Language testing tools and technologies

Abstract

place students in appropriate instructional levels assess learners' progress (for themselves or their teachers) ascertain and certify language proficiency levels 3. The preferred networking environment for delivering language testing is rapidly becoming the... Extra credit. The Educause-sponsored project to ensure interoperability among Internet-based assessment programs is the . Computerized Testing Computers have been used in language assessment since at least the 1960s. The PLATO project at the University of Illinois pioneered the use of networked computers for language practice and testing. However, the use of computers in language testing did not become widespread and generally available until the advent of the personal computer in the late seventies and early eighties. Among the better-known software packages from the early (DOS) days is Calis from Duke University (still available as an unsupported product). It was designed for active drill and practice of grammar and vocabulary, rather than formal assessment. This was the case as well for Dasher, a widely-used Mac-based program from the University of Iowa. Both programs provided for varied feedback options and recognition/display of partially correct answers. In addition to dedicated language software, generic authoring tools were often used to develop language drill and assessment programs. The best-known of these are HyperCard (from Apple) and Toolbook (from Asymetrix, now click2learn) With both, multimedia could be integrated into the tests or exercises, allowing for more options, including assessing listening comprehension. The arrival of CD-ROM facilitated greatly the use of multimedia in language programs, by providing the necessary storage capacity. There are today successors to these stand-alone authoring programs, such as WinCalis, the Windows version of Calis. One of the attractive features of WinCalis is its support for Unicode (ISO 10646), which allows representation of a great variety of languages and alphabets simultaneously in an application. MaxAuthor, from the University of Arizona, is another Windows-based authoring program for language testing and practice. It also supports a variety of languages, and lessons can be made Web-accessible.