ASSESSMENT EVALUATION Kate Bain English Language Fellow ktbain

ASSESSMENT & EVALUATION Kate Bain English Language Fellow ktbain 53@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? Ø achieving the purpose of testing? Ø

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 Informal 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 Formal Assessment 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 (Brown, 2004) �

FORMATIVE AND SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT Formative 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 Summative Assessment 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 (Brown, 2004)

NORM-REFERENCED AND CRITERION-REFERENCED TESTS Norm-Referenced Tests Mean Median Standard Deviation Percentile Rank SAT/TOEFL Criterion-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 Traditional 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 Authentic Assessment Continuous long-term assessment Untimed, free-response Contextualized communicative tasks Individualized feedback Criterion-referenced scores Formative Oriented to process Interactive performance Intrinsic motivation (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 selfrecording?

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 Bain ktbain 53@gmail. com www. elfellowkbain. wordpress. com www. americanenglish. state. gov

GROUP WORK EXERCISES! teaching assessment testing • 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 Traditional 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 Authentic Assessment Continuous long-term assessment Untimed, free-response Contextualized communicative tasks Individualized feedback Criterion-referenced scores Formative Oriented to process Interactive performance Intrinsic motivation (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 Bain ktbain 53@gmail. com www. elfellowkbain. wordpress. com www. americanenglish. state. gov