Dianne Wall

The impact of high-stakes testing on teaching and learning: can this be predicted or controlled?

One of the issues which attracted the attention of language testers in the 1990s was the impact of high-stakes tests on the classroom: what kind of influence did such tests have on teaching and learning and what could educators do to ensure that this was beneficial rather than harmful? Some progress was made in defining notions such as ‘impact’ and ‘washback’, and a number of studies appeared which analysed the relationship between tests and teachers’ and learners’ attitudes and behaviour. There was a growing awareness of the importance of factors other than test design in determining whether tests would have the impact that was desired. These factors also appear in the literature of educational innovation, and it is to this field that some testers turned for guidance on whether test impact could be predicted or controlled. This paper summarises what language testers have learned about test impact in the last decade and discusses what one model of educational innovation has revealed about how tests interact with other factors in the testing situation. It concludes with a set of recommendations about the steps future test developers might take in order to assess the amount of risk involved in attempting to create change through testing.

Introducing new tests into traditional systems: insights from general education and from innovation theory

Educators are concerned about the effects that tests may have on teaching, and want to know what they should do to ensure that these effects are beneficial. Some ELT specialists have offered advice on how to produce positive washback, calling for attention to test design and the communication between testers and teachers. Research in general education has pointed out the need for feedback from testers to many key players in the educational system, and for adequate resourcing and training. Innovation theory provides further insights into why attempts to introduce change in the classroom are often not as effective as their designers hoped they would be. This article reviews several key concepts in educational innovation, showing how these concepts are manifested in a case study in washback and out lining how they are being applied in recent test development projects.

Evaluating a placement test

The nature and validation of placement tests is rarely discussed in the language testing literature, yet placement tests are probably one of the commonest forms of tests used within institutions which are not designed by individual teachers and which are used to make decisions across the institution rather than within individual classes. Questions to be asked in the validation and evaluation of any placement test include the following: Does the placement test correctly identify those students who most need English and study skills classes? Do the students who take the test feel that their language has been accurately measured? Is the content of the test appro priate to the uses made of the tests? Is the test reliable? This paper reports on an attempt to validate an institutional placement test at Lancaster University. After presenting the results of the study, the paper comments both on the validity and reliability of the test, and on the wider issues that influence how validation studies of placement tests can be carried out.

Using baseline studies in the investigation of test impact

The purpose of this article is to discuss the role of ‘baseline studies’ in investigations of test impact and to illustrate the type of thinking underlying the design and implementation of such studies by reference to a recent study relating to a high‐stakes test of English language proficiency. Baseline studies are used to describe an educational context before the introduction of an innovation intended to cause change. Data gathered at the baseline stage can serve as a point of comparison when attempts are made to determine whether change has indeed occurred. Though of obvious relevance to test impact studies, baseline investigations are rarely discussed in the language testing literature. This article presents the research objectives, instruments and procedures used in the baseline stage of a study investigating the impact of the revised Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). While this example shows the type of work that has proved effective in a specific setting, its key features may also prove useful in other contexts. The article concludes with a summary of these features and a reminder of their function within baseline investigations.

Language testing in the military: problems, politics and progress

There appears to be little literature available -either descriptive or research-related - on language testing in the military. This form of specific purposes assessment affects both military personnel and civilians working within the military structure in terms of posting, promotion and remuneration, and it could be argued that it has serious social consequences if not carried out professionally and to the highest standard. This article provides a general overview of the language testing that is carried out by military teams in Central and Eastern Europe, using the findings of three surveys conducted with teams in this region. It explores the design problems the teams have had to deal with, the political issues that influence the work they do, and the progress they have been able to make over recent years. The article concludes with an attempt to link these findings to broader issues in the assessment of English for Specific Purposes.