Language Assessment Issues

Language Assessment:
An Overview of Principles and Issues
Helen Huntley
Senior English Language Fellow
Ministry of Education, Vietnam
[email protected]
http://helenshuntley.com
Overview
Part I
What is meant by ‘assessment’?
What are the traditional/alternative methods of assessment?
What are the basic principles of assessment?
How does washback influence the curriculum? Learners’ motivation etc.?
Part II
What role does assessment have in language teaching in Vietnam?
What kind of assessment best suits Vietnam?
What are the testing issues in Vietnam?
Part I
Assessment can…
increase motivation by serving as milestones of student progress.
aid in the reinforcement and retention of information
confirm areas of strength and pinpoint areas needing further work.
provide a sense of periodic closure to modules within a curriculum.
promote student autonomy by encouraging student self-evaluation of their progress.
encourage learners to set goals for themselves
aid in evaluating teaching effectiveness


Brown, D.H. (2004). Language assessment: Principles and classroom practices. Longman.
Curriculum and Assessment

“Assessment is an integral part of the entire curriculum cycle, not something tacked on as an afterthought to teaching.”

Coombe, C., Folse, K., & Hubley, N. (2007). Assessing English Language Learners. Univ. of Michigan Press.
Evaluation/Assessment/Testing
Evaluation
All the factors that influence the teaching/learning process
Assessment
A variety of ways of collecting information on a learner’s ability or achievement
Testing
One type of assessment: a formal, systematic way to gather information about students’ behavior

Assessment Options
What is a test?
A measurement of a person’s
ability
knowledge
(specific) competence

“A test is a method of measuring a person’s ability or knowledge in a given domain”

Brown, D.H. (2001). Teaching by principles. Longman.
Types of Tests
Traditional assessment
One-shot standardized exams
Timed, multiple-choice format
Decontextualized test items
Scores suffice for feedback
Norm-referenced scores
Focus on the “right” answer
Summative
Oriented to the product
Non-interactive performance
Fosters extrinsic motivation
Formal, indirect, traditional
Objective
Focused on linguistic/logical-mathematical intelligence


Adapted from Armstrong (1994) and Bailey (1998) in Brown, D.H. (2001).

Alternative assessment
Continuous long-term assessment
Untimed, free-response format
Contextualized, integrative, communicative tasks
Interactive feedback
Criterion-referenced scores
Formative
Oriented to process
Interactive performance
Fosters intrinsic motivation
Informal, direct, authentic
Subjective
Computer-based/computer-adaptive
Inclusive of multiple intelligences (spatial, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal)

Adapted from Armstrong (1994) and Bailey (1998) in Brown, D.H. (2001).

Guiding Principles of Assessment
Usefulness
Validity: face, content, construct, concurrent, consequential predictive
Reliability
Practicality
Positive washback
Authenticity
Transparency
Security
Interactivity
Washback
the effect of testing on teaching and learning(including curriculum and materials)
best kind of assessment has a positive effect on how well students learn
‘good’ washback relates the test content and tasks to the target environment of language use
‘bad’ washback can lead to ‘teaching to the test’ > loss of focus on learning

Part II
Assessment of English in Vietnam
English can be assessed in the:
classroom
school
region
country

AND/OR
worldwide > international benchmarking
Local Focus or International Benchmark

Should assessment:
use an international proficiency test?
be linked to a specific course?
be linked to student standards and teacher standards?
focus on the assumed future study needs of students?
be discipline-specific?


Which English?

Does international benchmarking presuppose one form of English as ‘correct’?
Do international benchmarked tests ‘own’ English?
Which variety(ies) of English is/are acceptable?

Standardized Tests
Standard objectives or criteria held constant across one form of the test to another
Designed to apply to a broad band of competencies not necessarily linked to a particular curriculum
Produced through extensive research and development
Dictates standard procedures for administration and scoring
Norm-referenced: places test-takers on a continuum across a range of scores; differentiates test-takers by relative ranking
High Stakes Testing Issues
Despite high probabilities of accurately assessing test-takers, what about the minority who are not fairly assessed?
Should more types of performance be included to get a more comprehensive picture of the test-taker (speaking, writing)?
Does the high-stakes test negatively impact learners’ lives?
Is teaching driven by the test?
Does standardized testing promote a specific cultural, political, or social agenda?
Ongoing Issues: the Vietnamese Situation
Combining graduation and university entrance exams
Addition of ‘communicative’ elements into tests
The relationship between the curriculum and the test
The match of textbooks to test content
Teacher training and testing
Discrete items or linked items in test content
Longer test vs. shorter test
Standard test administrative procedures
Technology in testing
Others????
Any comments or questions??