C-Test Instructions at ClozeOnline.us:

CLASSIC CLOZE:

Page 1: Paste keywords into the LIST box (one per line) and click [LIST UPDATE]. (Most teachers add new words and delete the old ones each week.)

Name the test (two strings, no spaces) and click [NEW TEST]

Page 2: Set NRL (the number of remaining letters) to | 0 |.

Check |Ö | “use just my own list of words.”

Paste your keywords at the top and/or bottom of the actual text. Remember to include one or two distracters to make the last choice not an obvious one. You may separate the keywords with commas or semicolons, but use only one period (at the end). Put a second period (with or without a set of instructions) before the actual text begins. Add the text and click [MAKE TEST].

Page 3: To see what the students will see, click on the first link. The second link is a PRINT version with separated underscores. The third facilitates with hand-administration and is also the file you save to your computer for offline restorations (when you choose "encrypt" before processing). The last output file is a colorful HTML view of that same page (the one I use for proofing the output). To download any of these four files (for later printing or processing), right-click the file, select "Save target as" and watch where you put it. Most choose a portable media (such as a diskette, CD, or DVD) or, when you use the offline program, save it to the Input-Output directory in the CTEST folder.

If you wish to sample the test you just created, click on the logo. At the student sign-on page enter the word teacher and use test@test.com for your email. If you wish to see the automated notification (which includes the words that were missed), enter your real email and I will forward the actual message.

To maintain privacy, select a username and password so I can give you your own folder. The username should be the TEACHER NAME your students know you by. I will also set up your automated email notification service. For the duration of the study, this service is FREE. Thereafter, private directories are $22 per year.

L-TEST > > > used during Phase 2b

Same as the Classic Cloze above but the NRL set to | 1 |.

C-TEST-X > > > used during Phase 3 when needed

Page 1: You may leave the keywords where they are; the program will not use them. Name the test (same as above: two strings, no spaces); click [NEW TEST].

Page 2: From the drop-down box, select fourth, fifth, or sixth, depending on the length of the sentences. Type in the number of words you wish to mutilate (usually 20-30) and set NRL to |50 + |.

C-TEST > > > used throughout the program

Leave everything at its defaults: the drop-down box at | 2 |, the number of deletions at |20| and NRL set at | 50% - |. Set NRL (the number of remaining letters) to |50 + | only while the learners are new at working with C-Tests.

To use as a teaching tool, either have two student groups (separated by gender?) create a summary paragraph of the week's activities (ideally on Fridays) or have several smaller groups select a "favorite" paragraph from the book they (individually) selected to read that day. Over the weekend (or anytime the following week) have students test their restoration skills on these paragraphs. Most teenagers prefer the two-gender format; younger students don't seem to care. To all, the most important part is the fun and (competitive) camaraderie of restoring the mutilated texts in teams of three (with one typing and two working together to guess the missing characters).

When used to determine readiness, make at least four (preferably five) separate paragraph-style tests (with textbook passages you intend to cover during the next semester). Until you have your own textbooks uploaded, use the grade-level paragraphs already in the system. Individual paragraphs are in the Teacher directories named grade2, grade3, etc.

When used to measure accomplishment without destroying confidence, it is prudent to use the 50%+ setting and fewer deletions before using the defaults. However, I would allow the students to choose. (Remember that giving choices and exercising judgement are integral elements of the communicative learning environment.)

C-TEST-T > > > a "tailoring" feature (used for academic assessment)

This feature allows you to assess readiness at the various levels of academic language proficiency. Simply click on the wordlist box that your student might be ready for, then test them on any text you deem pertinent. If their score is higher than 75%, check the next highest box and test them again. Coming within 10% of a native speaker's competency, is considered normal for ESL students; which means that in mixed classes, the fairest format is a 10% handicap, i.e., a NS's grade of 70 is the equivalent of a NNS's 63. On a battery of five tests with 20 deletions each, 100 and 90 are perfect scores respectively for native and non-native speakers (according to EU-adopted standards).

NOTE: "Checking a list" is like posting all the words on that list into the LIST box on page 1.

Your Email:

Ours:	coach@clozeonline.us