Administration, Scoring, and Reporting Scores

Abstract

This chapter covers administration, scoring, and reporting scores from language tests and examinations. Procedures typically used in major language examinations and small‐scale classroom testing and assessment are both covered. It is argued that the administration, scoring, and reporting procedures are highly dependent on the purpose and stakes of the assessment. Selected national and international guidelines of good practice are reviewed to see what they have to say about these phases of the assessment process, and examples are given on how, for example, high stakes certification and achievement tests differ from teacher‐based formative and diagnostic tests. The review considers how the skill tested impacts on how a test is administered and scored: In particular, testing of speaking and writing differ in many ways from testing comprehension. Also, the medium of assessment has a considerable effect, as modern information and communications technology (ICT) can radically change not only test administration but also scoring and reporting. ICT enables immediate reporting of results, more detailed feedback, and even automated scoring of performances. An account is given of the research pertaining to administering, scoring, and reporting scores of language tests. Studies on test administration are not common except for types of testing where it is intertwined with the test format, such as in computerized testing, which is often compared with paper‐based testing, and in oral testing, where factors related to the setting, participants, and so forth have been studied. Scoring procedures have received considerable attention from researchers, especially when speaking and writing are concerned, and an outline and selected finding from these studies are presented. Reporting scores appears to be the least studied area, but even there some research into, for example, the meaningfulness of different reporting formats exists, and this is briefly described.

Effects of Digital Score Reporting and Feedback on Students' Learning in Higher Education

“…In traditional penand-pencil testing, score reports present students' performance summary as scores or grades sometimes accompanied by a cursory description of the test and of the meaning of the grades. However, score reports can be delivered in an electronic (i.e., digital) format, especially if they originate from CBT (Huhta, 2013). Such reports can include interactive elements (e.g., visualizations and tables) that could engage students in interpreting and understanding their feedback.…”

“…Moreover, there is a lack of empirical studies that address this gap adequately in the literature. Another important challenge in CBT-based score reporting is the communication of assessment results that facilitates meaningful interpretation with the aim to improve the validity of assessments (Cohen and Wollack, 2006, p. 380;Ryan, 2006;Huhta, 2013;AERA, 2014). Previous research has already shown that there is large variability in the delivery and communication of assessment results to students (Knupp and Ainsley, 2008;Zenisky and Hambleton, 2015).…”

Vol. 19 Supplementary: 20th Anniversary Special Issue

“…Another example of incorporating indigenous assessment criteria into language testing is the research done by Pill (2016 Messick Kane (1992Kane ( , 2004) (argument-based approach) Kane,1992 ( interpretive argument (1) ) (Huhta, 2014). Test feedback is a crucial stage in diagnostic language assessment, which consists of three phases of diagnosis, feedback, and remedial learning (Lee, 2015).…”

“…test results or providing feedback on test results (i.e., test feedback) is essential to test use in both classroom and standardized testing(Huhta, 2014). Effective test feedback assists stakeholders (i.e., test takers, parents, teachers, administrators, policy makers, and other test users) in using test scores appropriately.…”

“…2.10.1 summarizes elements that can be included in score reports. Test developers need to consider what to include in their score reports based on their test purposes(Huhta, 2014).Essentially, if the primary purpose is diagnostic assessment, test developers should consider including more elements in the table. However, two issues should also be taken into account.…”