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MODULE 2. TYPES AND CRITERIA OF LANGUAGE KNOWLEDGE ASSESSMENT


Lesson 12. Types of assessment: summative; formative; test

Module:	Types and criteria of language knowledge assessment
Topic:	Types of assessment: summative and formative. Test types (proficiency, achievement, progress)
Time:	80 minutes
Aim: Materials: Aids:	To let students analyse the test types (proficiency, achievement, progress) 1. Hughes, A. (2003) Testing for Language Teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 2. Paul, J.Black (1998) Testing: Friend or Foe? Charts, laptop with speakers, audio recordings, handouts, video clips, white board

Topic: Assessmet types
There are several reasons why we might want to assess learners:
1. At the beginning of a course we might give them a test to find out what they know and don't know. This is called a diagnostic test. The information from the assessment helps us decide
what to teach and which learners need help in which areas of language.
2. When learners go to a language school or evening classes, the school may want to know what level the learners are, so they give them a lest. This is called a placement test. We use the information from a placement test to decide what level of class the learners should go into.
3. After we have finished teaching a part of a course we may want to find out how well learners have learnt it. This is called formative assessment. If we use a test for this purpose it is called a progress test. Wc use the information from formative assessment to decide if we need to continue teaching this area or not, and to give learners feedback on their strengths and difficulties in learning in this area.
4. At the end of a term or course, we may assess learners to see how well they have learnt the contents of the whole course. This kind of assessment is called achievement or summative testing. Learners usually receive a score or mark from this kind of testing and sometimes feedback on their performance.
5. Sometimes learners take tests to see how good they are at a language. This kind of test is called a proficiency test. The contents of the test are not based on a course or syllabus that the learner has followed.
Learners can also assess themselves (self-assessment) or one another (peer assessment). They usually do this informally with checklists to guide them. The reason for using both of these kinds of assessment is to help learners to understand their language use and performance better, and so become more autonomous.
There are many different assessment tasks, e.g gap-fill, multiple-choice questions, true/false questions, ordering, correcting mistakes, taking part in interviews, conversations or role-plays, writing letters or compositions, dictation. There are some important difierences between these tasks:

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  Some tasks are like tasks we use outside the classroom to communicate, e.g. a conversation, an interview, a letter, reading a leaflet for prices. These tasks test communication skills. Some tasks, e.g. gap-fill, test the accuracy of language use. We do not use them to communicate, and they do not test communication skills.
  
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  Some tasks, such as gap-fill or choosing between pairs of sounds, just test one thing, e.g. learners' knowledge of the past tense, or their ability to distinguish between sounds. Some tasks, such as a composition or a conversation, test many things together. A composition, for example, tests spelling, handwriting, punctuation, grammar, vocabulary, organisation of ideas and fluency of writing. A conversation can test pronunciation, appropriacy, accuracy, fluency and interaction.
  
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  The answers to some kinds of assessment tasks are easy to mark because they are either right or wrong, e.g. in multiple-choice, true/false, gap-fill and dictation tasks. These are called objective tests.
  
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  Marking some kinds of tasks, e.g. compositions, role-plays, stories, interviews, involves judging many things together, e.g. for writing: spelling, handwriting, punctuation, grammar, vocabulary, organisation of ideas, fluency of writing. The learner may do some of these things well but others poorly. The mark we give to the learners' answers in these kinds of tasks depends on our judgement. These tasks are called subjective tests.
  Another kind of assessment method is a portfolio. This is a collection of learners' work, which lhe learner creates him/herself, or with the teacher, during a course. Often it also contains comments on the work written by the learner or classmates. Portfolios can be used for formal or informal assessment.
  
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  Some informal assessment methods are: observing learners' spoken or written work and answers to comprehension tasks: keeping notes on the learners' performance; asking learners to complete self- or peer-assessment sheets. We often use informal assessment methods to assess areas such as attitude and effort, particularly with young learners and teenagers. Informal assessment is often followed up by leedback to the learners on the strengths and weaknesses of their performance, and suggestions for how to improve.