Language Assessment: An Overview of Principles and Issues Helen Huntley Senior English Language Fellow Ministry of Education, Vietnam helenshuntley@yahoo.com 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 conferences peer assessments portfolios quick quiz formal test written assignment oral presentation self-assessment peer assessment ‘can do’ checklists observations 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 placement To place students at appropriate level of instruction within a program diagnostic To identify students’ strengths and weaknesses progress To provide information about mastery of the course materials achievement To evaluate students’ attainment of course outcomes at end of course standardized To measure students’ proficiency using international standards aptitude To measure capacity for learning a language 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... 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... 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... (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 . 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.  What is meant by assessment ?  What are the traditional/alternative methods of assessment?  What are the basic principles of assessment?  How does