ASSESSMENT &

EVALUATION

Kate Bain

English Language Fellow

ktbain53@gmail.com

www.elfellowkbain.wordpress.com

OBJECTIVE

Participants will consider various aspects of assessment and evaluation and consider how to use alternative

assessment to enhance instruction and learning results in their classrooms.

Make a list of all the different types of tests

you have taken or given as a student or a

teacher.

FROM YOUR LISTS…

Write the skill that was tested in each. Determine whether it tested knowledge of

the language or use of the language. Which of those tests are best for…

measuring the skill tested? achieving the purpose of testing?

HOW DO YOUR STUDENTS FEEL ABOUT TESTS?

WHAT IS A “TEST?” Webster: “a critical examination,

observation, or evaluation”http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/test

Longman: “a set of questions, exercises, or practical activities to measure someone's skill, ability, or knowledge”

http://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/test_1

H. Douglas Brown: “a method of measuring a person’s ability,

knowledge, or performance in a given domain.” (Brown, 2004, p. 3)

A CLOSER LOOK

“a method of measuring a person’s ability, knowledge, or performance in a given domain.” (Brown, 2004, p. 3)

MEASURE

In order for a test to truly be a test, it must have a measureable outcome.

The test-taker and the test-giver must know what success or failure on the test entails, and the results must be communicated.

(Brown, 2004)

WHAT IS ASSESSMENT?

Assessment is “an ongoing process that encompasses a much

wider domain [than a test]. Whenever a student responds to a

question, offers a comment, or tries out a new word or structure, the teacher subconsciously makes

an assessment of the student’s performance.”

(Brown, 2004, p. 5)

HOW IS “ASSESSMENT” DIFFERENT FROM “TESTING”? Tests are a type of

assessment, but they should never be the entire basis for how you determine a student’s level or progress.

Assessments are ongoing, daily, subconscious or conscious observations and records that you make about student progress. These observations should be constant and should drive what you do as a teacher.

(Brown, 2004)

INFORMAL AND FORMAL ASSESSMENT

Unplanned observations and general feedback Good job! Did you say “can” or “can’t”?

Planned classroom

activities in which students perform tasks but do not receive final grades on performance Think-Pair-Share Dialogues Essay or Journal Writing Note-taking Group or Partner Work

Activities in class that you give to students for which they receive graded feedback Tests Rubric-Scored Assignments

Writing portfolio Presentations Journal Entries Notes Performances Projects Posters

Informal Assessment Formal Assessment

(Brown, 2004)

FORMATIVE AND SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT

Daily classroom assessment used to plan for, modify, and improve instruction

Feedback that helps the teacher and the student make plans to improve language competence in the future

Informal Assessment should always be formative, aimed at improving a student’s competence and performance

Measures or summarizes what a student has learned over a given period of time Unit Tests Midterm Exams Final exams Entrance Exams Professional Language

Tests

Formative Assessment Summative Assessment

(Brown, 2004)

NORM-REFERENCED AND CRITERION-REFERENCED TESTS

Mean Median Standard Deviation Percentile Rank SAT/TOEFL

Norm-Referenced TestsCriterion-Referenced Tests

• Graded Feedback• Meeting of language or

course objectives• Classroom Tests connected

to a curriculum

(Brown, 2004)

CURRENT ISSUES IN CLASSROOM TESTING: TRADITIONAL AND AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT

One-shot, Standardized Exams

Timed, multiple-choice format

Decontextualized test items Scores are feedback Norm-referenced scores One correct answer Summative Oriented to product Non-interactive Extrinsic motivation

Continuous long-term assessment

Untimed, free-response Contextualized

communicative tasks Individualized feedback Criterion-referenced

scores Formative Oriented to process Interactive performance Intrinsic motivation

Traditional Assessment Authentic Assessment

(Brown, 2004, p. 13)

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT

PEER ASSESSMENT

PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

SELF ASSESSMENT

SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT

CONFERENCES AND INTERVIEWS

CRITERIA/GUIDELINES

JOURNALS

LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY

LEARNING LOGS

PORTFOLIOS

VIDEO VIEWING

VIEWING QUESTIONS

1. What is the instrument students use for self-recording? What are

they recording? What other things could students keep track of

through self-recording?

VIEWING QUESTIONS

What example of assignment guidelines did you see? For what kind of assignment were

the criteria written? Think of a typical task in your own classroom. Try to list the criteria you might give the students to help them complete

the task successfully.

VIEWING QUESTIONS

How was the class in Video segment #2 organized? Why do you think it was organized this

way? What can peers offer each other in this situation?

VIEWING QUESTIONS

What language skill were students focusing on? What skills were they using as they worked together? Is this a form

of assessment? If so, what kind of assessment was it, formative or

summative?

VIEWING QUESTIONS

What was the teacher’s job, or role, during this activity?

What was the students’ responsibility?

SEGMENT 3: PORTFOLIOS

VIEWING QUESTIONS

In what form are the portfolios kept and what age level uses each form? Where are they kept? Do you think students

take them home? What might be some physical considerations related to using

portfolios in your classroom?

VIEWING QUESTIONS

Working in a small group, make a list of criteria or guidelines you might use for evaluating

portfolios in your class.

SEGMENT 4: PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

VIEWING QUESTIONS

List the 2 types of performance you see and the language skills that

are used in each.

VIEWING QUESTIONS

What was the purpose for each performance?Do you think the performance was

well done or not?

WORK IN PAIRS

Decide on a type of alternative assessment that you could use in your classroom.

Give the assessment a title.

Write down the assessment … Purpose Instructions Criteria (Rubric)

Share with the group!

THANK YOU!

Katie Bainktbain53@gmail.com

www.elfellowkbain.wordpress.comwww.americanenglish.state.gov

GROUP WORK EXERCISES!

testingassessmentteaching

• Do you agree with this depiction? Why or why not?

• Where do these fit?• choral drill• pair

pronunciation• reading aloud• singing songs• writing a

description of the weekend

(Brown, 2004)

SORT ACTIVITIES INTO A CATEGORY

Formative

Summative

Informal

Formal

placement tests diagnostic tests periodic achievement tests short pop quizzes final exams portfolios journals speeches oral presentations impromptu student responses student-written response drafting and revising final essays whole class discussion observing as students work in

groups or pairs

(Brown, 2004)

GARDNER’S EIGHT INTELLIGENCES

Choose one or two Brainstorm teaching

activities for each Brainstorm

assessment activities for each

Share with the group

(Brown, 2004)

BRAINSTORM ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF EACH AND SHARE WITH THE CLASS

One-shot, Standardized Exams

Timed, multiple-choice format

decontextualized test items Scores are feedback Norm-referenced scores One correct answer Summative Oriented to product Non-interactive Extrinsic motivation

Continuous long-term assessment

Untimed, free-response Contextualized

communicative tasks Individualized feedback Criterion-referenced

scores Formative Oriented to process Interactive performance Intrinsic motivation

Traditional Assessment Authentic Assessment

(Brown, 2004, p. 13)

SOURCES

Brown, H.D. (2004). Language assessment: Principles and classroom practices. White Plains, NY: Pearson Education, Inc.

Gottleib, M. H. (2006). Assessing English Language Learners: Bridges from language proficiency to academic achievement. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin Press.

THANK YOU!

Katie Bainktbain53@gmail.com

www.elfellowkbain.wordpress.comwww.americanenglish.state.gov