Middle School Global Test Construction: Art or Science?

Within the field of test development, the tasks and/or questions that are used to construct tests and examinations are referred to as ‘items’, and the range techniques involved in preparing those items are collectively referred to as ‘item writing’.

Is item writing an art or a science? The best item development techniques combine elements of both these intellectual activities. On the one hand, there is a fair amount of experimental method, which we might recognize as scientific, incorporated within the whole set of procedures for developing a good item, or the sets of such things we call ‘tests’. However, writing a good item is also a highly creative act. By the end of the process something new, powerful, and useful has emerged – a test instrument which has used words, symbols or other materials from a curriculum or a syllabus in a new way, often to serve a variety of educational purposes. In doing so, the item developer needs imagination and ingenuity as well as knowledge: form, structure and balance become important, as they are to a sculptor or a musician.

DESIGNING GLOBAL TESTS FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS

Source: Alderson, J. C., Clapham, C. & Wall, D. 1995 Language Test Construction and Evaluation. CUP.

WEBLIOGRAPHY:

Language Testing and Assessment: http://eclass.uoa.gr/modules/document/file.php/ENL286/Testing%20books/Language,testing%20%26%20assessment_Davidson.pdf

Guideline for Best Test Development Practices https://www.ets.org/s/about/pdf/best_practices_ensure_validity_fairness_english_language_assessments.pdf

Language Test Construction and Evaluation: https://books.google.co.ma/books?id=cB0b1FnLbfgC&printsec=frontcover&hl=fr&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false

AMA ACCESS STUDENTS GRADUATION CEREMONY AND LEADERSHIP FESTIVAL

 AMA ACCESS STUDENTS LEADERSHIP FESTIVAL AND GRADUATION CEREMONY 

Centre d'Accueil des jeunes « Tin Hinan » 

 (TIZNIT, February 3rd-5th, 2016)

Nineteen students  from Tahla High School (Taza Delegation) headed south to join their AMA FY 12 ACCESS fellows in Tiznit in order to celebrate their graduation from the afore-mentioned programme. It has been exactly one year since they met in M'diq for their first Leadership Festival.

DAY 1: (Wednesday, February 3rd, 2016)

09:00-14:00_  OPENING CEREMONY

+ Welcome speech: (Samira Idelkadi) 

+ Word of thank: ( Khalil Zakari & Youssef El Kaidi)

+ Briefings:  (Idris Lamkadem & Brahim Elkabous & Mohamed Abou Abdellah )

16:30- 18:30: Tiznit City Tour

DAY 2: Thursday, February 4th, 2016

09:00- 11:00_  GRADUATION CEREMONY

AMA Access students graduation ceremony was held in the Centre d'Accueil des jeunes « Tin Hinan » and  attended by representatives from Tiznit City Council, local authorities, the Provincial Delegation of the Ministry of National Eduation, Parents' Association and the local press outlets.

11:30- 14:30_ LEADERSHIP FESTIVAL

Leadership Festival Programme:

I- Public Speaking: 

1- Our experience in Access Program (Ikram FADIL) 2- Developing your country is your responsibility (Rajae Rifi) 3- How can simple things change our lives (Salima TOUILE) 4- Education (Adil Boufessi) 5- Turning points (Mustapha BIKICH) 6- How to involve youth in politics (Hanane Berghazi)

II- Singing 1- God Bless Morocco (Jamila) 2- Titanic (Fatima Zahra Haimoud, Chaimae SEFFAJI+ Salima TOUILE + Latifa TIGOUDERNE and Maryam lyajouri )

III- ICT Projects 1- Legends in the US and Morocco (Oussma and Ayoub) 2- Photo story (Aadila BENDAHOU) 3- The Best Destinations in Morocco (Aziz) 4- White skills (Abdellah AMRANE) 5- Volunteering (Badr Lamsiah)

IV- Poetry Readings 1- A Poem by Adil 2- Ikram Fadil 3- Rajae Rifi 4- Brahim Ghafour 5- Rajae Jabal

V- Drama 1- Hamlet (Soukaina Belouch) 2- Unconditional Love (Oussama, Hanane, Fatima Z) 3- Crazy Class (AbdellahAmrane, IkramFADILE, FatimaZahra HAIMOUD, Adila BENDAHOU, Hajar AMARIR) 4- TV Show (Assiya, Rajae and Hajiba) 

VI- Public Speaking 2 1- Drugs addiction (Latifa TIGOUDERNE) 2- Cooperation (Ikram) 3- Five ways to kill your dreams (Abdellah AMRANE) 4- Being Successful in Life (Amal)

VII- Singing 2 1- Someone Like you (Hajiba and Assiya) 2- Zombie (All Students)

VIII- ICT Projects 1- Making Great Decisions (Aziz) 2- Video games (Fatima Zahra HAIMOUD) 3- Hunger and Poverty (Chaimae Seffaji) 

IX- Drama 1- Fashion Fadma (BENAMER+Maryam YAJOURI + Soulaimane GOUIJANE + Yassine AHLAOU + Chaima SEFFAJI + Abdellah AMRANE + Latifa TIGOUDERNE….) 2- Hamid, Abdelaziz, Hanane, Fatima Zahra Lamrini (Short play) 3- My heart and I (LatifaTIGOUDERNE + Salima TOUILE) 4- A sketch by Amal and Fatima Zahra Lamrini 5- Agness (SoukainaBELLOUCH + Ikram FADIL) 6- A sketch by Ikrama and Amal 7- Crazy Teacher (Hasnae Belfeqih and Mustapha Bekkich) 8- My Head is Stuck (Mariam El Yajouri, Abdellah Amrane)

X- Public Speaking 3 1- Maths forever (Oumaima ARBANI) 2- English in the Modern World (Rajae Jabal) 3- Why I chose English (Hassna Boujanoui) 4- How to Realize your Dreams (Nouhaila) 5- How to Motivate Yourself (Hajar Amarir) 6- Reading (Yassine AHLAOU) 7- Obesity (Maryam lyajouri)

XI- Singing 3 1- All of Me (Soukaina Bellouch) 2- Drag me down (Ayoub Id Mohamed) 3- Group Song: AMA Acces

Special Interest Group Exhibition:

AMA  Access  alumni and their teachers, the programme supervisors and  the members  of AMA association are  hereby  expressing  their  deepest  gratitude to those people who have seldom been  recognized  for  doing  good  deeds  to such  big  events;  the  people  who  cooked  the delicious meals  we have enjoyed, cleaned the places we have stepped  in and  gave  us  rides and  asked for nothing in return.

Press Release:

TIZNIT 24 Press: http://www.tiznit24.com/?p=65512
TIZNIT 90: http://tiznit90.com/تيزنيت-حفل-جمعية-الأساتذة-المغاربة-خر/