MA in ELT
Methodology lecture series
Lecture 7
Alternative assessment and feedback
Tests
A test is a formal or informal method of measuring students’ knowledge and/or abilities in a given area. A test inevitably samples performance but infers certain general competence on the basis of the sampled performance (Brown, 1994, p. 252).
Types and aims of tests
Placement test (to see which group a student should be placed in according to his or her level of knowledge)
Diagnostic test (to decide what a certain group of students needs to learn and practice in a course/semester/year)
Achievement test or progress test (to measure students’ achievement typically at the end of a stage of instruction)
Proficiency test (to measure and compare student’ global competence in a given language or other subject)
(Brown, 1994, pp. 257-260)
Negative connotations associated with tests and testing
Stress, fear of failure, one-off possibility to show what you know, not designed the way you expected the test to look like, unpleasant surprises, too difficult questions, seems more like punishment than a fair chance to prove that you made progress, etc.
What makes a good test?
validity – the test measures what it is intended to measure
practicality – the test has to be practical regarding financial limitations, time constraints, ease of administration, and scoring and interpretation
reliability – the score will be the same or similar if the test is taken at an another time or if corrected by someone else; it is consistent and dependable
advance preparation – teacher can raise awareness of test-taking strategies, lower anxiety, help students prepare for tests
face validity –the students feel that the test measures what it is supposed to measure
the principle of authenticity –the language used in the test is natural, authentic and provides a familiar context
washback effect – the effect the corrected test has on the learners (positive or negative)
(Brown, 1994, pp. 251-257, pp. 270-272)
Alternative assessment
“While tests can be used as a bolt-on procedure at end-points in a learning programme, assessment is integral to the whole process of teaching and learning. It is the means by which students’ language learning development and achievement are monitored over time” (Hedge, 2000, p. 376).
Changes in content, format, marking criteria and attitudes:
The content of tests has become broader with more emphasis on sub-skills involved in listening, speaking, reading and writing. In the communicative era tests tend to focus on the learner’s ability to extract meaning and to convey messages in both written and oral performance. Tasks have become more life-like, and marking criteria focus on aspects of communicative language use in addition to the traditional criteria concerned with the accurate command of syntax and lexis (Hedge, 2000, pp. 382-384).
“A communicative approach to language teaching is more likely to be adopted when the test at the end of a course of instruction is itself communicative. A test can be a powerful instrument for effecting change in the language curriculum.” (Weir, 1990)
Aimsof assessment
Assessment can be undertaken for different purposes:
to help the teacher’s planning of further classroom work (formative assessment)
to measure and documentlearner achievement/ development (summative assessment)
to focus on mistakes/difficulties /weaknesses
to indicate strengths / achievements
to motivate/encourage learners
to give content feedback
to give grades as expected by school and parents
to fill the register as expected by school
to help learners assess their own progress over time (self-assessment)
to keep track of learners’ progress on a regular basis (continuous assessment)
Examples for alternative assessment methods
tests that actually give real feedback with narrative evaluation to encourage learners and help them see their strengths and areas for improvement;
observation-driven assessment that focuses on both language and content, a teacher’s diary-type record of learners’ achievements and weaknesses;
portfolios kept by the learners themselves that contain samples from a variety of the learners’ work (compositions, drawings, notes, pictures, audio or video-recordings, project results, etc.), discussed with and always made available for inspection for both the learners themselves and the teacher;
learners’ personal diaries,similarly to the portfolio, contain samples of the learners’ work, help document the learning process and encourage continuous self-assessment.
References:
Brown, H.D. (1994). Principles of Language Learning and Teaching. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Hedge, T. (2000). Teaching and Learning in the Language Classroom. Oxford: OUP.
Weir, C. R. (1990). Communicative language testing. New York: Prentice Hall.
Compulsory reading:
Brown, H.D. (1994). Principles of Language Learning and Teaching. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall (pp. 251-260, 270-272).
Hedge, T. (2000). Teaching and Learning in the Language Classroom. Oxford: OUP(pp. 375-378, 384-401).
November 6th 2009
Lázár Ildikó