Development and Validation of a Proposed Diagnostic Test for English Proficiency for Senior High School Learners

Poor English proficiency can significantly impact learners’ academic performance and future opportunities. Learners with inadequate command of the English language may have difficulty comprehending elaborated texts, articulating thoughts coherently in writing as well as joining classroom discussion. Thus, developing diagnostic tests for English proficiency is crucial as it provides a consistent and objective measure of English proficiency, allowing educators to identify areas where students might need extra help. This study aimed to develop and validate a proposed Senior High School English Proficiency Diagnostic Test. Specifically, it sought to identify its key components, and appropriate design, and determine the respondents’ evaluation of the developed diagnostic test. Utilizing the descriptive method of research, twelve Senior High School teachers in Antipolo City Senior High School teaching English subjects such as Oral Communication, English for Academic and Professional Purposes Twenty-First Century Literature, Reading and Writing, and Creative Writing served as the first group of respondents to determine the key components and design of the English Proficiency test. The second group was the experts composed of validators in Region IV-A, curriculum developers, and researcher writers who served as validators of the proposed diagnostic test. To gather data, Google Forms was used to identify key components and design of the proposed diagnostic test. To determine the evaluation and validation of the respondents on the proposed diagnostic test., DepEd’s LRMDS Evaluation Tool for new print materials were used. Findings revealed that among all the subjects, English for Academic and Professional Purposes has the greatest number of key components that need to be enhanced among Senior High School learners. Multiple choice type of test is the most appropriate design for the proposed diagnostic test. The developed proposed English Proficiency diagnostic test can be utilized at the school level as it had a very satisfactory evaluation from the respondents.