A Study On College English Placement Test Specifications

With the popularization of various kinds of tests, unprecedented importance has been attached to test development. Test specifications, the very first step of test development and test design and also the blue print, have received more and more attention, too. Test specifications play an important role in test development whose soundness and scientificness are the prerequisite to ensuring the appropriate use and meaningfulness of the inference drawn from the test result.Based on modern language testing theories, this thesis tries to investigate in an all-around way College English Placement Test Specifications of Hunan University. Through analysis of the key contents and format of CEPT specifications, construct validation as well as item writers'and sample examinees'questionnaire results, the comprehensiveness, scientificness and reasonability of CEPT specifications are checked. All statistical analyses are performed using SPSS 13.0. The whole study is divided into two parts. The first part focuses on the analysis of the key contents and format, while the second part lays stress on the application, evaluation and modification of CEPT specifications, with the combination of both qualitative and quantitative study methods.The results show that CEPT specifications basically balance well among test reliability, validity and the interactiveness as well as authenticity of test tasks, which is demonstrated in the reasonability of contents, format and construct validity. However, there are still some aspects to be improved. Revisions have been made to CEPT specifications in terms of test structure, test input and test procedures. In the meanwhile, some suggestions for revision have been taken into consideration which cannot be carried out immediately due to the limit of time, material or human resources, such as: to include more accents in the listening input, so as to enhance the authenticity of test tasks; to include a note-writing section in the writing test to enhance the reliability, etc.Based on Bachman's theories of communicative language ability and communicative language testing, with reference to construct validation theories, this study analyzes, evaluates and perfects CEPT specifications aiming to assess college students'communicative language ability. As important documents of CEPT of Hunan University, they will better serve the purpose of developing and designing language tests assessing more effectively college students'communicative language ability. At the same time, the specification evaluation process involved must be of empirical reference meaning to those writing and researching on test specifications.