Testing in the L2 classroom

I think this chapter put into words how I have come to perceive tests.  I think that, having been an L2 student for more than a decade now, I have seen my share of different kinds of tests.  Also, teaching a Spanish 1 level class now has reintroduced me to some kinds of tests I have not seen in a while.  I think that when I read chapter 9, I found myself associating achievement tests with lower level L2 classes and proficiency tests with higher level L2 classes.  I think this is because in lower level classes there is a lot more classroom learning and the teacher is much more involved in the students' learning.  The teacher therefore has to give these achievement tests to see whether or not the students are comprehending what is being taught in the classroom.  With these lower level classes, the students are not interacting much with people outside of the classroom, and they are not experiencing the L2 culture except through culture lessons in the classroom.  This leads to a partially sheltered learning experience.  This is not necessarily a bad thing.  I think it is important for beginner L2 learners to have a good introduction to their new language in a classroom because it allows for a reduced anxiety level, one of  Krashen's points.  I think that once the students have a sufficient understanding of the structure and tone of the new language, they are more receptive to outside-the-classroom learning experiences.  This is where proficiency based testing comes into play.  Once a student is confident enough to use the new language in less formal settings and even outside of the classroom, they can begin to improve their L2 in ways they could not have done with classroom learning.  When their L2 begins to improve outside of the classroom, it becomes necessary to decrease, but not do away with, achievement testing and move towards proficiency testing.  Proficiency tests are designed to test the overall comprehension general competence in the new language.  This means that students can begin to increase their competence outside of the classroom, and improve their overall control of the new language. 
I think proficiency testing, although very useful, can be difficult to do inside of the classroom.  It is relatively difficult to perform a proficiency test in a class because it usually involves an oral component.  Testing oral proficiency can be time consuming and requires substantial effort on the part of the teacher as well as the student.  Proficiency tests are designed to test the overall competence, so they should probably be administered before or after a class, so as to test the incoming and outgoing competence.