Name

: La Ode Suhardin

SID

: 21213003

Class

Task

: Mid Task of CMD I

APPROACHES TO EVALUATION

In this paper, I am going to discuss about approaches to evaluation foccusing on the

principles of assesment and evaluation of learning in language teaching. In brief, there are
four principles of assessment and evaluation of learning in language teaching that should be
known in this discussion such as practicality, reliability, validity, and authenticity. The clear
explanation about them, it will be discuss in the following paragraphs.

The first point that will be discussed in this paper is practicality. Practicality means an
effective test. A test is said practical if the cost of implementation of the test is not
excessively expensive, do not take up too long in doing the test, relatively easy to implement,
and has a scoring/evaluation procedure that is specific and time-efficient. It means a test that
is prohibitively expensive is impractical. A test of language proficiency that takes a student
five hours to complete is impractical. A test that requires individual one-on-one proctoring is
impractical for a group of several hundred tests. A test that takes a few minutes for a student
to take and several hours for an examiner too evaluate is impractical for most classroom
situations.

The second point that will be discussed in this paper is reliability. Reliability means
consistent and reliable. If teacher gives the same tests on the same students and the results of
the tests are relatively similar it means the test is reliable. To improve the reliability of the
test, it can be done in several ways. First way is examiners have to make a test who is able to
distinguish less intelligent and clever students. It means they have to make the test may be
answered correctly either by lest intelegent students or clever students. The second way is to
give clear instructions and the instructions are easy to be understood by students. It means it
should not happen if students answer the test incorrectly because of unclear intructions. The
third way is to ensure if a given test can be read properly by students. The fourth way is by
making the participants of the test are familiar with the format of the test. For example, if a
test using a computer answers, students must know how to blacken and correct error mistakes
in doing the test. Another way is by providing a comfortable atmosphere.

The third point that will be discussed in this paper is validity. Validity is the extent to
which the conclusions we get from the tests that we do are appropriate, meaningful and useful
in accordance with the objective of assessment we want. In other words, tests must be able to
measure all aspects that want to be measured. If we want to measure the skill of students in
speaking, the tests we develope must be able to measure the ability to speak not writing skills.
A valid test of reading skill actually measures reading skill not other skills.

The last point that will be discussed in this paper is authenticity. Authenticity means
the accordance of the level between the characteristics of language tests and features of
language tasks that will be carried out in the language target. In other words, materials or
tasks that are examined must reflect the reality. If in our daily lives, we read texts narrative,
descriptive, advertisement, announcement, formal letters, or reports, the types of the text may

be represented into the tests. The tasks examined must be in line with the situation in the real
life. In order authenticity increased, the language used should be as natural as possible; the
tasks made should be contextual; the selected topics should be interesting to students; and in
giving a task, it should be a task that is often to be found in the real world.

Based on the explanation above that has been elaborated, it is important to note that
practicality, reliability, validity, and authenticity are the main principles of assessment and
evaluation of learning in language teaching. The aims of this evaluatin is to ditermined the
extent to which learning objectives have been achieved by students. In addition, evaluation,
of course, can help teachers to know the capabilities possessed by the students. By knowing
the abilities of students, teachers can find and guide students that are still not able to
understand the material they have taught. The evaluation could not certainly be done without
a clear procedure. There are principles of evaluation that sholud be implemented by teachers.
Without following these principles, the results of evaluation will not be valid, reliable,
objective, practical describing the ability of students.