Elt Manizales Presentation

Let’s reflect on the way we are evaluating our students…

Evaluating learning requires new approaches…
…are our evaluation systems meeting our needs or our students’?...

ASSESSING(not assassinating!) OUR STUDENTS: A COMPETENCE BASED APPROACH

Let’s contextualize ourselves for a little while:
COMPETENCE
PERFORMANCE
Performanceis the speaker's actual use of language in real situations; what the speaker actually says, including grammatical errors and other non-linguistic features such as hesitations and other disfluencies
Competenceis the ability to perform a specific task, action or function successfully
We teach English towards developing a…
Performance tells us the level of accomplishment of the competence

Competence Based Assessment
"Performance [competence] assessments call upon the examinee to demonstrate specific skills and competencies, that is, to apply the skills and knowledge they have mastered." -- Richard J. Stiggins -- (Stiggins, 1987, p. 34).

Competence Based Assessment
Reasoning for applying Competence Based Assessment
Our mission as teachers or institutions is to develop a language competent learner/user.
2. To be a competent language learner, an individual must be capable of performing meaningful tasks (in the real world or transferrable to).
3. Therefore, teachers must help students become proficient (competent) at performing the tasks they will encounter when they exit the program.
4. To determine if it is successful, teachers must then ask students to perform meaningful tasks that replicate real world challenges to see if students are capable of doing so

What kind of competences are we developing in our students?
What kind of competences do our students need?

COMPETENCE-BASED ASSESSMENT
Methodological steps
1. Defining the competence
Communicative competence
Linguistic competence
2. Writing learning objectives

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
are
Descriptions
used to make
about
of
Inferences
Judgments
Evidence of learning
Communicating
Observable students’ behavior or performance
the
about
which can be
Conditions
Seen and Measured
Learning
under which
The behavior
Constructing Assessment
is
Criteria
provides
for
Performed

ELEMENTS OF A LEARNING OBJECTIVE
The scenario in which, or conditions under, the behavior takes place
P
E
R
F
O
R
M
A
N
C
E
OF
A
C
O
M
P
E
T
E
N
C
E
C o n d i t i o n
Verb
An action word that connotes an observable student behavior
Criteria
Astatementthat specifies how well the student must perform the behavior

Behavioral Verbs
Three domains of educational activities
Bloom’s Taxonomy
Psychomotordomain
Cognitive domain
Affectivedomain
Learning behaviors
Goals of learning process

Behavioral Verbs
Bloom’s Taxonomy
Knowledge: Recall data orinformation.
Verbs: defines, describes, identifies, knows, labels, lists, matches, names, outlines, recalls, recognizes, reproduces, selects, states.

Behavioral Verbs
Bloom’s Taxonomy
Verbs:comprehends, converts, defends, distinguishes, estimates, explains, extends, generalizes, givesExamples
Comprehension: State a problem in one's own words.

Behavioral Verbs
Bloom’s Taxonomy
Verbs: applies, changes, computes, constructs, demonstrates, discovers, manipulates, modifies
Application: Applies what was learned in the classroom

Behavioral Verbs
Bloom’s Taxonomy
Analysis: Distinguishes between facts and inferences.
Verbs: analyzes, breaks down, compares, contrasts, diagrams, deconstructs, differentiates, discriminates

Behavioral Verbs
categorizes, combines, compiles, composes, creates, devises, designs, explains, generates, modifies
Synthesis: Put parts together to form a whole, with emphasis on creating a new meaning or structure.
Bloom’s Taxonomy

Behavioral Verbs
appraises, compares, concludes, contrasts, criticizes, critiques, defends
Evaluation: Make judgments about the value of ideas or materials
categorizes, combines, compiles, composes, creates, devises, designs, explains, generates, modifies
Synthesis: Put parts together to form a whole, with emphasis on creating a new meaning or structure.
Bloom’s Taxonomy

Learning objective writing: Basic Questions
1. Does this objective clearly communicateand describethe intended learning outcome?
2. Does this objective lead to a behavioror performancerelated to the learning outcome?
3. Does this objective lead to a behavioror performancerelated to the learning outcome that can be Observed and Measured?

An example…
Upon oral or written request, students will be able to label at least 10 out of 20 pictures of different parts of the house.
Let’s break it down…

BehavioralVerb
Condition
Upon oral or written request, students will be able to labelat least 10 out of 20 pictures of different parts of the house.
Criteria

3. Communicative Task
Framework
For…
Characterized by…

As close to real as possible (authentic)
Language application
Communicative exchange production oriented (multi-skill application)
Learning evidences production
Assessmentand follow-up
Learning objective achievement oriented (performance)
Observable - measurable
Storable for progress tracking and future reference (archiving)

4. Rubric
A rubric is a scoring guide that seeks to evaluate a student's performance based on the sum of a full range of criteria rather than a single numerical score
A rubric is a working guide for students and teachers
A rubric enhances the quality of direct instruction

Some examples of rubrics…
Speaking Rubric
Listening Skills Rubric

5. Learning Evidence and Learning Portfolio
Something that makes learning plain or clear
Learning Evidences
Demonstration of learning
Behavior that infers learning
Selection or collection of students’ work
Learning Portfolio
Demonstration of accomplishments
Learning process documentation

ONGOING COMPETENCE ASSESSMENT
for
LEARNING PORTFOLIOS
that are collected in
LEARNING EVIDENCES
Produce
COMMUNICATIVE ACTIVITIES (TASKS)

Competence Based Assessment – Model and Components
COMPETENCES
What students will be able to do
LEARNING OBJECTIVE
LEARNING OBJECTIVE
LEARNING OBJECTIVE
The objectives to be acquired for achieving the competence
TASK
Framework in which the learning behavior is to be performed
LEARNING
EVIDENCE
ASSESSMENT RUBRIC
PORTFOLIO
Where the learning evidences are collected for follow-up and keep track or improvement
The observable outcome that allows us to make inferences that learning has taken place
How well a learning objective has been accomplished