This module defines and provides examples of placement tests, proficiency tests, and progress

tests that are used in the world of EFL. You may have taken a high-stakes examination, such as
IELTS. If not, you have taken other examinations, such as SAT, that had impact on your future.
You have been tested in each grade and course, so you have a lifetime of pertinent knowledge.
Reflect on your experiences with test taking. Combine the information on testing contained in this
module with your own experience and reasoned opinions. Within your essay, address the
following points, but you are not limited to them.

 Fairness – Have you experienced testing that seemed unfair? Describe the situation.
Contrast it with testing that seemed fair to you. Describe the methods you will use to
prevent unfair testing for your students.

When I was studying in Highschool I had several bad experiences related to the fairness
of tests and examination. It’s really frustrating finding out when having a test, that it
contents some topics not including in the previous taught material or barely mentioned
by the teacher. Also, sometimes the level of the test’s exercises was highly above the
ones trained in class, specially in classes such as Math or Chemistry, that gave me the
sensation that sciences were not for me and eventually affected my career choices.
I think the importance of the fairness of test and exams is really high, and such
awareness should be taken by teachers. Fair tests can give students a reference for
their future. I will try to use tests made by myself, considering the context where I might
be teaching and considering the students’ levels and what the want to achieve in the
future.

 Validity – A valid test measures what is designed to measure. Have you experienced
testing that seemed invalid because your abilities were not accurately
measured? Describe the situation. Contrast it with testing that seemed valid to you.
Describe the methods you will use to prevent invalid testing for your students.

I lived in a country in South America where the tests had 3 exercises or tasks and the
measurement system was graded from 1-4, where 3 and 4 were approving grades, and
1 and 2 were not enough. For me it seemed really unfair, specially when grades were
better than 2 but not enough for a 3. I think this measuring system was not valid and
could not validate real knowledge. As it was written in module 5, integrative
assessments even being subjective it gives a real image of student’s improvement.
Personally, I will try to use both integrative assessments and discrete point together,
because I think using both systems I will have a better perspective of student’s level and
progress.

 Reliability – A reliable test is consistent. It is not random and does not vary with the
person marking it. Have you experienced testing that seemed unreliable because it
was inconsistent? Describe the situation. Contrast it with testing that seemed
reliable to you. Describe the methods you will use to prevent unreliable testing for
your students.
One day a teacher gave us a homework assignment, and said we could do it in teams
but each one of us had to hand over an individual paper. I end up doing it with a friend,
we wrote the same words because we were answering the questions together. It ended
up that my grades were higher than his grades, the teacher graded the same work twice
with two different grades and it was not fair.
In the other hand, a good experience would be a teacher who uses a consistent
measuring system to grade every student equally. Also, teachers have to be carefully
when testing student’s teamwork activities, because it is not a reliably way to grade
each individual. Personally, as I wrote in the last question, I think using more than one
test method would reduce unreliable results.

 General conclusions – After considering your positive and negative experiences with
testing, what insights have you gained that could benefit your teaching?

I never thought about the importance of grading students before, now I see its
importance. Surely, I will have a different approach to testing students now, considering
the diverse tools and knowledge learned in this module, when the opportunity comes
I’ll try to do my best, and through experience I’ll discover what works better with me
and with each class.