Summary of the course Introduction to issues in language assessment and terminology In todays language classrooms, the term assessment

usually evokes images of an endof-course paper and pencil test designed to tell both teachers and students how much material the student doesnt know or hasnt yet mastered. However, assessment is much more than tests. Assessment includes a broad range of activities and tasks that teachers use to evaluate student progress and growth on a daily basis. Evaluation, assessment, and testing To help teachers make effective use of evaluation, assessment, and testing procedures in the foreign/second language classroom, it is necessary to clarify what these concepts are and explain how they differ from one another. The term evaluation is all inclusive and its the widest basis for collecting information in education. In summary, evaluation includes the whole course or program, and information is collected from many sources, including the learner. While assessment is related to the learner and his or her achievements, testing is part of assessment, and it measures learner achievement. Categorizing assessment tasks Different types of tests are administered for different purposes and used at different stages of the course to gather information about students. You as a language teacher have the responsibility of deciding on the best option for your particular group of students in your particular teaching context. It is useful to categorize assessment by typr, purpose, or place within the teaching/learning process or timing. Types of tests The most common use of language tests is to identify strengths and weaknesses in students abilities but a relatively low level of reading comprehension. Information gleaned from tests also assists us in deciding who should be allowed to participate in a particular course or program area. Another common use of tests is to provide information about the effectiveness of programs of instruction.

Placement test: Placement tests assess students level of language ability so they can be placed in an appropriate course of class. Aptitude tests: An Aptitude test measures capacity or general ability to learn a foreign or second language. Diagnostic tests: Diagnostic tests identify language areas in which a student needs further help. Progress test: Progress tests measure the progress that the students are making toward defined course or program goals. Achievement tests: Achievement tests are similar to progress tests in that they determine what a student has learned with regard to stated course outcomes. Proficiency tests: Proficiency tests, on the other hand, are not based on a particular curriculum or language program. They assess the overall language ability of students at varying levels. Additional ways of labeling tests: Sometimes tests are distinguished by the manner in which they are scored. An objective test is scored by comparing a students responses with an established set of acceptable/correct responses on an answer key. Criterion-Referenced versus Norm-referenced or standardized tests. Criterion-referenced tests are usually developed to measure mastery of well defined instructional objectives specific to a particular course or program. Their purpose is to measure how much learning has occurred. Student performance is compared only to the amount or percentage of material learned. Summative versus formative Tests or tasks administered at the end of the course to determine if students have achieved the objectives set out in the curriculum are called summative assessments. They are often used to decide which students move on to a higher level. Formative assessments, however are carried out with the aim of using the results to improve instruction, so they are give during a course and feedback is provided to students.

The process of developing assessment We have seen that assessment covers a range of activities from everyday observation of students performances in class to a large-scale standardized exams. Some teachers will be involved in a full range of assessment activities, while others will mainly be responsible for producing informal assessments for their own classes. However at one time or another, almost all teachers are consumers of tests prepared by other people, so regardless of their personal involvement in actually developing assessment, teachers can benefit from understanding the process involved. Assessment includes the phases of planning, development, administration, analysis, feedback, and reflection. Depending on teaching load and other professional responsabilties, a teacher can be working in several different phases at any one time.

Assessment in the teaching/learnig cycle Approach

Program Standards, course objectives

Syllabus

Materials

Teaching

Assessment

Analysis and feedback

Needs anaylisis

Planning
Choosing assessment for your needs Several steps are important in planning for assessment. First, you must consider why you are assessing and choose a type of assessment that fits your needs. What is the purpose of this assessment, and what kind of information do you need to to get from it? Is a test the best means of assessment at this point, or would some form of alternative assessment do the job better? What abilities do you want to measure, and what kind of mental model, or construct, do you have of these abilities? If you are assessing progress or achievement in a particular part of the syllabus, you need to map the content and main objectives of this section of the course. Remember that you cannot assess everything, so you have to make choices about what to assess. Specifications A specification is a detailed description of exactly what is being assessed and how it is being done. In large institutions and standardized public examinations, specifications become official documents that clearly state all the components and criteria for assessment. However, for the average classroom, teacher, much simpler specifications provide an opportunity to clarify your assessment decisions. Constructing the assessment At this point, you have used your specifications for the overall design of the assessment and to write sections and individual items. If you worked as part of a team, your colleagues have carefully examined items you wrote as you have scrutinized theirs. Despite good intentions, all item writers produce some items that need to be edited or even rejected. A question that is very clear to the writer can be interpreted in a very different way by a fresh reader, for example, students sometimes produce unanticipated responses for short answers or gap fill items or have an entirely different interpretation of the prompt or task.

Preparing students Students need accurate information about assessment, and they need to develop good test-taking skills. In our coverage of the assessment process, we will focus on providing information to students since test-taking skills themselves are addressed. Transparence means that students have accurate information assessment will occur, what they will cover in terms of skills and material, how much the assessments are woth, and when students can reasonably get their results. Assessment in the larger cycle Administrators typically understand why we need time to prepare and grade examinations, but they need to see that the conduct assessment for several reasons that matter to all involved. First, we want nformation about how our students are progressing. We want to confirm that they are placed at an appropiate level and are moving forward with their language skills, we want to give them the results of formative assessment as quickly as possible and make helpful suggestions for further improvement. Techniques for testing Constructing test items and tasks for any type of assessment is a task filled with challenges. Why? Test items are the foundation of tests and the backbone of most assessments instruments. Classifying test items and tasks Test items can be classified in a number of ways. Some testers categorized items as selection and supply items. With selection items, a student selects the correct answer from a number of presented options. Subjective or objective questions Items can also be classified by the way they are scored. Objective test items can be scored based only on following an answer key. Scoring objective items requires no expert judgment, specialist knowledge, or subjectivity on the part of the marker.