2. 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.
3. Make a list of all the different
types of tests you have
taken or given as a student
or a teacher.
4. 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?
6. 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)
7. A CLOSER LOOK
“a method of measuring a
person’s ability, knowledge, or
performance in a given
domain.” (Brown, 2004, p. 3)
8. 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)
9. 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)
10. 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)
11. 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)
12. 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)
13. NORM-REFERENCED AND CRITERION-REFERENCED TESTS
Mean
Median
Standard Deviation
Percentile Rank
SAT/TOEFL
Norm-Referenced Tests Criterion-Referenced Tests
• Graded Feedback
• Meeting of language or course
objectives
• Classroom Tests connected to
a curriculum
(Brown, 2004)
14. 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)
28. 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?
29. 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.
30. 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?
31. 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?
32. VIEWING QUESTIONS
What was the teacher’s job, or role,
during this activity?
What was the students’ responsibility?
34. 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?
35. VIEWING QUESTIONS
Working in a small group, make a list of criteria or
guidelines you might use for evaluating portfolios in
your class.
37. VIEWING QUESTIONS
List the 2 types of performance you see
and the language skills that are used in
each.
38. VIEWING QUESTIONS
What was the purpose for each performance?
Do you think the performance was
well done or not?
39. 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!
41. 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)
42. 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)
43. GARDNER’S EIGHT INTELLIGENCES
Choose one or two
Brainstorm teaching
activities for each
Brainstorm assessment
activities for each
Share with the group
(Brown, 2004)
44. 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)
45. 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.
