This chapter explores how principles of language assessment can and should be applied to formal test but with the ultimate recognition that these principles also apply to assessment of all kinds. In this chapter, these principles are defined and discussed with reference to classroom-based assessment in particular. They are then rephrased in the form of a set of "trips" for testing that can be applied to a number of different kinds of classroom assessments. Chapter 3 then focuses on using these principles, step-by-step, in the actual design of classroom-based tests.
How do you know if a test is effective, appropriate, useful, or in down-to-earth terms, a “good” test? For the most part, that question can be answered by responding to such questions as: Can it be given within appropriate administrative constraints? Is it dependable? Does it accurately measure what you want it to measure? Is the language in the test representative of real-world language use?
Does the test provide information that is useful for the learner? These questions help to identify five cardinal criteria for “testing a test”: practicality, reliability, validity, authenticity, and washback. We will look at each one here; however, because all five principles are context dependent, there is no priority order implied in the order of presentation.