Periodical Tests And Current Test Evaluation System

Two deficiencies exist in current test evaluation system.First, some test resources have been squandered. Tests have long been regarded as authoritative measurements in education. The results of tests, scores and ranks, are considered as the only reliable and persuasive data for evaluation. In fact, the significance of test score and rank varies with test types. Progress achievement tests and diagnostic tests mainly serve to measure students' progress and to diagnose students' strengths and weaknesses after a period of teaching and learning. These two functions are of great significance in providing information for making decisions on further teaching and learning. In practice, these two types of tests are typified by periodical tests. But people still stress scores and ranks in periodical tests, leaving problems in tests unanalyzed and unsolved. It is a squander of test resources.Secondly, learning ability has not been included in evaluation. Learners should not only grasp the knowledge but also learn how to learn. It is believed that the involvement of the evaluation of learning ability can highlight its significance in education.Assessment is "a continuous process used to evaluate a student's progress toward their learning goals" (Flood, 1997). It advocates to keep track with students' growth from various perspectives with various methods, and to find out what needs to be modified or improved. In the thesis, assessment has been studied. Formative assessment, peer-assessment, self-assessment and the way of assessing problem solving enlighten the author. The post-test activities for periodical tests has been developed.They first aim to make full use of test resources by concentrating learners' attention on measuring progress, diagnosing their own strengths and weaknesses and making progress. Secondly, they try to involve learning ability in assessment and evaluation.A pre-experiment has been successfully conducted, thanks to the sincere cooperation of thirty-nine junior English majors at the English Educational Dept. in Capital Normal University. The results of the experiment are encouraging.