Assessment: Continuous assessment and testing

Dudley-Evans & St. John

outline

• What is assessment?

• Why assess?

• Classroom assessment

• Classroom tests

• Reporting test results: band descriptors

• In-house test development

• ESP test questions

What is assessment?

Why assess?

• Two reasons:

For feedback to aid learning

o Reinforcement

o Confidence building

o Involvement

o Building on strengths

For a comparable measure of competence

o Public examinations

o In-house assessments

Why assess? (con’t)

• For ESP course

Proof of learner’s success

But, it may not be seen immediately!

Therefore,

o Learners – Progress report

o Teacher – course evaluation

o Institutions – Present Situation Analysis (PSA) for course design and learners’ grouping

Classroom assessment

• Group discussion Form a group of 3 Discuss:

o What types of classroom assessment you have experienced?

o What are the differences of formal tests and classroom assessments?

Report your answers

Classroom assessment (con’t)

• Classroom assessments Exercise Projects Quiz Discussion Presentation Practicum Paper, report Observation Journal

Classroom assessment (con’t)

• The differences

Classroom assessment (con’t)

• Teacher assessment Written assignments (class or homework)

Tasks on reading passages

Pair or group interactions

• Benefits Progress report

Feedback

More complete information

Classroom assessment (con’t)

• Peer and self-assessment

Anonymous questionnaire

Suggestions on writing

• Benefits:

Supplementary to teacher assessment

Aid to learning

Consistent

Help the teacher in large class

Classroom tests

• Purposes

A part of PSAo Placement tests

o Progress tests – mastery of classwork

o Achievement tests – mastery of syllabus

o Proficiency tests – performance in target language tasks

Classroom tests (con’t)

• Characteristics of good tests

Carroll (1980)

o Comparability

o Acceptability

o Relevance

o Economy

Classroom tests (con’t)

Bachman & Palmer (1996)o Fairness

o Authenticity

o Impact

o Reliability

o Validity

o Practicality

Classroom tests (con’t)

• Setting, administering & marking

Cost of copies

Speed of reliable marking

• Backwash/washback/impact

positive – good test, good teaching, good learning

negative – focuses on learning test strategies than content

Reporting test results: band descriptors

• Band descriptors – specific criteria

• Important and useful: standardizing marking

Fairness

Real info for students

Time-saving

• How? Use band descriptors to mark and report results

Follow steps in Figure 11.6

Reporting test results: band descriptors (con’t)

• For language competence: Specific

o marking and maximum infoo Skill-based

Overallo simple report

5, 7 or 9 levels See p. 218

Reporting test results: band descriptors (con’t)

Reporting test results: band descriptors (con’t)

• Writing & spoken interaction

Holistic (p. 219)o Experienced userso Global impressiono Overall perspectiveo How?

Assign the test takers to a band Mark the test takers within the band

Reporting test results: band descriptors (con’t)

Reporting test results: band descriptors (con’t)

(multi trait) analytico Diagnostico Initial reliability

In-house test development

• Tests

Decision makings

Self-confidence

To enable students to perform

Not to trick or to confuse

Fair, consistent, share much info

• Adaptation and modification is OK

a. setting

• Steps

See p. 222

Involves several people

a. Setting (con’t)

a. Setting (con’t)

• Step 1-4 Not linear or uni-directional Selection of objectives

o Must be course objectiveso Have been taught

Clarificationo Length of testo Number of marks

a. Setting (con’t)

• Step 5-8

Everybody must read and write comments

Everybody must do the test in written –validity

Redrafting over and over

a. Setting (con’t)

• Step 9-12

Layout and proofing

o time – include organization time

o Accuracy – outsider as proofreaders

b. marking

• Steps:

Confirming the answer key & mark scheme for reading and listening (p. 225)

Standardizing the marking of writing and spoken interaction

• All markers must present

ESP test questions

• Not different

• Frequency of a question type

• Every item should be used in teaching

a. writing

• An integrated task with reading is preferred

• Provision of input

• Specification of purpose & audience

• 20-30 minutes production

• 10 minutes reading & preparation

b. reading

• Selection of carrier content and lexical load

• Comprehension questions

• Contextual answers

• Can be integrated with writing

• EAP – 2 medium length passages

• EOP – several shorter texts

c. Spoken interaction

• Pair or group interaction• Equal pair, chosen by test takers• Purposeful & authentic interaction• Usually three phases:

Introduction (relax!) Stimulus-based interaction Open discussion

• More complex interchanges? Use continuous assessment

d. listening

• Non-verbal or short answer formats

Form-filling

Fax or memo writing