Table of Contents

Part One Conceptual bases of test development
1: Objectives and expectations
2: Test usefulness: Qualities of language tests
3: Describing tasks: Language use in language tests
4: Describing language ability: Language use in language tests
Part Two Language test development
5: Overview of test development
6: Describing, identifying, and defining
7: Developing a plan for the evaluation of usefulness
8: Identifying, allocating, and managing resources
9: Operationalization: Developing test tasks and blueprints
10: Preparing effective instructions
11: Scoring method
12: Language test administration
Part Three Illustrative test development projects
Project 1
High-stakes selection and placement test for students entering a university writing program
Project 2
Selection / placement test for telephone company employees
Project 3
Syllabus-based diagnostic achievement test for students in an ESP program
Project 4
Exit test for students in an adult education conversation course for immigrants
Project 5
High-stakes ESP screening test for making hiring and training decisions
Project 6
Placement test for an ESL reading course
Project 7
Employment / placement / achievement test for immigrants in a government-funded vocational training ESL course
Project 8
Classroom achievement tests for an introductory German course
Project 9
Classroom achievement test for the reading component of the Korean-English two-way bilingual immersion program
Project 10
Syllabus-based EFL progress test for primary school children
References
Index

Promotional Information

Relates language testing practice to current views of communicative language teaching and testing. By Lyle F Bachman and Adrian S Palmer. Part of the Oxford Applied Linguistics series.

Reviews

`'Blends theory and practice in a volume that illuminates both.''
Kenneth W Mildenberger Award Committee