This study discusses the characteristics of test specifications (specs) and item writer guidelines (IWGs), their role in item development of English as a Second Language (ESL) reading tests, and the use of the CEFR for specs development. This mixed-method study analyzed specs, IWGs, tests, and the Pearson Test of English General test statistics.…

Chulalongkorn University Language Institute (CULI) test was developed as a local standardised test of English for professional and international communication. To ensure that the CULI test fulfils its intended purposes, this study employed Kane's argument-based validation and Rasch measurement approaches to construct the validity argument for the…

The Listening Vocabulary Levels Test (LVLT) created by McLean et al. Language Teaching Research 19:741-760, 2015 filled an important gap in the field of second language assessment by introducing an instrument for the measurement of phonological vocabulary knowledge. However, few attempts have been made to provide further validity evidence for the…

Background: This study investigated the scoring and criterion-related validity of the TEAP, a newly developed Test of English for Academic Purposes. In this study, scoring validity was examined by investigating the factor structure, while criterion-related validity was examined by first investigating the longitudinal change of test takers'…

A much-debated question in the L2 assessment field is if computer familiarity should be considered a potential source of construct-irrelevant variance in computer-based writing (CBW) tests. This study aims to make a partial validity argument for an online source-based writing test (OSWT) designed for English placement testing (EPT), focusing on…

Drawing on a growing body of research on the interface between corpus linguistics and second/foreign language testing and assessment, we adopted "Peykare," a large-scale, annotated, Persian written language resource to evaluate the content (i.e., coverage and typicality) and construct validity of a Persian language proficiency test…

Many Chinese universities are implementing an educational reform to transform their general English courses into academic English courses. Accordingly, how to assess students' English ability should also be reformed. In this test review, we introduce a school-based general academic English summative test developed by English instructors. An…

This paper presents a new method for accurately measuring the vocabulary size of second language (L2) learners. Traditional vocabulary size tests (VSTs) are limited in capturing a tester's vocabulary and are often population-specific. To overcome these issues, we propose an intelligent vocabulary size measurement method that utilizes massive robot…

Recently, psychometricians and researchers have voiced their concern over the exploration of language test items in light of Messick's validation framework. Validity has been central to test development and use; however, it has not received due attention in language tests having grave consequences for test takers. The present study sought to…

Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic), a high-stakes English language proficiency test, underwent substantial revisions in 2021. The test duration was reduced from 3 h to 2 h by reducing specific task numbers and sections. This study investigates the impact of these changes on teachers' perceptions and teaching practices, areas…

High stakes test-based accountability systems primarily rely on aggregates and derivatives of scores from tests that were originally developed to measure individual student proficiency in subject areas such as math, reading/language arts, and now English language proficiency. Current validity models do not explicitly address this use of aggregate…

Listening comprehension in English, as one of the most fundamental skills, has an essential role in the process of learning English. Non-parametric item Response Theory (NIRT) is a probabilistic-nonparametric approach to item response theory (IRT) which determines the one-dimensionality and adaptability of test. NIRT techniques are a useful tool…

The current article evaluates a national English language proficiency test known as the "MSRT test" which is used to determine the eligibility of candidates for admission to and completion of higher education programs in Iran. Students in all majors take this standardized, high-stake criterion-referenced test to determine if they have…

Addressing the lack of English tests that measure critical thinking (CT) abilities of EFL learners, this study aims to develop an English Critical Thinking Test (ECTT) designed to measure the consistency, analysis, and inference CT skills. It is a follow-up to a pilot study to accumulate validity evidence for the use of the ECTT. A total of 262…

Listening comprehension in English, as one of the most fundamental skills, has an essential role in the process of learning English. Mokken scale analysis (MSA) is a probabilistic-nonparametric approach to item response theory (IRT) which determines the one-dimensionality and scalability of test. Mokken scaling techniques are a useful tool for…