Abstract
This chapter describes the stages of design of a bespoke pen-and-paper assessment of listening and reading comprehension administered for 10-year-old learners of English as a foreign language in Polish primary schools. Test creation is followed, from initial construct identification through to pilot and careful item analysis leading to final choice of items with the best psychometric qualities. Particular attention is paid to the many challenges to creating a useful large-scale test for measurement of children’s foreign language in the context of varied course materials and learning experiences. Critical importance of the child perspective to inform test construction and administration is discussed. Despite the limitations of a closed-ended pen-and-paper format, the result was a child-friendly and attractive assessment. It emphasised authentic language and the type of communication children might expect to meet in everyday situations. It was hoped to encourage exposure to longer stretches of text.
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Szpotowicz, M., Campfield, D.E. (2016). Developing and Piloting Proficiency Tests for Polish Young Learners. In: Nikolov, M. (eds) Assessing Young Learners of English: Global and Local Perspectives. Educational Linguistics, vol 25. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-22422-0_6
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