which students have to write some types of paragraph (Narrative, descriptive, and expository) by applying steps of writing and using paragraph structure, coherence, unity and completeness.
• Writing workshop as a strategy to help students enhance their ability in writing, either focusing on process or product.
• Writing workshop (Peha, 2003; Gorscik, 2007) was introduced in PBW class.

Theoretical Framework

• Speaking and writing are social practices. They always have to be seen in relation to all other social practices with which they interact.
• Writing (Meyers, 2005: 1) is a way to produce language, which we do naturally when we speak. As in speaking, when we write, we consider choice of words, form, and grammar to make sure that they clearly express what we intend to say.
• Meyers (2005)à writing is partly a talent, but it’s mostly a skill. It improves with practtice. It is also an action– a process of discovering and organizing ideas putting them on paper, and reshaping and revising them.
• Hyland (2002)à writing is central to our personal experience and social identities, and we are evaluated by our control of it.
• Academic writing (Oshima and Hogue, 1999)à is the kind of writing that we are required to do in college or university. It requires understanding on the audience, tone and purposes.
• Audience = instructor? Professor? Other readers?
• Tone = depends on the subject matte and audience. It is style or manner of expression which is revealed by choice of words and grammatical structure, and length of the sentence.
• Purpose determines the rhetorical forms (organizational forms and style)

Writing Workshop

Peha (2003), is a teaching technique that invites students to write by making the process a meaningful part of the classroom curriculum.

In writer’s workshop, full class lessons are short and tightly focused on practical real- world issues. Emphasis is placed on sharing work with the class, on peer conferencing and editing, and on the collection of a wide variety of work in a writing folder, and eventually in portofolio.

In writing workshop, teacher writes with their students, and share their own work as well. It encourages students to think themselves as writers, and to take their writing seriously.

The basic format of Writing workshop:

• Mini Lesson: a short lesson focused on a single topic that students need help
• Status of the class: a quick way of findig out what each student is working on
• Writing time: The students write. The teacher can involve in conference (individual or students' peer conference)
• Sharing: writers read what they have written and seek feedback from their audience. The students can also share their writing.