English INICIA Test, what does this test test?!

TESOL Symposium, August 2014!

The technical characteristics of the current English Inicia Test are too

restrictive to serve the purpose it was created for. The Ministry of Education

bid and the Quality Enhancement Program for Initial Teacher Education (DS,

96, 2009) state that this test serve as a diagnostic assessment of knowledge

and skill as referred to in the Initial Teacher Education Standards. Test results

are to be used for strengthening university teacher education programs as

well as initiation of newly qualified teachers’ work life. !

Now, if we have a look at the referenced Standards, we notice that in 8 out of

10 standards, knowledge serves as a platform that leads to effective teaching

practice; their central component is then the utilization of knowledge.!

If, on the other hand, we go to the specifications of the test in the Ministry’s

bid, we immediately notice that the test consists of 60 multiple choice items

with 4 alternatives.!

When we go to the literature and find what experts in assessment claims

about this kind of test items, we realize alternative questions, being reliable

and practical, have serious limitations to assess anything beyond factual

knowledge. Their upmost capability is assessment of higher cognitive skills.

Alternative questions cannot assess what is central to most of the Standards:

utilization of knowledge for effective teaching practice.!

The technical characteristics of the current English Inicia Test are too

restrictive to serve the purpose it was created for. What consequences will

this fact have? Information obtained from this test cannot be minimally valid in

order to strengthen teacher education programs or initiation of newly qualified

teachers’ work life. Furthermore, any educational policies emerging from

Inicia Test results will be extremely unfair and will not help the educational

system gain that quality we all long for.!

Pablo Silva Ríos, M.A.!

Facultad de Educación!

Universidad Alberto Hurtado