Educative assessment should Ensure learnerrelevant instruction Support classroom

Educative assessment should… • Ensure learner-relevant instruction 与学生需求紧密相关 • Support classroom teaching 支持课堂教学 • Motivate and focus learners 调动积极性，明确学习重点 • Target clearning outcomes 教学目标明确 • Identify learning gaps 找出不足之处 • Transform curriculum 体现课程精神 • Counter imposed testing practice • Foster range of learning outcomes 促进多元目标的实现 • Certify valued accomplishments 证明有价值的成果 Norris (2005)

Curriculums and Assessments n Planned curriculum– what is in the curriculum content, syllabus outlines, textbooks based on the objectives n n Implemented curriculum– what happens moment-by-moment realities in the classroom Realized curriculum– the skills and knowledge that learners actually acquire as a result of instruction D. Nunan (1996)

Ability for Use 语言运用能力 Ability for use is systematic in the way in which various competences are mobilized in actual communication. Ability for use essentially has a mediating function between underlying competences, context communication, and psychological processing… Skehan (1998)

Three problems n Clear objectives 明确的目标 n Content validity 内容的有效性 n Effective methods 有效的方法

Three problems in Assessment Activities Clear objectives 明确的目标 Lack of clear objectives, stating what students can do, the description is still too general (e. g. Can talk about their personal information ). Content validity 内容的有效性 n n n Test the abilities of recalling the facts (multiple choice), not abilities to communicate (performance), indirect method vs direct method Does not tackle the issues of critical thinking skills and creative abilities Useless skills and knowledge

Three Problems in Assessment Activities n Effective methods 有效的方法 Paper-pencil test with multiple-choice items

Performance Assessment n Performance assessment is defined as systematic attempt to measure a learner’s ability to use previously acquired knowledge in solving problems or completing specific tasks. (Stiggins 1982)

语言能力表现目标范例 n Given an oral request, the learner will say his/her name, address and telephone number to a native speaker of English and spell his/her name, street and city so that an interviewer may write down the data with 100% accuracy.

Tasks n the language testers have increasingly recognized the value of tasks for assessing learners’ capacity to communicate in an L 2. --has a favourable washback effect ; --Enables assessment to be more easily integrated into the learning process; --provides learners with useful diagnostic feedback on progress and achievement Ellis (2003)

Setting the record straight: TBLT foundations “For starters, this means having students do tasks, or at least meaningful simulations, that experts do in the various disciplines. Second, it means teaching them to think in ways that experts do when they perform these tasks. ” Sternberg (2003), p. 5 Norris, J. M. (2005, September). The essential roles of assessment, measurement, and evaluation in task-based language teaching. Plenary address presented at the First International Conference on Task-Based Language Teaching, University of Leuven, Belgium (September 23, 2005).