Course Overview
Course Description
This course is designed to provide future teachers with the knowledge and skills to understand the strengths and weaknesses of different assessment methods, to base their instruction on ongoing assessment, to employ a variety of formal and informal assessment techniques, to create tools for evaluation, to use assessment strategies, to evaluate the effect of class activities on both the individual and the class as a whole, and to maintain useful records of student work and performances.Pre-requisites
Familiarity with basic Second Language Acquisition Concepts is expected. Completion of a Foreign Language or ESL Teaching Methods course such as FLLT421/621 or FLLT623 is highly recommended.
Objectives
By the end of the semester, the student will have demonstrated the ability to:
- describe general procedures for administration, scoring, and interpretation of individually administered tests;
- develop and evaluate teacher-made tests in terms of validity and reliability;
- select the appropriate testing instruments for a particular purpose using the concepts of reliability, validity, and economy;
-
identify the advantages and disadvantages of various assessment methods
of student foreign language achievement and proficiency;
- use computer assisted scoring programs for calculation of descriptive statistics used in educational measurement; and
-
make a logical transition from theoretical constructions, assessment
procedures, and basic information of all students within a
multicultural society, to a practical application from planning and
writing prescriptive strategies for instruction in the classroom.
Course Requirements
Materials
Required
Brown, D. (2010). Language Assessment. Principles and Classroom Practices, Second Edition. White Plains, NY: Longman.
Handouts and other course materials are available through Sakai
Grading & Policies
Course Policies
Student Responsibilities
Students are expected to:
· Participate in class discussions and activities
· Complete all assignments and projects
· Select and/or develop appropriate assessment methods to administer to language learners
·
Write a diagnostic summary report consolidating results from the
different assessment methods with recommendations for prescriptive
instruction
Academic Dishonesty
Student Guide to University Policies: Code of Student Conduct
Grading
The following is the grading scale for the course:Course Component | % |
|---|---|
| 25 | |
| 25 | |
| 40 | |
| 10 |
Calendar
This
course calendar may be modified at the discretion of the instructor and
according to the needs of the class. Please consult the "Course
Calendar" feature on Sakai for updates.
| Date | Topic | Readings | Assignment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sept. 13 | Testing, Assessing and Teaching | Brown, Ch. 1 | |
| Sept. 20 | Principles of Language Assessment | Brown, Ch. 2 | |
| Sept. 27 | Classroom Language Tests | Brown, Ch. 3 | |
| Oct. 4 | Standardized Testing | Brown, Ch. 5 | |
| Oct. 11 | Standards-Based Assessment and Peer Editing of Test Review Project | Brown, Ch. 4 | Bring your Test-Review Project for peer-review |
| Oct. 18 | Mid-Term Examination | ||
| Oct. 25 | Assessing Listening Comprehension | Brown, Ch. 7 | Test Review Due |
| Nov. 1 | Assessing Speaking Skills | Brown, Ch. 8 | Bring your listening assessments for peer-review |
| Nov. 8 | Assessing Reading Skills | Brown, Ch. 9 | Bring your speaking assessments for peer-review |
| Nov. 15 | Assessing Writing Skills | Brown, Ch. 10 | Bring your reading assessments for peer-review |
| Nov. 22 | Alternatives in Assessment | Brown, Ch. 6 | Bring your writing assessments for peer-review |
| Nov. 29 | Final Project Conferences | Sign up for a conference with your intructor to go over your final project. Be sure to bring revised drafts of all your individual assessments (reading, writing, speaking, etc.), including answer keys and rubrics where appropriate | |
| Dec. 6 | Final Project Conferences | ||
| Dec. 13 | Final Project Due |