The document discusses issues with language assessment tests and more constructive ways of testing. Some key points:
- Tests were previously misused as punishment or the only grading measure without reflecting what was taught.
- A more constructive approach sees testing as teacher-student interaction, judges students on their knowledge, aims to improve skills, and has clear criteria.
- The summary highlights some of the constructive principles discussed in the document for better language assessment.
Grammar (noun): the structure and system of a language, usually consider to consist of syntax and morphology. Or
Grammar is the set of rules which help us to understand language.
Grammar is the structural foundation of our ability to express ourselves. The more we are aware of how it works, the more we can monitor the meaning and effectiveness of the way we and others use language.
Task-based Language Teaching (TBLT), also known as task-based instruction (TBI), focuses on the use of authentic language and on asking students to do meaningful tasks using the target language. Such tasks can include visiting a doctor, conducting an interview, or calling customer service for help.
This article aims at probing the different types of syllabi used to teach English to English native
and non-native speakers. The researcher used a chronological approach in describing each syllabus
type in accordance to its emergence in epistemology of the syllabus design and pedagogical trends
in teaching English in the world. Theories of language and learning, characteristics of each
syllabus, and pros and cons of the discussed syllabi were highlighted throughout the article.
Grammar (noun): the structure and system of a language, usually consider to consist of syntax and morphology. Or
Grammar is the set of rules which help us to understand language.
Grammar is the structural foundation of our ability to express ourselves. The more we are aware of how it works, the more we can monitor the meaning and effectiveness of the way we and others use language.
Task-based Language Teaching (TBLT), also known as task-based instruction (TBI), focuses on the use of authentic language and on asking students to do meaningful tasks using the target language. Such tasks can include visiting a doctor, conducting an interview, or calling customer service for help.
This article aims at probing the different types of syllabi used to teach English to English native
and non-native speakers. The researcher used a chronological approach in describing each syllabus
type in accordance to its emergence in epistemology of the syllabus design and pedagogical trends
in teaching English in the world. Theories of language and learning, characteristics of each
syllabus, and pros and cons of the discussed syllabi were highlighted throughout the article.
Product Syllabus : product syllabuses are those in which the focus is on the knowledge and skills which learners should gain as a result of instruction.
4.2. process syllabuses are those which focus on the learning experiences themselves.
. Synthetic syllabus: segment the target language into discrete linguistic items.
Different parts of language are taught separately.
4.4 . Analytic Syllabi: focus on the learner and his needs and on the kinds of linguistic
performance necessary to achieve those goals .
4.5. Type A: This type deals with what should be learned in a second language classroom.
4.6. Type B : Consider the question of how a second language should be learned.
Product Syllabus : product syllabuses are those in which the focus is on the knowledge and skills which learners should gain as a result of instruction.
4.2. process syllabuses are those which focus on the learning experiences themselves.
. Synthetic syllabus: segment the target language into discrete linguistic items.
Different parts of language are taught separately.
4.4 . Analytic Syllabi: focus on the learner and his needs and on the kinds of linguistic
performance necessary to achieve those goals .
4.5. Type A: This type deals with what should be learned in a second language classroom.
4.6. Type B : Consider the question of how a second language should be learned.
Overview of Assessment
It is an integral part of instruction, as it determines whether or not the goals of education are being met.
3 criteria of assessment
Validity
Reliability
Practicality
(Farhady,2012)
Assessment
Assessment information is needed by administrators, teachers, staff developers, students, and parents to assist in determining appropriate program placements and instructional activities as well as in monitoring student progress. (O’Malley,1994)
Assessment Purposes of ELL Students
Screening and identification
Placement
Reclassification or exit
Monitoring Student Progress
Program Evaluation
Accountability
(O’Malley,1994)
Types of tests: proficiency, achievement, diagnostic, placement
Types of testing: direct vs indirect tests, discrete point vs integrative tests, criterion-referenced vs norm-referenced tests, objective vs subjective tests
A short presentation with information about alternatives in assessment: (a) performance-based assessment, (b) portfolios, (c) journals, (d) conferences and interviews, (e) observations, and (f) self & peer assessment.
Language Assessment - Beyond Test-Alternatives Assessment by EFL LearnersEFL Learning
The concept of assemble additional measures of students—portfolios, journals, observations, self-assessments, peer-assessments, and the like—in an effort to triangulate data about students.
The French Revolution, which began in 1789, was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France. It marked the decline of absolute monarchies, the rise of secular and democratic republics, and the eventual rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. This revolutionary period is crucial in understanding the transition from feudalism to modernity in Europe.
For more information, visit-www.vavaclasses.com
Macroeconomics- Movie Location
This will be used as part of your Personal Professional Portfolio once graded.
Objective:
Prepare a presentation or a paper using research, basic comparative analysis, data organization and application of economic information. You will make an informed assessment of an economic climate outside of the United States to accomplish an entertainment industry objective.
Biological screening of herbal drugs: Introduction and Need for
Phyto-Pharmacological Screening, New Strategies for evaluating
Natural Products, In vitro evaluation techniques for Antioxidants, Antimicrobial and Anticancer drugs. In vivo evaluation techniques
for Anti-inflammatory, Antiulcer, Anticancer, Wound healing, Antidiabetic, Hepatoprotective, Cardio protective, Diuretics and
Antifertility, Toxicity studies as per OECD guidelines
Introduction to AI for Nonprofits with Tapp NetworkTechSoup
Dive into the world of AI! Experts Jon Hill and Tareq Monaur will guide you through AI's role in enhancing nonprofit websites and basic marketing strategies, making it easy to understand and apply.
2024.06.01 Introducing a competency framework for languag learning materials ...Sandy Millin
http://sandymillin.wordpress.com/iateflwebinar2024
Published classroom materials form the basis of syllabuses, drive teacher professional development, and have a potentially huge influence on learners, teachers and education systems. All teachers also create their own materials, whether a few sentences on a blackboard, a highly-structured fully-realised online course, or anything in between. Despite this, the knowledge and skills needed to create effective language learning materials are rarely part of teacher training, and are mostly learnt by trial and error.
Knowledge and skills frameworks, generally called competency frameworks, for ELT teachers, trainers and managers have existed for a few years now. However, until I created one for my MA dissertation, there wasn’t one drawing together what we need to know and do to be able to effectively produce language learning materials.
This webinar will introduce you to my framework, highlighting the key competencies I identified from my research. It will also show how anybody involved in language teaching (any language, not just English!), teacher training, managing schools or developing language learning materials can benefit from using the framework.
Read| The latest issue of The Challenger is here! We are thrilled to announce that our school paper has qualified for the NATIONAL SCHOOLS PRESS CONFERENCE (NSPC) 2024. Thank you for your unwavering support and trust. Dive into the stories that made us stand out!
Unit 8 - Information and Communication Technology (Paper I).pdfThiyagu K
This slides describes the basic concepts of ICT, basics of Email, Emerging Technology and Digital Initiatives in Education. This presentations aligns with the UGC Paper I syllabus.
June 3, 2024 Anti-Semitism Letter Sent to MIT President Kornbluth and MIT Cor...Levi Shapiro
Letter from the Congress of the United States regarding Anti-Semitism sent June 3rd to MIT President Sally Kornbluth, MIT Corp Chair, Mark Gorenberg
Dear Dr. Kornbluth and Mr. Gorenberg,
The US House of Representatives is deeply concerned by ongoing and pervasive acts of antisemitic
harassment and intimidation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Failing to act decisively to ensure a safe learning environment for all students would be a grave dereliction of your responsibilities as President of MIT and Chair of the MIT Corporation.
This Congress will not stand idly by and allow an environment hostile to Jewish students to persist. The House believes that your institution is in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, and the inability or
unwillingness to rectify this violation through action requires accountability.
Postsecondary education is a unique opportunity for students to learn and have their ideas and beliefs challenged. However, universities receiving hundreds of millions of federal funds annually have denied
students that opportunity and have been hijacked to become venues for the promotion of terrorism, antisemitic harassment and intimidation, unlawful encampments, and in some cases, assaults and riots.
The House of Representatives will not countenance the use of federal funds to indoctrinate students into hateful, antisemitic, anti-American supporters of terrorism. Investigations into campus antisemitism by the Committee on Education and the Workforce and the Committee on Ways and Means have been expanded into a Congress-wide probe across all relevant jurisdictions to address this national crisis. The undersigned Committees will conduct oversight into the use of federal funds at MIT and its learning environment under authorities granted to each Committee.
• The Committee on Education and the Workforce has been investigating your institution since December 7, 2023. The Committee has broad jurisdiction over postsecondary education, including its compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, campus safety concerns over disruptions to the learning environment, and the awarding of federal student aid under the Higher Education Act.
• The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is investigating the sources of funding and other support flowing to groups espousing pro-Hamas propaganda and engaged in antisemitic harassment and intimidation of students. The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is the principal oversight committee of the US House of Representatives and has broad authority to investigate “any matter” at “any time” under House Rule X.
• The Committee on Ways and Means has been investigating several universities since November 15, 2023, when the Committee held a hearing entitled From Ivory Towers to Dark Corners: Investigating the Nexus Between Antisemitism, Tax-Exempt Universities, and Terror Financing. The Committee followed the hearing with letters to those institutions on January 10, 202
2. Misuses of Tests
• Tests were used as a punishment.
• Tests were administered instead of teachers giving
instructions.
• The tests were the only measure for grading.
• Test did not reflect what was taught.
• The tests were returned with lack of corrections or
explanations.
• The tests reflected only one testing method.
• There was a lack of teacher confidence in their own tests.
• Students were not adequately trained to take the results.
• There was a substantial delay in returning the tests.
3. A more constructive way of language
testing exists when:
• Testing is seen as an opportunity for interaction between
teacher and student.
• Students are judged based on the knowledge they have.
• The tests are intended for students to improve their skills
• The criteria for success on the test are clear to students
• Students receive a grade for their performance on a set of tests
representing different testing methods.
• The test takers are trained on how to take tests especially those
involving unfamiliar formats.
• The tests are returned promptly.
• The results are discussed.
5. Primary Functions of Language Assessment
1. Administrative
a. assessment
b. placement
c. exemption
d. certification
e. promotion
2. Instructional
a. diagnosis
b. evidence of Progress
c. Feedback to the
respondent
d. Evaluation of teaching
or curriculum
6. Primary Functions of Language Assessment
3. Research Purposes
a. evaluation
b. Experimentation
c. Knowledge about the language
learning and the language use
7. Proficiency tests are intended for
administrative purposes.
Achievement tests are intended for
assessing instructional outcomes.
8. 1. Norm-referenced
Assessment
Distinctions in Testing
2. Criterion-referenced
Assessment
- A test can be used to
compare a respondent with
other respondents whether
locally, regionally, or
nationally.
- A test can be used to see
whether a respondent has met
a certain instructional
objective or criteria.
9. Components of Communicative Competence
1. Grammatical Competence
- encompasses knowledge of lexical items and of rules of
morphology, syntax, sentence-grammar semantics, and phonology
(Canale and Swain 1980)
2. Discourse Competence
- The ability to connect sentences in stretches of discourse
and to form a meaningful whole out of a series of utterances.
10. 4. Strategic Competence
- The verbal and nonverbal communication strategies
that may be called into action to compensate for breakdowns
in communication due to performance variables or due to
insufficient competence.
Components of Communicative Competence
3. Sociolinguistics Competence
- involves knowledge of the sociocultural rules of
language
12. Methods of Testing Reading
•Learners use a certain TYPE(S) of READING
•Comprehend at a certain level or combination of
LEVELS OF MEANING
•Enlist a certain COMPREHENSION SKILL(S)
•And do all of this within the framework of a certain
TESTING OF METHOD(S)
13. I. TYPES OF READING
A. Skimming or Scanning
A distinction has been made between scanning and
search reading
Search reading – the respondent is scanning
without being sure about the form that
information will take (i.e., whether it will be a
WORD, PHRASE, SENTENCE, PASSAGE ,
and so on)
14. B. Read Receptively and
Read Responsibly
Read responsibly
- written materials prompts them to reflect on some
point or other, and then possibly respond in writing
Read Receptively
- discovering accurately what the author seeks
to convey
15. II. Levels of Meaning
o Grammatical meaning
– meaning that words and morphemes have on their
own
o Propositional meaning
– meaning that a clause or sentence can have on its
own (i.e., the information that the clause or sentence
transmits)
- this meaning is also referred to as its
“INFORMATIONAL VALUE”
Four (4 )Levels of Meaning:
16. o Discoursal meaning
– meaning a sentence can have only when in a context
– This meaning is also referred to us its
“FUNCTIONAL VALUE”
o Writer’s Intent
- the meaning that a sentence has only as part of the
interaction between writer and reader
- “author’s tone”
17. III. COMPREHENSION SKILLS
(Alderson 1987)
(i) The ability to recognize words and phrases of
similar and opposing meaning
(ii) Identifying or locating information
(iii)Discriminating elements or features within
context: the analysis of elements within a
structure and of the relationship among them -
--
e.g., causal, sequential, chronological, hierarc
hical
18. (iv) Interpreting of complex
ideas, actions, events, relationships
(v) Inferencing– deriving conclusions and
predicting the continuation
(vi) Synthesis
(vii) Evaluation
19. A. The Cloze and the C- Test
The Cloze Test
One-or-two-word deletions
Rational deletion
Partial deletion from the beginning end of words
C - Test
( Klein-Braley and Raatz
- The second half of every other word is deleted, leaving the first and
last sentence of the passage intact
IV. TESTING METHOD
20. B. Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT)
-The selection and sequenced items depends on
the pattern of success and failure experienced by
the student.
21. Advantages:
Individual testing time may be reduced
Illustration and fatigue are minimized
Boredom is reduced
Test scores and diagnoses feedback may be provided
immediately
Test security may be enhanced (since it is unlikely
that two respondents would receive the same items
in the same sequenced)
22. Record-keeping functions are improved
Information is readily available for research
purposes (Larson and Madsen 1985, Madsen
1986)
Disadvantage:
CAT presumes that one major language factor
or underlying test is being measured as a time
23. C. Communicative Test of Reading
Comprehension
-Canale (1984) points out that a good test is not just
one that is acceptable -- that is, accepted as fair,
important, and interesting by test takers and test
users
-Also, a good test has feedback potential, rewarding
both test takers as test users with clear, rich,
relevant and generalizable information
Storyline Test – test with a thematic line of
development
24. “Proficiency-oriented achievement test”
Canale (1985)
such tests put to use what is learned. There is a transfer
from controlled training to real performance.
there is a focus on the message and the function, not
just on the form
there is a group collaboration as well as individual
work, not just the latter
the respondents are called upon to use their
resourcefulness in resolving authentic problems in
language use, as opposed to demonstrating accuracy in
resolving contrived problems at the linguistic level
the testing itself is more like learning, and the learners
are more involved in the assessment.
26. Inventory of Objects
• Test constructors first make an inventory of the
objectives they want to test
• Distinguish broad objectives with more specific ones
and important objectives from trivial ones
• Varying the type of items or procedures testing a
particular objective helps distinguish one student’s
comprehension from that of another student.
27. Inventory of Objects
• Testers may need to resist the temptation
to include difficult items of marginal
importance simply because they
distinguish the better and poorer
achievers.
28. Constructing an Item Bank
1. The skill or combination of skills tested
2. The language element(s) involved
3. The item-elicitation and item-response
formats
4. Instructions on how to present the item
5. The section of the book or part of the course
that the item relates to
6. The time it took to write the item
29. Test Format
• An effective way to hold the interest of a
respondent towards a test is to start the test
with relatively easy items and then continue it
by interspersing easy and difficult items.
• Multiple choice items lend respondents to
guessing.
30. Instructions
• The instructions should be brief and yet explicit and
unambiguous
• Examples may help, but on the other hand, may
hinder if they do not give the whole picture and
become a substitute for reading instructions.
• The time allowed for each subtest and/or for the total
test should be announced
31. Scoring
• If an objective is tested by more than one item, then
the focus is on mastery of the objective.
• Items covering one objective may be weighted more
than the items covering another objective.
• Ex. The scoring of a multiple-choice test would be
considered more objective than that of an essay test,
where the scorer’s subjectivity plays more of a role.
34. Item Analysis
1. Piloting the Test – sound testing on a population
similar to that for which the test is designed
2. Item Difficulty – proportion of correct responses to
a test item
3. Item Discrimination – how well an item performs in
separating the better students from the poorer ones
35. Test Revision
• An item should be revised or eliminated if it
has low difficulty or discrimination
coefficient
• If distractors (multiple item options) draw no
response or too many, then they should be
omitted or altered.
• Results of item analysis should be added to
the information in the item bank.