key features onTesting

Firstly we must recognize thatassessments are not exactly astudents’ favorite thing, in fact onlyto hear that name make the mostof them to react negatively and/oreven annoying.

key features onTesting

It’s extremely important tounderstand that point. If we takesome considerations, our studentscould achieve better results in theirevaluations.

key features onTesting

3 Possible negative points about exams.

1. They don’t understand the real meaning andusefulness.

2. Previous experiences have not been verypleasant.

3. People normally feel afraid to fail, assessment isusually understood as a pass or fail thing.

key features onTesting

What is assessment?

assessment, noun [U] the process ofmaking a judgement or forming an opinion,after considering something or someonecarefully

key features onTesting

Assessment must be considered as a PROCESS.

Purpose: in most cases it should be “to letpeople and the same students know howmuch they have progressed. It shouldn’t bea way to intimidate and to confuse them.That’s why exams must be designedcarefully.

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Assessment must be more that only tests and exams.

In order to really assess students progress,there are several types of assessment,

¡look at two of them!

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Activity assessmenta) Did you like that activity?b) Was that activity easy or difficult?c) What was the hardest part of that?d) Was the activity useful? How? Why?

Self-assessmenta) Now I can ...b) I still need to work on ...c) I've improved in ...d) Today I learnt ...e) In the test I got X and Y wrong. I'm going to study these for homework.

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Assessment must be about the PROCESS of learning.

• Students must think about their reality. what have they done?

• Rather than only being about the product, it’s necessary to be about the real important matter: THE PROCESS OF LEARNING.

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Then,

should we eliminate Tests? Aren’t they a valid way to assess?

Of course not, but we must find different ways toassess our students.

Assessment shouldn't be about how good or badsomeone is at a particular point in time, it shouldbe about the progress they have made, the workthey've put in and the learning that has takenplace.

We must analyze the process as well as the product

key featuresonTesting

Then,

When should assessment take place?

As we said before, Assessment is about theLEARNING PROCESS.

It means that it’s very important to know wherethey began and what they knew at the beginningof the course.

So, it’s a good idea to start with a diagnosticassessment to ubicate where they are.

This will be the reference for comparison at theend of the course.

key featuresonTesting

Then,

When should assessment take place?

After that, assessment should take place fairlyfrequent. It’s recommended to do it throughoutdifferent ways, namely:

• Homework,• Project work,• In class activities,• Formal tests.

key featuresonTesting

Then,

When should assessment take place?

One important thing is to make assessment variedand flexible, these reduces pressure to studentsand help them be a little less worried, comfortableand confident.

This also takes into account the possibility thatstudents could have a bad day in the only availableopportunity.

Students might be sick or have a personal problem.

key featuresonTesting

HELPING STUDENTS BECOME COMFORTABLE

• Assessment CONNOTATION: as we know,assessment is usually equated with tests,passing, failing and scores , it makes studentsfeel worried on the results.

• Students CHANGE PERCEPTION: it’s necessaryto make students notice that assessment is goodfor them, that will make the process easier.

• Teacher MUST: in order to make this possible,one of teacher’s most important task is to helpstudents feel comfortable and confident.

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A FEW SIMPLE IDEAS

Talk about assessment with your students.

1. What is assessment?

2. Why do we assess students?

3. How are we going to assess them?

4. What are the criteria used? Are thesecriteria clear?

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A FEW SIMPLE IDEAS

Get students involved in assessment.

1. Use self-assessment, i.e. 'Can do' statements.

2. Use peer assessment.

3. Get students to come up with assessmentcriteria / agree criteria with students.

4. Get students involved in picking ordesigning assessment tasks.

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A FEW SIMPLE IDEAS

Make assessment part of the teaching and learning process.

1. If you can build in a form of assessment regularly,maybe even every lesson, then your students willbecome used to it and therefore morecomfortable.

2. Make sure you include the results of anyassessment into your teaching. If students can seethat you actually take notice of the assessment,and not simply the score, it will become moremeaningful and positive for them

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A FEW SIMPLE IDEAS

If students understand that

assessment is about the process and

not simply about a product (i.e. a

score), then they will start to have a

more positive attitude towards it.

¡Try it,

it will be worth!

Language testing and assessment

WASHBACK

The term 'washback' refers to the impact that tests

have on teaching and learning. Such impact is

usually seen as being negative: tests are said to

force teachers to do things they do not necessarily

wish to do. However, some have argued that tests

are potentially also 'levers for change' in language

education: the argument being that if a bad test has

negative impact, a good test should or could have

positive washback (Alderson, 1986b; Pearson, 1988).

ETHICS IN LANGUAGE TESTING

When talking about testing as when talking about any

other matter in life, we need to think ethically and to

act on that base. In the same frequency testers

should follow ethical practices, and have a moral

responsibility to do so.

Language testers are independent moral agents, and

they are morally entitled to refuse to participate in

procedures which would violate personal moral

belief.

Language testing and assessment

POLITICS IN LANGUAGE TESTING

Apart from educational interests, usually there are

others that can and often influence on language

testing.

Politics can be seen as methods, tactics, intrigue,

manoeuvring, within institutions which are

themselves not political, but commercial, financial

and educational.

Language testing and assessment

STANDARS IN TESTING

Nowadays in this globalized world, standards in testingtake a huge importance, and it’s necessary to create andto observe global criteria to test and to assess in languagematters. There are several associations that areauthorities in language testing. Some examples

TEST OF ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE (TOEFL)Kenyon does not have a minimum score requirement for the TOEFL. In general, however, preference will be given to students who score 100 or higher.

INTERNATIONAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE TESTING SYSTEM (IELTS) Students are advised to take the Academic Module. Seven (7) is the minimum recommended score.

Language testing and assessment

OTHER WAYS OF TESTING

• National tests

• LSP Testing

• Computer-based testing

• Self-assessment

• Alternative assessment

Although there are many different ways of assessing, anyof them has its own qualities and must be used incombination, taking into account the type of students,age and other criteria, never forgetting the main goal;EDUCATE.

Language testing and assessment

ASSESSING YOUNG LEARNERS

In this case, we must consider that young learners needdifferent teaching strategies.

When teaching young learners, alternative assessmentprocedures are more appropriate than formal testingprocedures.

We must understand that children might not feelcomfortable and confident trying to demonstrate howgood he is, but being in risk of failure might make him feelreally scared.

Language testing and assessment

Thanks a lot

JOSE MARTIN SERNA VALDEOLIVAR

Universidad Vizcaya de las AméricasCampus Manzanillo