Chapter 8 Flashcards
Diagnostic evaluation
determining a learner’s level of proficiency, usually for screenng or placement purposes.
screening
determining whether the learner can perform a certain task or function
placement
deciding on a suitable class level for the learner’s proficiency
diagnostic passage
written text used for assessing a student’s command of pronunciation; ability to produce certain consonant clusters, or appropriate intonation; passage often contains all or most of the segmental and suprasegmental features of English so that the learner’s command of these features can be accurately diagnosed and teacher can develop relevant and appropriate instruction.
free-speech sample
A one- or two-minute sample of extemporaneous speech for assessing learner’s actual pronunciation skills or confirming results of diagnostic passage assessment. Primary focus is on meaning rather than form. Teacher can provide list of topics, or learner can use their own.
formal oral-proficiency tests
Used for screening and selection. Most focus on spoken production: reading aloud, answering a prerecorded question, conversing, responding to interview questions, delivering a prepared presentation. Goal is generally to measure intelligibility rather than native-speaker accuracy. TOEFL IBT, IELTS, Versant, and UCLA Test of Oral Proficiency are examples.
Holistic score
A global score that does not reflect specific strengths or weaknesses.
Analytic score
Individual scores for each component, such as grammar, vocabulary, prominence, intonation, fluency.
ongoing evaluation and feedback
Necessary to determine a learner’s progress and provide individualized feedback. Also to revise the curriculum if deemed necessary.
self-monitoring/self-correction
noticing inaccuracies in their own production and correcting them.
contract learning
Goals and objectives that the learner negotiates with with the teacher and commits to. Total responsibility now lies with the learner.
covert rehearsal
Practicing privately for an anticipated interaction or conversation. Speaking to themselves, recalling models and rules of pronunciation.
Purposes of Assessment
Diagnose strengths and weaknesses
assess gains during and after a course of study
place students in a program
assess general proficiency
The first two require criterion-referenced tests.
The second two require norm-referenced tests.
Norm-referenced tests
Assess a student in relation to other students.
Normal distribution if well designed and administered to sufficient numbers of test-takers.
Based on general concept of proficiency (TOEFL and IELTS measure academic English).
Construct validity
Test measures the target construct
Face validity
Test looks to takers like a test measuring what is says it is testing
Content validity
Test content is part of the target language use domain (may not exist in EFL contexts)
Convergent validity
Test converges (correlates positively) with constructs it is supposed to be related to. (Scores for pronunciation and overall speaking ability will be positively correlated).
divergent validity
Test diverges (correlates negatively or less positively) with constructs is it unrelated to. E.g.k, scores for pronunciation and morpho-syntactic knowledge will have low correlation among Japanese high school students.
Predictive validity
Test can detect the performance it is designed to predict. E.g., pronunciation test in Japan can detect that students with longer overseas experience display greater intelligibility.
Criterion-referenced tests
Assess a student’s relationship with the subject matter.
Positively skewed if administered at the beginning of a course of study, negatively skewed if administered at the end of a course of study.
Generally based on course goals, objectives, and content. CRTs should reflect course content ratios.
Option: base CRTs partly on individual problems displayed by the students.
Discrete-point tests
Vs.
Objective questions: multiple-choice, true/false, short-answer
Time-consuming to create, easy to score.
Amenable to detailed statistical analyses and item banking
Fair
Task-based tests
Better aligned with current SLA theory, classroom teaching
more authentic
mirror classroom tasks, so easy to write
Less “pure” measure of an individual schill
Integrative tests
test taker mush integrate or synthesize various types of information
Better aligned with communicative or task-based teaching
More authentic
can assess both bottom-up and topdown skills.
self-assessment
Allows learners to contribute to the assessment process, which motivates them.
Criteria should be based on the course goals and objectives (helps raise learners’ awareness of goals and objectives)
helps learners to better understand their threngths and weaknesses and develop with the teacher a plan to address weaknesses.
washback (from tests)
Tests influence how and way learners study; tell learners what is REALLY important in the curriculum.
Washback can be positive or negative.
Washback from tests push students to achieve course and program goals and objectives.
Feedback
Provides learners with information about progress towards course goals and objectives.
Classroom assessment
Test for the best
align goals, objectives, instruction, and assessment
Use more than one test method
gather many scores and types of scores
use assessments to ‘push’ learners toward goals
Give feedback on performance
Test for the best
Allow learners to hear native-speaker reading of assessment passage before they perform (p.313)
Allow time for planning and practice (p.313)
Use multiple test methods (p. 314)
Provide familiar topics or allow learners to select topic.
Use an (unscored?) warm-up task when possible.
Allow students to hear their performance.
