DOCSLIB.ORG

Assessment in the Language Classroom Assessment in the Language Classroom

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Assessment in the Language Classroom Assessment in the Language Classroom Assessment in the Language Classroom Assessment in the Language Classroom Teachers Supporting Student Learning Liying Cheng Professor of Language Education, Queen’s University, Canada Janna Fox Professor of Applied Linguistics & Discourse Studies, Carleton University, Canada Applied Linguistics for the Language Classroom Series Editor: Andy Curtis © 2017 Liying Cheng and Janna Fox All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, Saffron House, 6–10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The authors have asserted their rights to be identified as the authors of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. First published 2017 by PALGRAVE Palgrave in the UK is an imprint of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of 4 Crinan Street, London, N1 9XW. Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries. ISBN: 978–1–137–46483–5 paperback This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing processes are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. Contents List of Figures and Tables vi Series Editor’s Introduction viii Acknowledgements xii Introduction xiii 1 Why Do We Assess? 1 2 What Do We Assess? 30 3 How Do We Assess? 62 4 How Do We Develop a High-Quality Classsroom Test? 102 5 Who Are We Assessing? Placement, Needs Analysis and Diagnostics 139 6 Who Are We Assessing? Feedback and Motivation 166 7 When We Assess, How Can We Use Assessment to Move Forward? 188 Appendix 215 Glossary 223 References 231 Index 241 v List of Figures and Tables Figures 1.1 Dimensions of assessment 7 2.1 Alignment of learning goals, assessment and classroom activity 31 2.2 Specific curriculum expectations in listening and speaking 33 2.3 Aligning course activity and assessment tasks with intended learning outcomes through horizontal and vertical course planning and design 45 3.1 Assessment observations, conversations and products 76 4.1 Overview of a test development process 109 5.1 An example of an online diagnostic assignment 154 5.2 Follow-up diagnostic assignment 155 5.3 Diagnostic assessment: student profile of targeted needs 158 Tables 1.1 Purposes of assessment and evaluation 10 1.2 The commonplaces of language curriculum 21 1.3 Questionnaire: What is most important in teaching a language? 23 1.4 My philosophy of teaching and learning 27 2.1 Course example: ESLCO, Level 3 (Open), Listening and Speaking 46 3.1 Reading 78 vi LIst OF FIGURes aND TaBles vii 3.2 Writing 79 3.3 Speaking and listening 80 3.4 Classification of Marta’s portfolio requirements 89 4.1 History file (excerpt) 112 4.2 Table of specifications (sample specification) 113 4.3 Some commonly used item and task formats 117 4.4 Holistic scale – Section 1: summary writing 124 4.5 Analytic scale – Section 1: summary writing 126 4.6 Item analysis for Class 6B (Level 3) 130 5.1 Mapping assessment approaches onto philosophies of needs assessment 149 5.2 Diagnostic approaches 159 5.3 A sample diagnostic assessment tool 163 6.1 Assessment practices, teacher responses are in italics, students’ work is underlined 169 7.1 Principles of test preparation practices 206 7.2 Overarching themes and code frequencies 210 Series Editor’s Introduction The purpose of this Applied Linguistics for the Language Class- room (ALLC) series is to help bridge what still appears to be a significant gap between the field of applied linguistics and the day-to-day classroom realities of many language teachers and learners. For example, Selivan recently wrote that: “Much applied linguistics research remains unapplied, is often misap- plied, or is downright inapplicable” (2016, p.25). This gap appears to have existed for some time, and has yet to be bridged. For example, in 1954, Pulgram published Applied Lin- guistics In Language Teaching, which was followed a few years later by Robert Lado’s classic work, Linguistics Across Cultures: Applied Linguistics for Language Teachers (1957). However, we are still seeing articles 60 years later helping language teachers to apply linguistic theory to language lessons (Magrath, 2016). Therefore, one of the features of this ALLC series that makes it distinctive is our focus on helping to bridge the on-going gap between applied linguistics and language classrooms. Our envisaged readership for these books is busy classroom lan- guage teachers, including those entering the profession and those who have been in it for some time already. We also gave a lot of thought to what teachers completing a first degree in Education, teachers doing MA TESOL courses, and language teachers completing other professional qualifications, would find most useful and helpful. Bearing such readers in mind, one of the ambitious goals of this ALLC series is to present language teachers with clear, concise and up-to-date overviews and summaries of what they need to know in key areas: Assessment; Methods and Methodologies; Technology; Research Methods; and Phonet- ics, Phonology and Pronunciation. Attempting to do what viii SERIes EDITOR’S INTRODUCTION ix much larger and weightier volumes have attempted, but doing so in volumes that are slimmer and more accessible, has been a challenge, but we believe these books make an original and creative contribution to the literature for lan- guage teachers. Another distinctive feature of this ALLC series has been our International Advisory Board, made up of Professor Kathleen Bailey and Professor David Nunan. These two outstanding fig- ures in our field helped us to keep our target readers in mind and to stay focused on the classroom, while keeping the con- nections to applied linguistics, so we can advance the building of the bridges between applied linguistics and language classrooms. In Assessment in the Language Classroom: Teachers Supporting Student Learning Liying Cheng and Janna Fox – two educators with more than 50 years of classroom experience between them – focus on how assessment can be used as a tool to help teachers help learners. Each chapter starts with a set of schema-activating questions, which encourage the readers to reflect on their own experiences before delving further into the text. Chapter One starts with definitions and the different pur- poses of some essential aspects of assessment. One of those aspects is the voices of test-takers, which are often conspicuous by their absence, but in this book, those voices are heard. In Chapter Two, Cheng and Fox address the big and impor- tant but complex and complicated questions: What is worth teaching, and what is worth assessing? To help answer those questions, Cheng and Fox give concrete examples of specific curriculum expectations in relation to particular language modalities. The authors also help teachers align their class- room activities and assessments with the learning goals and outcomes. As in Chapter One, definitions and descriptions of key terms, such as ‘learning outcomes’ – which form the basic vocabulary items of the language of language assessment – are presented. The importance of contextual understanding is also highlighted in this chapter, which concludes with a very helpful template for planning a course. x SERIes EDITOR’S INTRODUCTION Like the other books in this ALLC series, one of the main the goals of this book is to help language teachers in their day-to- day classroom practices. Therefore, Chapter Three starts by comparing and contrasting large-scale testing with classroom testing, as a way of explain the three key concepts of assessment of learning, assessment for learning, assessment as learning. To complement the voices of language test-takers in the first chapter, the voices of language teachers are presented here, and reiterating the importance of contextualization, detailed assessment plans – which are “an overall guide for how we will assess students’ achievement of the learning goals and out- comes relevant to instruction” (p. 66) – from two different con- texts are given. Details of a wide range of assessment tools are given, including alternative assessment methods, such as use of portfolios, again, with detailed examples. In more and more countries, classroom teachers are being asked to develop their own tests, to analyse tests, and to be able to evaluate the quality of tests. Unfortunately, in many of those countries, the initial teacher training programs do not include required courses on test design, analysis or evaluation. Chapter Four, therefore, helps teachers to build this knowledge and these skills, including the expanding of teachers’ lan- guage assessment vocabulary, with thorough explanations of ‘construct definition’, ‘criterion-’ and ‘norm-referenced assessment’, ‘Target Language Use’ and other terms which teachers need to know in order to be able to think, talk about and do assessment. A detailed overview of the test development process is also presented. Chapter Five looks at who we are assessing, in relation to placement, needs analysis and diagnostics. In this chapter, Cheng and Fox start by emphasizing the importance of teachers and learners getting to know each other, which is not something that cannot happen with large-scale, standardized testing, in which all test-takers all over the world are, by definition, assumed to be the same.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Manual for Language Test Development and Examining
    Manual for Language Test Development and Examining For use with the CEFR Produced by ALTE on behalf of the Language Policy Division, Council of Europe © Council of Europe, April 2011 The opinions expressed in this work are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy of the Council of Europe. All correspondence concerning this publication or the reproduction or translation of all or part of the document should be addressed to the Director of Education and Languages of the Council of Europe (Language Policy Division) (F-67075 Strasbourg Cedex or [email protected]). The reproduction of extracts is authorised, except for commercial purposes, on condition that the source is quoted. Manual for Language Test Development and Examining For use with the CEFR Produced by ALTE on behalf of the Language Policy Division, Council of Europe Language Policy Division Council of Europe (Strasbourg) www.coe.int/lang Contents Foreword 5 3.4.2 Piloting, pretesting and trialling 30 Introduction 6 3.4.3 Review of items 31 1 Fundamental considerations 10 3.5 Constructing tests 32 1.1 How to define language proficiency 10 3.6 Key questions 32 1.1.1 Models of language use and competence 10 3.7 Further reading 33 1.1.2 The CEFR model of language use 10 4 Delivering tests 34 1.1.3 Operationalising the model 12 4.1 Aims of delivering tests 34 1.1.4 The Common Reference Levels of the CEFR 12 4.2 The process of delivering tests 34 1.2 Validity 14 4.2.1 Arranging venues 34 1.2.1 What is validity? 14 4.2.2 Registering test takers 35 1.2.2 Validity
    [Show full text]
  • A Tested Phonological Therapy in Practice
    A tested phonological therapy in practice Caroline Bowen Macquarie University and L. Cupples Macquarie University Abstract The focus here is a detailed case description of a broad-based model for treat - ing developmental phonological disorders. Successful treatment comprising 27 consultations over 17 months, of a girl aged 4;4 at the outset, with a mod - erate phonological disability, is examined in detail. The model’s strength is in its combination of family education, metalinguistic tasks, phonetic produc - tion procedures, multiple exemplar techniques and homework. Treatment is administered in planned alternating therapy blocks and breaks from therapy attendance. Introduction In the field of speech-language pathology, the terms de v e l o p m e n t a l phonological disorder and phonological disability broadly denote a linguistic disorder in children, manifested by the use of abnormal patterns in the spoken medium of language. The terms reflect the influence of clinical phonology upon the way in which many linguists and language clinicians now conceptualize children’s speech sound disorders (Baker, 1997; Bernthal and Bankson, 1994; Fey, 1992; Grunwell, 1995; Pol l o c k , 1994), especially in terms of generative and natural phonology (see Ingram (1997) and Grunwell (1997), respectively for reviews of the influence of these two schools of phonology). The first author’s clinical and research fascination with phonological disability stems from experience as a speech- language pathologist, treating children with the disorder since the early 1970s. In that period, there have been two important paradigm shifts. First, linguistic theory has explicated the distinction between phonetics: the study Address for correspondence: Dr Caroline Bowen, 17 St John’s Avenue, Gordon, 2072 NSW, Aus t r a l i a .
    [Show full text]
  • Methods for Pronunciation Assessment in Computer Aided Language Learning by Mitchell A
    Methods for Pronunciation Assessment in Computer Aided Language Learning by Mitchell A. Peabody M.S., Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA (2002) B.S., Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA (2002) Submitted to the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY September 2011 © Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2011. All rights reserved. Author............................................................. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science September 2011 Certified by . Stephanie Seneff Senior Research Scientist Thesis Supervisor Accepted by. Professor Leslie A. Kolodziejski Chair, Department Committee on Graduate Students 2 Methods for Pronunciation Assessment in Computer Aided Language Learning by Mitchell A. Peabody Submitted to the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science on September 2011, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Abstract Learning a foreign language is a challenging endeavor that entails acquiring a wide range of new knowledge including words, grammar, gestures, sounds, etc. Mastering these skills all require extensive practice by the learner and opportunities may not always be available. Computer Aided Language Learning (CALL) systems provide non-threatening environments where foreign language skills can be practiced where ever and whenever a student desires. These systems often have several technologies to identify the different types of errors made by a student. This thesis focuses on the problem of identifying mispronunciations made by a foreign language student using a CALL system. We make several assumptions about the nature of the learning activity: it takes place using a dialogue system, it is a task- or game-oriented activity, the student should not be interrupted by the pronunciation feedback system, and that the goal of the feedback system is to identify severe mispronunciations with high reliability.
    [Show full text]
  • An Interview with Alistair Van Moere Aaron Batty [email protected] SRB General Editor
    Interview The psycholinguistic approach to speaking assessment An interview with Alistair Van Moere Aaron Batty [email protected] SRB General Editor Alistair Van Moere is the vice president of product and test develop- ment at Pearson’s Knowledge Technologies Group, and is responsi- ble for the development, delivery, and validation of their automated language tests, including the Versant test (previously known as PhonePass). Versant is a telephone- or computer-mediated, com- puter-scored test of speaking proficiency, available in six languages, including English. Although computer scoring is widely used for multiple-choice test formats, Versant is revolutionary in its use of computer scoring of speaking proficiency. Van Moere and his col- leagues have written extensively on the validation of the Versant test and its methods of automated scoring (e.g. Bernstein, Van Moere, & Cheng, 2010; Van Moere, 2010), and he has most recently raised eyebrows with his calls for a “psycholinguistic” approach to speaking assessment from the pages of Language Testing (2012). Prior to his employment at Pearson, Alistair was instrumental in the development of the Kanda English Proficiency Test at Kanda University of International Studies in Chiba, and drew from his experience with its speaking test in his PhD work under Charles Alderson at Lancaster Univer- sity—work which won him the Jacqueline Ross TOEFL Dissertation Award in 2010 (a portion of which can be read in Van Moere, 2006). We were pleased that Alistair was willing to take some time out of his busy schedule to talk to us about the psycholinguistic approach to language assessment, the Versant tests, and the communicative/psycholinguistic divide.
    [Show full text]
  • Second Language Pronunciation Assessment
    Second Language Pronunciation Assessment SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION Series Editors: Professor David Singleton, University of Pannonia, Hungary and Fellow Emeritus, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland and Dr Simone E. Pfenninger, University of Salzburg, Austria This series brings together titles dealing with a variety of aspects of language acquisition and processing in situations where a language or languages other than the native language is involved. Second language is thus interpreted in its broadest possible sense. The volumes included in the series all offer in their different ways, on the one hand, exposition and discussion of empirical findings and, on the other, some degree of theoretical reflection. In this latter connection, no particular theoretical stance is privileged in the series; nor is any relevant perspective – sociolinguistic, psycholinguistic, neurolinguistic, etc. – deemed out of place. The intended readership of the series includes final-year undergraduates working on second language acquisition projects, postgraduate students involved in second language acquisition research, and researchers, teachers and policy-makers in general whose interests include a second language acquisition component. Full details of all the books in this series and of all our other publications can be found on http://www.multilingual-matters.com, or by writing to Multilingual Matters, St Nicholas House, 31–34 High Street, Bristol BS1 2AW, UK. SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION: 107 Second Language Pronunciation Assessment Interdisciplinary Perspectives Edited by Talia Isaacs and Pavel Trofi movich MULTILINGUAL MATTERS Bristol • Blue Ridge Summit In Memory of Alan Davies and Danielle Guénette DOI 10.21832/ISAACS6848 Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.
    [Show full text]
  • Speech and Language Assessments, Occupational Therapy and U Talent Assessment Resources
    SpeechCat06_p001-7_F1.qxd 11/29/05 2:26 PM Page 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS QUICK REFERENCE Speech and Language Terms and Conditions, (including Software Policy). 94-102 Assessment Order Form . 102 Indexes. 107-112 I Spanish Assessments . 7 I Auditory Processing/ADHD . 69 I Language . 10 I Neurological/Cognition/ I Language Semantics/Concepts . 38 Problem Solving/ Memory . 72 I Speech and Language . 45 I Autism/Pragmatics/ Sensory Integration . 85 T I Speech: Articulation/Phonology . 48 A I B I Literacy. 53 Professional Resources . 92 L E I I Clinical Consultants . 103 General Development . 61 O I Speech: Apraxia/Oral . 66 I Author Index . 107 F C I Feeding and Swallowing. 67 I Acronym/Product Indexes. 109 O N T E N T LOOK FOR THESE SYMBOLS S FOR SPECIAL PRODUCT INFORMATION! TRAINING ¡Sí! Product Training Look for Innovative, Quality Assessments for New Products Spanish-Speaking Clients Page 6 Page 7 A-C LEVEL CR Qualifications Software Clinical Reports (Technical & Software) PHONE 800-211-8378 • FAX 800-232-1223 • PsychCorp.com • PROMO CODE MS699 1 ASSESSMENT GUIDE Tests (Does not include distributed products) Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile Assessment of Literacy and Language (ALL) Auditory Continuous Performance Test (ACPT) Alzheimer’s Quick Test (AQT) Apraxia Profile Behavioural Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome (BADS) Behavioural Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome in Children (BADS–C) Behavioural Inattention T Boehm–3 English and Spanish Boehm–3 Preschool Bracken School Readiness Assessment (BSRA) Bracken Basic Concepts Scale:
    [Show full text]
  • 123 Designing Language Assessments in Context
    Designing Language Assessments in Context: Theoretical, HOW Journal Technical, and Institutional Considerations Volume 26, Number 2, pages 123-143. https://doi.org/10.19183/how.26.2.512 Designing Language Assessments in Context: Theoretical, Technical, and Institutional Considerations El diseño de evaluaciones de lengua en contexto: consideraciones teóricas, técnicas e institucionales Giraldo, Frank1 Abstract The purpose of this article of reflection is to raise awareness of how poor design of language assessments may have detrimental effects, if crucial qualities and technicalities of test design are not met. The article first discusses these central qualities for useful language assessments. Then, guidelines for creating listening assessments, as an example, are presented to illustrate the level of complexity in test design and to offer a point of reference to evaluate a sample assessment. Finally, the article presents a discussion on how institutional school policies in Colombia can influence language assessment. The article concludes by highlighting how language assessments should respond to theoretical, technical, and contextual guidelines for them to be useful. Keywords: language testing, language assessment literacy, qualities in language testing, test design. Resumen El objetivo de este artículo de reflexión es el de crear consciencia sobre cómo un deficiente diseño de las evaluaciones de lengua puede tener efectos adversos si ciertas cualidades y consideraciones técni- cas no se cumplen. En primer lugar, el artículo hace una revisión de estas cualidades centrales para las evaluaciones. Seguidamente, presenta, a manera de ilustración, lineamientos para el diseño de pruebas de comprensión de escucha; el propósito es dilucidar el nivel de complejidad requerido en el diseño de 123 1 Frank Giraldo is a language teacher educator in the Modern Languages program and Master of Arts in English Didactics at Universidad de Caldas, Colombia.
    [Show full text]
  • Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and Updates the 2001 FRAMEWORK Version
    COMMON EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK OF REFERENCE FOR LANGUAGES: LEARNING, TEACHING, ASSESSMENT TEACHING, LEARNING, EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK OF REFERENCE FOR LANGUAGES: COMMON COMMON EUROPEAN The CEFR Companion volume broadens the scope of language education. It re- flects academic and societal developments since the publication of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and updates the 2001 FRAMEWORK version. It owes much to the contributions of members of the language teaching profession across Europe and beyond. OF REFERENCE This volume contains: ► an explanation of the key aspects of the CEFR for teaching and learning; FOR LANGUAGES: ► a complete set of updated CEFR descriptors that replaces the 2001 set with: - modality-inclusive and gender-neutral descriptors; LEARNING, TEACHING, - added detail on listening and reading; - a new Pre–A1 level, plus enriched description at A1 and C levels; ASSESSMENT - a replacement scale for phonological competence; - new scales for mediation, online interaction and plurilingual/ pluricultural competence; - new scales for sign language competence; ► a short report on the four-year development, validation and consultation processes. The CEFR Companion volume represents another step in a process of engage- ment with language education that has been pursued by the Council of Europe since 1971 and which seeks to: ► promote and support the learning and teaching of modern languages; ► enhance intercultural dialogue, and thus mutual understanding, social cohesion and democracy; ► protect linguistic and cultural diversity in Europe; and ► promote the right to quality education for all. EDUCATION FOR DEMOCRACY 058220 PREMS www.coe.int/lang-cefr ENG The Council of Europe is the continent’s leading Companion volume human rights organisation.
    [Show full text]
  • Isaacs-Pronunciation.Pdf
    Pronunciation Talia Isaacs, University of Bristol From a historical perspective, it can be argued that pronunciation, more than any other component within the broad construct of second language (L2) speaking ability, has been subject to the whims of the time and the fashions of the day. That is, pronunciation, once dubbed “the Cinderella of language teaching” to depict its potentially glamorous yet marginalised existence (Kelly 1969:87), experienced a fall from grace after being a focal point of L2 instruction and teacher literacy training during its heyday-a prime example of a pendulum swing in L2 teaching methodologies and practices (Gass 1996) that have affected substantive coverage for learners in L2 classrooms, often with detrimental effects for stakeholders (e.g. Morley 1991). Naturally, the aspects of L2 speech (pronunciation) that are ascribed pedagogical value in the minds of teachers and researchers have shifted over time (Munro and Derwing 2011). However, an aerial view of developments over the past century reveals the polarised nature of researchers’ and practitioners’ beliefs on the relative importance of pronunciation in L2 aural/oral instruction and assessment. Although there are signs that pronunciation is increasingly acknowledged as an important component of L2 speaking ability by the applied linguistics community (Derwing and Munro 2009), is gradually being reintegrated into the L2 classroom (Isaacs 2009), and is included as an assessment criteria in the scoring rubrics of several prominent L2 speaking scales, often encapsulated by the term “intelligibility” or “comprehensibility” (Isaacs and Trofimovich 2012), such debates continue today (e.g. Brinton and Butler 2012). In order to take stock of trends in L2 pronunciation research, teaching, and assessment over the past century within the broader context of developments in L2 speaking assessment, this paper will report on the state-of-the-art by first overviewing the ways in which pronunciation instructional priorities and, by implication, assessment targets, have shifted over time.
    [Show full text]
  • Second Language Assessment for Classroom Teachers
    Second Language Assessment for Classroom Teachers Thu H. Tran Missouri University of Science and Technology Rolla, Missouri, USA Abstract The vast majority of second language teachers feels confident about their instructional performance and does not usually have much difficulty with their teaching thanks to their professional training and accumulated classroom experience. Nonetheless, many second language teachers may not have received sufficient training in test development to design sound classroom assessment tools. The overarching aim of this paper is to discuss some fundamental issues in second language assessment to provide classroom practitioners with knowledge to improve their test development skills. The paper begins with the history, importance, and necessity of language assessment. It then reviews common terms used in second language assessment and identifies categories and types of assessments. Next, it examines major principles for second language assessment including validity, reliability, practicality, equivalency, authenticity, and washback. The paper also discusses an array of options in language assessment which can generally be classified into three groups: selected-response, constructed-response, and personal response. Finally, the paper argues for a balanced approach to second language assessment which should be utilized to yield more reliable language assessment results, and such an approach may reduce students’ stress and anxiety. (This paper contains one table.) 1 Paper presented at MIDTESOL 2012, Ames, Iowa The History of Language Assessment It may be difficult to find out when language assessment was first employed. The Old Testament, however, described an excellent example of one of the earliest written documents related to some kind of language assessment, as noted by Hopkins, Stanley, and Hopkins (1990).
    [Show full text]
  • Language Testing and Assessment: an Advanced Resource Book Glenn Fulcher and Fred Davidson Language Testing and Assessment an Advanced Resource Book
    LANGUAGE TESTING AND ASSESSMENT Routledge Applied Linguistics is a series of comprehensive resource books, pro- viding students and researchers with the support they need for advanced study in the core areas of English language and Applied Linguistics. Each book in the series guides readers through three main sections, enabling them to explore and develop major themes within the discipline. • Section A, Introduction, establishes the key terms and concepts and extends readers’ techniques of analysis through practical application. • Section B, Extension, brings together influential articles, sets them in context and discusses their contribution to the field. • Section C, Exploration, builds on knowledge gained in the first two sections, setting thoughtful tasks around further illustrative material. This enables readers to engage more actively with the subject matter and encourages them to develop their own research responses. Throughout the book, topics are revisited, extended, interwoven and deconstructed, with the reader’s understanding strengthened by tasks and follow-up questions. Language Testing and Assessment: • provides an innovative and thorough review of a wide variety of issues from prac- tical details of test development to matters of controversy and ethical practice • investigates the importance of the philosophy of pragmatism in assessment, and coins the term ‘effect-driven testing’ • explores test development, data analysis, validity and their relation to test effects • illustrates its thematic breadth in a series of exercises and tasks, such as analysis of test results, study of test revision and change, design of arguments for test validation and exploration of influences on test creation • presents influential and seminal readings in testing and assessment by names such as Michael Canale and Merrill Swain, Michael Kane, Alan Davies, Lee Cronbach and Paul Meehl and Pamela Moss.
    [Show full text]
  • The Teacher's Role in Classroom-Based Language
    Teachers College, Columbia University Working Papers in TESOL & Applied Linguistics, Vol. 11, No.1, pp. 50-52 The Forum The Teacher’s Role in Classroom-based Language Assessment Yuna Seong Teachers College, Columbia University Different from large-scale language tests aiming to measure general proficiency and often administered in specific highly-controlled test settings, classroom-based language assessment is embedded in the teaching and learning cycle of a classroom and has multiple “identities” (Rea- Dickins, 2001, p. 451) due to its wide range of uses or purposes. Classroom-based language assessment is an integral part of language instruction where the teachers, as “agents” (Rea- Dickins, 2004), are the ones responsible for facilitating student learning and obtaining information about their progress and achievement, hence, also earning the name teacher assessment. From planning what to assess and how, through implementing assessment procedures and monitoring students’ performances to recording students’ attainment and progress, the teacher is constantly making decisions on how to keep track of students’ progress and attainment (Rea-Dickins, 2001). Either accomplished through a formal assessment procedure or through informal daily monitoring and observation, the teacher’s knowledge of the students guides him/her to make subsequent pedagogical decisions and push learning further. The implementation and use of classroom-based language assessment vary greatly in form and procedure (Cheng, Rogers, & Hu, 2004; Cheng & Wang, 2007), and studies have contributed to the understanding of the underlying factors and processes that impact the thinking and decision-making in assessment practices on the part of the teachers (e.g., Arkoudis & O’Loughlin, 2004; Cheng et al., 2004; Yin, 2010).
    [Show full text]