"Tests of Aptitude for Language Learning" (TALL) is an openly accessible internet-based battery to measure the multifaceted construct of foreign language aptitude, using language domain-specific instruments and L1-sensitive instructions and stimuli. This brief report introduces the components of this theory-informed battery and…

Despite consistent calls for authentic stimuli in listening tests for better construct representation, unscripted texts have been rarely adopted in high-stakes listening tests due to perceived inefficiency. This study details how a local academic listening test was developed using authentic unscripted audio-visual texts from the local target…

Among the variety of selected response formats used in L2 reading assessment, multiple-choice (MC) is the most commonly adopted, primarily due to its efficiency and objectiveness. Given the impact of assessment results on teaching and learning, it is necessary to investigate the degree to which the MC format reliably measures learners' L2 reading…

Over the past decades, the application of Rasch measurement in language assessment has gradually increased. In the present study, we coded 215 papers using Rasch measurement published in 21 applied linguistics journals for multiple features. We found that seven Rasch models and 23 software packages were adopted in these papers, with many-facet…

This study compared three common vocabulary test formats, the Yes/No test, the Vocabulary Knowledge Scale (VKS), and the Vocabulary Levels Test (VLT), as measures of vocabulary difficulty. Vocabulary difficulty was defined as the item difficulty estimated through Item Response Theory (IRT) analysis. Three tests were given to 165 Japanese students,…

Testlets are subsets of test items that are based on the same stimulus and are administered together. Tests that contain testlets are in widespread use in language testing, but they also share a fundamental problem: Items within a testlet are locally dependent with possibly adverse consequences for test score interpretation and use. Building on…

This study piloted test items that will be used in a computer-delivered and scored test of productive grammatical ability in English as a second language (ESL). Findings from research on learners' development of morphosyntactic, syntactic, and functional knowledge were synthesized to create a framework of grammatical features. We outline the…

The reliability and validity of a cloze procedure used as an English-as-a-second-language (ESL) test in China were improved by applying traditional item analysis and selection techniques. The 'best' test items were chosen on the basis of item facility and discrimination indices, and were administered as a 'tailored cloze.' 29 references listed.…

A total of 102 university English majors were administered 4 different language tests to form a General Language Proficiency measure against which the C-test was evaluated. Results confirmed its reliability and validity and also provided data on text difficulty/appropriateness, word structure, content, and different scoring methods. (13…