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1 Assessment Portfolio Abagail F. Lebo Ball State University FL 395 Dr. Chris Luke
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Assessment Portfolio
Abagail F. Lebo
Ball State University
FL 395
Dr. Chris Luke
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Table of Contents
ContentsThe Role of Assessment in World Language Classrooms...............................................................4
Definition of Assessment.................................................................................................................6
Reflective essay...............................................................................................................................9
Summative Assessments................................................................................................................12
Artifact #1: Chapter Test French Level 4..................................................................................13
Artifact #2: Final French Exam 8th Grade..................................................................................18
Formative Assessment...................................................................................................................22
Artifact #1: Draw Me! Descriptions Chapter............................................................................23
Artifact #2: Carnet.....................................................................................................................26
Artifact #3: Review for Exam....................................................................................................28
Performance-Based Assessment....................................................................................................35
A List of Performance-Based Tasks Examples.........................................................................36
Assessing Language Skills............................................................................................................37
Artifacts for assessing reading:..................................................................................................37
Artifact #1: Reading Comprehension....................................................................................37
Artifact #2: Reading editing task...........................................................................................41
Artifacts for assessing writing:..................................................................................................43
Artifact #1: Picture-cued Creative Writing............................................................................43
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Artifact #2: Creative storytelling...........................................................................................45
Artifacts for assessing listening comprehension:......................................................................47
Artifact #1: Choose the correct picture..................................................................................47
Artifact #2: Filling in a calendar............................................................................................49
Artifacts for assessing speaking:...............................................................................................51
Artifact #1: Recording...........................................................................................................51
Artifact #2: Oral Interview with the Teacher........................................................................53
Assessing Culture..........................................................................................................................55
Artifact # 1: French Idioms WebQuest......................................................................................55
Artifact # 2: French Revolution.................................................................................................60
Traditional Assessments................................................................................................................62
List of Types and Purposes of Tests..........................................................................................64
Non-Traditional Assessments........................................................................................................65
A List of Non-Traditional Assessments....................................................................................67
Online Assessment Resources.......................................................................................................68
Assessment Resources...................................................................................................................69
Glossary.........................................................................................................................................70
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The Role of Assessment in World Language Classrooms
Often the word assessment in today’s educational system is misconstrued as the
word test. For many students and even educators the word assessment brings about
negative feelings. These negative feelings are due to the roots and problems with language
assessment. Sometimes the problem arises that the tests we give in the language classroom
do not correlate with what is happening in the classroom and in the outside world. This
results in a lack of cohesion between the content and the form of assessment. Assessment
holds a lot of power within the classroom and in return causes students and teachers to
associate a negative feeling about assessment.
The role of assessment is not to scare a student. The true role of assessment in
world language classrooms is to provide students with the tools that they need to succeed
within the content area. Assessment is a necessary function in a foreign language
classroom. Different methods of assessment greatly influence how students learn in the
language classroom and what they learn in the language classroom. Assessment in general
could very well be even more important than the material that is actually being taught.
Assessment plays many different roles in the classroom relating to the student and relating
to the teacher. For a teacher, assessment is a way of gathering information, formative or
summative, in order to understand a students learning style, pace, and ability. For a
student, assessment captures the students’ attention so that the information may be stored
into their long term memory.
Specifically, in a foreign language classroom, it is important to assess different
aspects of the language such as: writing, reading, listening, and speaking. In a foreign
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language classroom, many students will be starting from point zero. This means that a
teacher must assess their students at all times in order to help that student achieve success
in the language. Foreign language assessment should encourage learner autonomy as well
as a deeper understanding of the language. There are distinct differences in student
learning and processing at the individual level. Most teachers no longer view assessment as
something that only occurs after the fact. The role of assessment is to find and establish
how and what a student is learning, and finally its role is to assess students continually.
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Definition of Assessment
Before this class I had a certain idea about what assessment was. I thought that
assessment was something that was rigid, hard and stressful for both the teacher and the
students. I thought that assessment was a four paged multiple choice paper exams that a
teacher hands out at the end of each chapter. The word assessment to me actually meant
the word boring. I have come to learn that assessment is actually the opposite and now I
associate the word, essential for success with the word assessment.
If you look up the definition of assessment on the ever-so-trusted google, it states,
“Assessment is the evaluation or estimation of the nature, quality, or ability of someone or
something.” I believe this to be a very thought out and well written definition of the word
assessment. However, can we really define the action of assessing a classroom? I believe
that the answer is no, we cannot. The numerous amounts of different ways to assess a
foreign language classroom are endless. This being said, the word assessment to me means
freedom to evaluate in any manner that I choose that is productive and meaningful. There
are no set rules or regulations for assessing a class. There are, however, certain guidelines
that one should consider while creating a classroom assessment.
I have learned from this class that assessment must be well thought out and
prepared in order to achieve the ultimate goal. The guidelines that I mentioned earlier
include: validity, reliability, authenticity, practicality, and finally Washback. I understand
that the methods of assessment that I will be using in my class must be coherent with my
teaching style. If this does not occur, my tests or assessments will lose its validity and also
its relatability. Also one thing that is very important to me for my future classroom is to
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make my assessments meaningful to the students so that they can relate to the information
and use it in the world outside of the classroom.
My definition of assessment may be different from that of another teacher. Neither
of us will be wrong in our definitions because assessment all depends on the content and
what the test or assessment is actually trying to assess. In a language classroom, one may
assess: reading, writing, listening, speaking, and a combination of the four. There must be
some correlation in the classroom with the material during class and the assessments. For
example, if most of my classroom is based on writing a language but I give an assessment
that focuses only on speaking, I have lost the validity and authenticity of the assessment.
Assessments can also be formative and summative. I would say that the majority of
a classroom is and should be formative assessments. Summative assessments are in my
opinion the most difficult types of assessment to create as a teacher. However, summative
assessments are manageable and can be completed and carried out with productive results.
It is important that assessments in a classroom serve a purpose. Hopefully this purpose is
not just to give the students a grade in the classroom. This is why I think that Washback is
the most important part of assessment. More and more I see in today’s educational system,
through all grades from elementary to college, that teachers do not provide effective
Washback for their students. If the students do not learn and retain anything from the
assessment that is given in class, then that assessment is worthless. One way that a teacher
can bring back meaning to any type of assessment is to provide Washback.
My definition of assessment in a foreign language classroom has completely
changed my entire view on how I will assess my future classroom. I plan to continue to
learn new ways to assess foreign language and I will try to implement them all in my
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classroom in order to cater to the needs of all of my students. Assessment in a foreign
language classroom means to create something meaningful, valid, productive, practical,
reliable and authentic so that students may become proficient in their second language.
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Reflective essay
Up until this class, I had never really thought about the amount of thoughtful work
that needs to be but into creating tests and forms of assessment. When I heard the word
assessment by itself, I only thought of a paper and pencil test. I had always, up until now,
applied a negative feeling to the word assessment. I had a narrow view of what assessment
really was. I think I also put too much emphasis and importance on paper and pencil
exams. I had the idea in my head that paper and pencil exams where the only way to really
assess students on their overall understanding of the content. I am happy to say that these
thoughts and ideas have gone out the window forever thanks to my time in FL396.
During my time in this course I have learned a number of useful things that have
shaped my ideas about foreign language assessment. The first thing that I learned that I
believe is the most important aspect about assessment is that it must be well thought out.
Assessment in the classroom has to be well planned and appropriately implemented. No
matter what type of assessment a teacher uses it should be relevant to the student and help
attain the overall goal. I have learned that the ultimate goal in my future French classroom
is for my students to be able to communicate in the language and also to show
improvement.
One of the aspects about the class that I thought I would struggle with the most is
the new technology that we had to discover and use. Looking back, I am glad that I have
had an opportunity to discover new things. I have been mostly anti-technology for
classroom use and now I feel that my opinion has been swayed in the other direction.
Although technology is stressful and sometimes scary to use as a teacher in the classroom,
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it is important that I use the different types of technology that we have talked about in my
future classroom. It is important for me to keep my students engaged in the classroom. In
order for me to keep them engaged I have to make the content relevant as well as the
technology used in the class. I have become increasingly more comfortable with using
different forms and methods of presentation. I have discovered the different things that I
can do with PowerPoint and Prezi. I have also learned a great deal of new uses of
technology from my fellow classmates. I really did appreciate all of the tech-demos that
they did. It was hard for me to break out of my shell and try these new things but I did and
I found that they were manageable to use and implement in the classroom.
I was greatly affected by the lesson on creating rubrics. I learned, sadly, that I was a
horrendous rubric-creator. I had no idea how to properly create a rubric that was fair and
made sense to the students. I had always used “preparedness” and “creativity” in the
rubrics that I created and I now know that those are things that should be omitted. Rubrics
are rarely ever perfect and I have yet to find one that I feel is well rounded and fair for
every student. I am confident that I will eventually be able to come up with a rubric that
works for my future classroom.
In my future classroom, I will be focusing more on speaking. I know that is will be
a challenge for me as a foreign language teacher. Many foreign language teachers focus on
the grammar and vocabulary in the classroom. These two things are essential to learning a
second language, however, passing a test to get an “A” is not the goal. The goal for me as a
teacher is to have the students speak the foreign language outside of the classroom. I was
introduced to this topic in one of the class discussions and it really struck me hard. I
believe that foreign language classrooms are lacking in speaking assessment. Foreign
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language teachers are putting more emphasis and importance on the written language
rather than the spoken language. A teacher can say a thousand times that it is important to
speak the language often to learn it, but they give paper and pencil test to their students.
This shows the students what the teacher really thinks is important in the classroom. I hope
that I can change this in my future classroom.
Another thing that I feel very strongly about is giving my students the tools to
succeed in the classroom. During this course we had a lot of discussions about fairness in
the classroom. I have come to the conclusion that what is fair in the classroom is for me to
do everything I can to help my students succeed. I am very fond of the idea of testing
students on an improvement basis rather than meeting a certain general standard. I
understand that this idea may be hard to implement in the classroom but I think that my
newfound knowledge of different types of assessment will help me achieve this goal.
As for my future classroom, it is hard to say what types of assessment I will be
using consistently in the classroom. What I do know is that I will try everything. It is
important to me that I am always trying new methods of assessment in my future
classroom. It is also important that I am always researching different forms of assessments
for new ideas to improve on. I want to try things such as the inverted classroom or using
social media for example. I know that not every type of assessment will work for every
class or even each year that passes. That is why it is so important for me to understand how
my students are learning so that my assessments for them, help them reach their goals.
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Summative Assessments
A summative assessment is a type of assessment that measures and summarizes
what a student has learned throughout the year or a semester or course. Summative
assessment is basically the “summary” of everything that a student has learned. It takes
into consideration what the student has accomplished in the classroom. Usually summative
assessments are things such as a final exam or a general proficiency exam. A summative
assessment is a cumulative type of assessment. A well designed summative assessment
gives the teacher a good idea on what information a student has retained in the classroom.
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Artifact #1: Chapter Test French Level 4
Description: This is a test designed for a level four French class after they have completed
the chapter. This is a cumulative test consisting of much information from the previous
chapters including vocabulary and also grammar. It includes sections of grammar,
vocabulary, listening and writing. There is also a cultural essay to be completed at the end.
This test includes sections of multiple-choice, fill in the blank, true/false and essay.
Rationale: This test is an example of a summative assessment because it is a cumulative
test that occurs at the end of a chapter. This test measures the general understanding that a
student has after a chapter. It allows the teacher to assess what the student has learned from
the beginning of the class up until this point. Once a student has completed the test, he or
she will have a better understanding of their general ability in the classroom as well.
Reflection: I believe that it is important to make foreign language summative assessments
cumulative. I feel very strongly about this because once a student learns a grammar
concept or new vocabulary, he or she needs to practice that continuously because it will be
continuously used in the real world. Also, by making each consecutive test cumulative, it
helps the students retain the information better because of repetition. I believe that I could
have used more of a variety of tasks on my test. I could have used picture cued tasks and
also incorporated more listening in my exam to assess all four aspects of the language.
Lastly, I believe that I could have made my directions more descriptive in order to make
the objectives of the test clear.
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French IV Nom: _________________________________ Date: ____________
Verbes:
Donnez la forme convenable de l’infinitif passé des verbes entre paranthèses:
(10 points)
1. (regarder) ________________________________________________
2. (aller) ___________________________________________________
3. (choisir) _________________________________________________
4. (rendre) __________________________________________________
5. (avoir) ___________________________________________________
6. (vouloir) _________________________________________________
7. (s’attenndre) ______________________________________________
8. (monter) __________________________________________________
9. (acquèrir) _________________________________________________
10. (devoir) ___________________________________________________
Enumérez les dix-sept verbes intransitifs, qui exigent être comme verbe
auxilaire (20 points)
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Vrai ou Faux? (10 points)
1. ___ Il ya deux verbes auxiliaires, avoir ou être.
2. ___ Avoir est utilisé avec verbes réfléchis.
3. ___ Si il est un objet direct, vous utilisez être
4. ___ Faire est un verbe régulier
5. ___ Le, la, et les sont des exemples d'articles définies.
6. ___ Un, une et des exemples sont des articles définis.
7. ___ Un bisou sur les deux joues s'appelle “faire la bise”.
8. ___ Garçons "faire la bise" avec les garçons.
9. ___ Le français est parlé seulement en France et au Canada.
10. ___ Le symbole national français est la fleur de lys.
Traduisez, d’anglais en français, les mots ou les expressions donnés entre
parenthèses (10 points):
1. Tu as bien réussi à tous tes cours ce semester (in order to)
_________________________ continuer tes etudes à un plus haut niveau.
2. Nous (have just left—sortir) venons _______________________________ de la
maison quand le téléphone a sonné.
3. Plusieurs amis nous (are inviting us to spend)
___________________________________ un week-end dans leur cabane dans les
montagnes. (to spend—passer)
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4. Tu (are thinking about) _____________________________ voyager un peu après
tes etudes à Rennes l’année prochaine, n’est-ce pas?
5. Qu’est-ce qu’il (think about) _____________________________ la politique du
Président Obama?
6. L’insitutrice (is watching the children playing)
_____________________________________________ dans la cour. (regarder les
enfants jouer)
7. Jean-Pierre (is coming) _________________________ expliquer son omportement
et après-midi.
8. (Lying—mentir) __________________________ est un péché.
9. Je (intend) ______________________________ corriger ces tests demain matin.
10. (Instead of) _________________________________ passer un autre jour en
Suisse, nous sommes partis pour l’Italie.
Choisissez la réponse correcte (5 points):
1. Il n'y a plus de pain. (There is no more bread.) Qui a mangé ______ pain ?
a. Leb. Unc. Du
2. Voici ______ professeur de ce cours.
a. Leb. Un c. Du
3. Je vais acheter ______ nouvel ordinateur.
a. Leb. Un
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c. Du4. Nous allons à ______ poste.
a. Lab. Unec. De la
5. Mon ami a ______ chien.
a. Leb. Unc. Du
Crédit supplémentaire: Écrivez un paragraphe sur trois faits sur la culture française. (5 points possibles)
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Artifact #2: Final French Exam 8th Grade
Description: This is an example of an 8th grade French final exam that I got from the
website http://tinyurl.com/l8gs9cu. It is a summative assessment over the unit on weather.
In this assessment the students have the opportunity to show what they have learned in the
unit about weather. This summative assessment is different from the last one because it is
not cumulative. This shows that not all summative assessments have to come at the end of
a year or semester and that it doesn’t necessarily have to be cumulative of the course.
Rationale: This unit test is an example of a summative assessment because it assesses
every aspect that is presented in the unit on weather. Like the previous assessment, this
would occur after all the information has been presented in class. I believe that this is a
good representation of a summative assessment because it is well-written and also concise.
This shows that summative assessments do not have to be long and in depth. A summative
assessment has many different lengths and this test is a good example that shows how
effective a short summative assessment can be in a foreign language classroom.
Reflection: I chose this summative assessment because it provided different examples of
tasks within the assessment. For example, this test had picture-cued tasks as well as
cultural sections. Many times when I think of a summative assessment I think of grammar.
However, this test shows that there can be cultural tasks that can be included and should be
included in a summative assessment.
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Formative Assessment
A formative assessment is designed to assess a student’s progress within the
classroom. It involves evaluating the students during the process of mastering the content.
Formative assessments allow a student to set realistic goals and it allows a student and
teacher to gauge progress. Contrasting to summative assessments, formative assessments
are not cumulative. The majority of classroom assessment will be some sort of formative
assessment. There is a significant amount of different forms of formative assessment.
Virtually all kinds of informal assessment, such as asking a question off-hand in class, is a
formative assessment.
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Artifact #1: Draw Me! Descriptions Chapter
Description: This is an assessment that would take place for an entire class period that
assesses all four things: reading, writing, speaking and listening. The students will be
creating a form of an origami fortune teller where they will interact with one another and
tell each-others “fortune”. This assessment is designed to show competency within the
chapter as it pertains to vocabulary and grammar. The students will be creating their own
fortune teller in French (reading/writing) and then telling that fortune to their classmates
(speaking/listening) as they draw a picture of themselves in the future.
Rationale: This assessment qualifies as a formative assessment because it is an informal
task that allows a teacher to assess the ability of the students in the class up to this point. It
also allows the students to use and demonstrate what they have learned in the class in a
way that is not a paper and pencil test.
Reflection: This activity I believe will be relevant to the students in the classroom because
this is something that they have done before outside of the classroom but just in a different
manner. Also I believe that this activity will help keep the students engaged during class
because it gives them the opportunity to be creative (appropriately of course.) Also,
because it allows the students to be so creative, they are not restricted to things that are in
the discussed chapter. Those students who want to find new words to use can do so if they
choose.
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Nom: ______________________________ Date: ____________________________
Directions: You will be creating a origami fortune teller for your classmates. You will
follow the directions on the following page to create the shape of your origami fortune
teller (see next page). Once you have your fortune teller folded, you will be writing silly
sentences on each of the folds (you will have 8 total sentences). Each sentence must be
approved by me on a separate sheet of paper. Also the sentences must be about describing
the person. (ex: Vous avez les cheveaux violet. You have purple hair) Soyez créatif! Be
creative with your sentences but make them appropriate.
Emploi: Once your fortune teller is created and filled with silly sentences you will go
around and tell the fortunes of your classmates. You will have a blank piece of paper to
write down your sentences so that you may draw your future self after you are done.
Step 1: Ask the person to choose a color, then spell that color out (ex: R.O.U.G.E.)
Step 2: Ask the person to choose a number, then spell out that number (ex:
Q.U.A.T.R.E)
Step 3: Ask the person to choose a number to flip up and read them the description
of their future appearance.
Step 4: Write down your description on a separate sheet of paper. If something
comes up where you have two of the same sentences or similar sentences, you will
be drawing a combination of both. For example, if you have a sentence that says
you have purple hair and another that says you have green hair, you will draw a
picture with half purple and half green hair!
Origami Fortune teller model:
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Artifact #2: Carnet
Description: A classroom carnet is a sort of French bell-ringer. Each day there will be a
sentence on the board for the students to finish such as, j’aime… (I like) for example. Each
student will have a booklet where they will write the date to the left and then their
completed sentence on the right. The students will be allowed to use their notes, book,
dictionary, classmates and of course the teacher to complete their sentence. To insure that
each student will be receiving a good grade, each student will check their sentence with the
teacher to make corrections until the sentence is correct.
Rationale: A classroom Carnet or French bell-ringer is a great example of formative
assessment. The students will not be graded daily on their Carnet’s but it allows the student
and the teacher to see where the student is at in the class and what he or she needs to
improve on. It also allows the student to progress, show progression and also to look back
and reflect on their progression throughout the semester or year.
Reflection: I plan on using Carnet in my future classroom. It is a good way for students to
stay engaged. I find that students are more willing to write sentences in French when it is a
narrative about themselves. It helps make the material and content more relevant to the
student. It also has the benefit that students get to see and show their progress throughout
the time in the class. Learning a foreign language can be hard because sometimes it can be
hard to see that they have actually learned a lot. A Carnet will be able to provide them with
physical evidence of their progression and achievement of their goals.
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Nom: ______________________________ Date: ____________________________
Directions: You will be creating a Carnet booklet. A carnet is a train ticket booklet that
one uses in France to travel across the country. You will be creating a Carnet booklet full
of sentences that will be your ticket booklet out of this classroom! Each day there will be a
sentence to complete on the board for that day. Below are the directions for creating the
book and also how it will be used in the class every day. You will be able to use all sorts of
different resources EXCEPT a translator. You can use a dictionary, textbook, classmates,
and of course the teacher. You will need to verify your sentence with me on a separate
sheet of paper before you write it in your Carnet booklet.
Step 1: Take 10 pages of loose leaf paper and one page of construction paper and
cut them in half.
Step 2: Ask me to staple them together into a booklet form.
Step 3: DECORATE!!!
Step 4: Complete the sentence on a separate sheet of paper and check your final
sentence with me and repeat until I give you an OK.
Step 5: To the left of the blue margin, write the date. Then write the approved
sentence.
Step 6: Skip a line for the next day and sentence and repeat!
Example sentences: J’aime… aller à la piscine. J’aime…ma mère. J’aime…quand mon
professeur de Français est gentil.
You are not limited to a specific answer. As long as it is school appropriate you can write
about anything you want!
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Artifact #3: Review for Exam
Description: This type of formative assessment is very informal. The students will not be
graded at all during this assessment. This assessment will be using a smart board to review
for a unit exam. Students will be doing board races, taking mini-quizzes and playing
various sorts of games all using the smart board.
Rationale: Although the unit exam is a type of summative assessment, the process of
reviewing in class is a type of formative assessment. By having a review day before the
test, it allows the students to prepare for the test and gauge their level of understanding by
participating in the activities. It also allows the students to also receive feedback from the
teacher.
Reflection: I think review days before an exam or test relieves some of the stress that is
put on students before they take it. By making the review day interesting and fun it also
helps the students stay engaged during class so that they are better prepared for the
assessment.
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Lesson plan for Artifact #3
Overview: This classroom activity will be using the French version of the smart board program. It will implement games, activities, and quizzes. It also provides the students will study materials and shows examples of how students can study effectively for exams and tests.
Objectives: Students will be able to identify infinitives in English and translate them back to
French and vice versa. Students will be able to spell French infinitives Students will learn how to review for exams and quizzes
Standards: WL.MA9.1 2007 - COMMUNICATION: Write and speak in a language other than
English Learners engage in written and spoken conversations on a variety of topics. (Interpersonal)
WL.MA9.2 2007 - COMMUNICATION: Interpret information in a language other than English Learners interpret written and spoken language on a variety of topics. (Interpretive)
WL.MA9.6 2007 - CONNECTIONS: Access and connect information through various media Learners strengthen language proficiency and cultural knowledge by using current digital media and authentic resources.
WL.MA9.8 2007 - COMMUNITIES: Become an active global citizen by experiencing languages and cultures in multiple settings Learners use their knowledge of the target language and cultures both within and beyond the school setting for personal enrichment and civic engagement.
Materials: Tech project 3.notebook Previously taken notes by the students Smart board Smart board pen and eraser Printed out review sheet
Procedure: This specific lesson will focus mainly on reviewing for a test on vocabulary and
infinitives. The teacher will have already taught the material in various ways prior to this lesson. At the start of the class the teacher will briefly go over the activities for the day verbally as well as go over certain verbs and vocabulary terms. Then the teacher will set up the smart board activity to begin the review session. There will be a total of 5 different in depth activities for the students to complete. The students will be divided into teams (according to the classroom size) and will be given team names etc. Then the review session will begin.
The students will participate in competitive games as a group and also competitively as a single member of their group. One activity will be a timed word
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scramble. Another activity will be matching; the next will be a sort of hang-man soccer game. The teacher will also provide instruction for the students when necessary in order to help the students review effectively. There will be many back up games and activities to do in the case that students grow bored or they breeze through the review. Once the games and activities are over the students will be handed a physical copy of the review session to go home and study for the exam.
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Screenshots of Smart Board Activity
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Performance-Based Assessment
Performance-based assessment is a type of assessment that involves in a student producing
and performing a task. It can include oral tasks, written open response tasks, group tasks
where the group performs a task together and other tasks that are interactive. Performance-
based assessment measures how much or what a student can do with the content
knowledge rather than how much they know on paper. In performance-based assessments,
students demonstrate their knowledge through active performance tasks.
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A List of Performance-Based Tasks Examples
Below are a few examples that I have created specifically for a French classroom. This examples show how performance-based assessments are used in a foreign language classroom.
1. Student Role Play: Students are assigned to simulate a situation/scene from the movie Tristan et Yseult. The students will be performing either 1) a scene that they thought was important to the story line in the movie or 2) an alternate ending to the movie. The performance will be done completely in French and must be related to the content presented in the movie and the poem.
2. Oral Interview: The students will be choosing from a variety of topics to have an oral “interview” with the teacher. Various topics will include topics from each chapter that is gone over in the class. This interview will be casual with a warm-up at the beginning, then a series of questioning and responses, and then ending with a closing where the student can ask questions or make final comments.
3. Open-ended writing task with presentation: For this example students will be asked to respond to the following question: “If you could go anywhere in the world where would you go? Scotland? France? Hogwarts? Explain where you would go and why.” The students will be writing an essay about their opinion. After they do so they will be presenting their essay to the class. The presentation would include telling the class where they chose to visit and a few reasons why.
4. Dinner plan: Students in this performance-based task will be creating a “typical” French dinner menu. The students will be presenting their menu and their reason for the dinner (ex: holiday, birthday, just because etc.)
5. Pen-pal: Students will be writing to a pen-pal from a Francophone country. This task will help the students feel that what they are doing can be useful in the world outside of the classroom.
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Assessing Language Skills
Artifacts for assessing reading:
Artifact #1: Reading Comprehension
Description: This task is designed to assess a student’s reading comprehension skills in
the target language. The student will read the short excerpt of information about the Eiffel
Tower in Paris and then will respond to the questions.
Rationale: In today’s culture, reading is everything. By having an assessment in reading
comprehension, it allows the students to make real-world connections. It is necessary for a
student of a foreign language to be able to read the language and comprehend it due to the
growing popularity of social media. This assessment not only assess reading skills but also
provides the students with cultural information as well.
Reflection: I think that this assessment is sometimes over used in the classroom but it has
very many benefits for a student. This type of assessment can show a student how to read
in a foreign language. There are different strategies that a student can use while reading a
foreign text. For example, one can scan for words they know and then use that as context
clues to make a deduction on what the text is about.
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Nom: __________________________________ Date: ________________
La Tour Eiffel
La Tour Eiffel a été construite à l’occasion de
l’Exposition Universelle à Paris en 1889 pour célébrer le
centenaire de la Révolution française. Plus de 700 projets
ont été soumis pour le concours de sa construction. Les
plans de Gustave Eiffel ont été choisis. Tout le monde
n’était pas en faveur du projet de Monsieur Eiffel. Il y eut
même une pétition designée pour protester contre sa
construction. Il fallut deux ans pour la construire, et 15000
poutres de fer. Trois cents ouvriers ont travaillé sur
l’édifice. La Tour Eiffel est restée l’édifice le plus haut du
monde jusqu’en 1930. Elle mesure 300 mètres de haut. Il y a trois niveaux principaux. Le
restaurant de luxe “Le Jules Vernes” se trouve au deuxième niveau. Le dernier niveau
abrite un bar, une boutique de souvenirs, et le bureau restauré de Gustave Eiffel. On a failli
démonter la Tour Eiffel en 1909, mais l’utilité de son antenne pour la radio et la télévison
française l’a épargnée. Les touristes à Paris veulent toujours voir la Tour Eiffel. Le
panorama de Paris du haut de la Tour au coucher du soleil est à couper le souffle.
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Nom: __________________________________ Date: ________________
Répondre aux questions:
1.Pourquoi est-ce que la Tour Eiffel a été construite?
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2.Qu’est-ce qui se trouve au deuxième niveau de la Tour Eiffel?
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3. Quel matériau a été utilisé pour la construction de la Tour Eiffel?
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4. Pourquoi est-ce que la Tour Eiffel a été sauvée de la démolition en 1909?
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5. Quel est le meilleur moment pour admirer Paris du haut de la Tour Eiffel?
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Artifact #2: Reading editing task
Description: This is a reading assessment where the students will have read the book in
class and also gone over the grammar that used within the book. This reading assessment
has to do with knowing the grammar and its uses. Also at the end of the assignment I have
asked the students to do a translation at the end of the assignment without the use of a
dictionary or their classmates.
Rationale: By having the students correct and translate a short paragraph from a book it
allows the student to display their knowledge of vocabulary and grammar which is an
essential part to reading a foreign language. Having the students translate the text without
the use of their classmates and a dictionary shows what the student actually knows in the
target language pertaining to reading.
Reflection: I think that this assessment would be good to use after we have gone over a
grammar and vocabulary section. This assessment particularly is about the use of
agreement in the French written language. The students will read the text and be able to
recognize the mistakes and they will also be able to recognize vocabulary and translate it
back into English.
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Nom: __________________________________ Date: _______________________
Directions: You will read a short paragraph from the book “Scooby-Doo et le Vilain
Virus”. I have made corrections to have ten grammar mistakes. Your job is to find all ten
mistakes and correct them in RED ink. You are allowed to use your notes and also a
dictionary but NOT your classmates. After you have made your corrections you will write
a translation of the text on a separate sheet of paper. Do the best you can with the
translation without a dictionary or your classmates.
Paragraphe: Je est le roi, Scooby! Déclare Sammy, à l’arrière de la Machine à mystères.
Scooby allonge le patte, pose une couronne en carton sur la tete de Sammy et rigole:
-R’hi, hi, hi, hi, hi.
-Trés drôle, Scooby, dit Sammy. Mais je ne parlais pas de la couronne qu’on nous ont
donnée aux Bons Hamburgers. Sammy prend l’un de ses pions rougées et le place sur un
autres.
-Tu voit, je parlais plutôt de ce coup genial! Soudain, tous les pions volent dans l’airs.
Sammy ets Scooby font de même.
-Hé! Attention, Freddie! Lance Sammy!
Corrections:Je suis le roi, Scooby! Déclare Sammy, à l’arrière de la Machine à mystères. Scooby allonge la patte, pose une couronne en carton sur la tête de Sammy et rigole:-R’hi, hi, hi, hi, hi.-Très drôle, Scooby, dit Sammy. Mais je ne parlais pas de la couronne qu’on nous a donnée aux Bons Hamburgers. Sammy prend l’un de ses pions rouges et le place sur un autre. -Tu vois, je parlais plutôt de ce coup genial! Soudain, tous les pions volent dans les airs.Sammy et Scooby font de même.-Hé! Attention, Freddie! Lance Sammy!
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Artifacts for assessing writing:
Artifact #1: Picture-cued Creative Writing
Description: In this assessment the students are required to use their imagination
(although they will not be graded on their creativity) to create a story based on the images
given. They will be allowed to use one picture or more pictures whichever they choose.
They will be required to write at least five complete sentences but they may write as much
as they choose. They will be allowed to use their book for grammar questions and a
dictionary for unknown vocabulary questions that they may have.
Rationale: This assessment allows the students to be creative with their writing in French.
It also allows the teacher to gauge their writing abilities in the target language. Although
they are allowed to use the book and a dictionary, I believe that it will still be a valid
assessment. It is still valid because the students will still be constructing their own
sentences with their own words. They will be required to know and understand different
grammar structures in their own words.
Reflection: I personally think that this assessment will be great in the classroom. It will
help the students be engaged and allow them to be creative. I also like that the students are
allowed to use the book and a dictionary. I think it’s important to give the students the
tools that they need to succeed. Many students will need those tools to create their story. It
will still allow me as a teacher to gauge whether or not the student understands vocabulary
and grammar structures in their own words.
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Nom: ________________________________ Date: _________________________
Directions: Choose one or more pictures to guide you in your story. On the lines below, create a story by looking at the pictures. You may use a dictionary and your book. You must write at least five complete sentences. Use a separate sheet of paper if you need to.
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Artifact #2: Creative storytelling
Description: I got this idea from an English teacher and I have transformed it into a
French writing activity. In this assessment, the students will be following the instructions
to construct a creative paragraph. They must follow the outline of the questions as they
complete the task. Once they are done writing their story, they are to switch papers with a
classmate and read.
Rationale: This writing assessment gives the teacher an accurate assessment on the
students’ vocabulary knowledge and their knowledge of verb tenses. This assessment is
designed to promote the use of varied vocabulary in the target language and also promotes
the use of different verb tenses. It is a comprehensive evaluation of how well the student
can write in the target language because they will need to have knowledge of more than
one grammar concept to complete the task.
Reflection: I like this activity because it allows students to work at their own pace. It
allows the students who finish early to swap their papers with a classmate and keep busy
while the slower students to work at their own pace and get the extra help that they need.
This activity also works all types of verb tenses. This assignment is structured but it still
allows for the students to be creative in their writing. I like to have students write out of
imagination and creativity because it offers the opportunity to look up words that are not
presented in class that the students want to use.
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Nom: ____________________________________ Date: _________________________
Creative Writing Activity
Directions: You are going to write a paragraph that tells a story. Your paragraph will be a
response to the questions listed below. Any sentence that you write is fine but you must
follow the sequence of the questions. You can ask me for help while you are writing, use a
dictionary or your book. You will be writing your paragraph on a separate sheet of paper.
When you are done, swap stories with a partner and enjoy!
Questions:
1. Combien de temps avez-vous été sur la planète?
2. Pourquoi avez-vous y aller?
3. Décrire les deux personnes qui sont avec vous.
4. Pourquoi votre vaisseau spatial endommagé?
5. Quand vous avez décidé de quitter votre navire, dans quelle mesure avez-vous
marché?
6. Que cherchiez-vous?
7. Quand avez-vous réalisé que quelqu'un vous suivait?
8. Décrire la créature.
9. Pendant que vous étiez en train de fuir, vous trébucha et tomba. Qu'est-il arrivé?
10. Quelle a été la grande surprise à la fin de votre histoire?
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Artifacts for assessing listening comprehension:
Artifact #1: Choose the correct picture
Description: In this assessment the students will hear a series of information given in the
target language and then they will be required to choose the correct picture based on what
they have heard.
Rationale: This assessment is done through an information transfer technique. This means
that the information that is heard is going to be transferred to visual information.
Reflection: I believe that assessing listening comprehension in this way is effective
because it allows the student to show their listening ability. It also helps those who are
visual learners equate what they are hearing with an image.
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Directions: Choose the correct picture: Students hear: La jeune fille en rose pousse
un grand fauteuil bleu dans une piscine. Cette chaise est doux.
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Artifact #2: Filling in a calendar
Description: This assessment will have the student fill out a calendar based on what they
hear. The students will be read (multiple times) the weekly planner of a French student.
They will fill out that student’s daily activities for that week.
Rationale: This activity assesses a variety of different vocabulary words that are used
together. While the students listen to what the teacher is saying, they write down the
information that they hear. Listening is the first step in the process of completing this
activity therefore listening is the main function of this assessment.
Reflection: I like this sort of assessment better than a dictation because it requires less
grammar knowledge. I know this may sound strange but if I am assessing listening
comprehension I will not need to know if they understand the grammar, I want to know if
they understood what is being said. By doing a weekly planner, the students can write in
the correct project or activity in the correct day and time without having to worry about
anything else grammar-wise.
Directions: Write in the weekly activities of Amélie. Students hear: Amélie se réveille tous
les jours à 8, sauf le week-end. Le lundi, mercredi et vendredi, elle a l'art, à 10 heures.
Après cela, elle a les mathématiques à treize heures. Le mardi et le jeudi, elle a la science
à 9 h et en français à 11. Chaque lundi, mercredi et jeudi, amelie pratique la flûte avec le
groupe de l'école 20 heures-22 heures. Chaque mercredi, amelie travaille à la bibliothèque
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de 17 heures à minuit. Ce week-end, elle a un jeu de football le samedi à midi. Elle va
également à l'église à 9 h tous les dimanches.
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Artifacts for assessing speaking:
Artifact #1: Recording
Description: The students will be recording themselves speaking in the target language by
using the technology audacity. They will be able to listen to themselves and record
themselves again if they wish to do so. This assessment will be a recording of a French
poem.
Rationale: This may seem like an assessment that assesses reading but it is not. A huge
part of speaking a foreign language is pronunciation. Although the students will not be
coming up with the words themselves for this assessment, they will be assessed on how
well they speak the language based on their tone, fluidity and pronunciation.
Reflection: Pronunciation is very important to me as a foreign language teacher. I believe
that it is a vital part of speaking the language that cannot be ignored and must be taught.
By having the students record and listen to themselves speak, it allows them to hear their
own mistakes firsthand.
Directions: Read this poem by Paul Verlaine and record yourself using Audacity. You
may listen to yourself and re-record yourself as many times as you want.
Poem:
Il pleure dans mon coeur
Comme il pleut sur la ville.
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Quelle est cette langueur
Qui pénêtre mon coeur ?
O bruit doux de la pluie
Par terre et sur les toits !
Pour un coeur qui s’ennuie,
O le chant de la pluie !
Il pleure sans raison
Dans ce coeur qui s’écoeure.
Quoi ! nulle trahison ?
Ce deuil est sans raison.
C’est bien la pire peine
De ne savoir pourquoi,
Sans amour et sans haine,
Mon coeur a tant de peine.
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Artifact #2: Oral Interview with the Teacher
Description: This assignment is an oral interview or conversation with the teacher. This
interview will be based on previously reviewed topics that have been gone over in class.
The student will draw from a hat and choose the topic for discussion.
Rationale: This assessment is the epitome of what teachers (should) want for their
students. The ultimate goal of a foreign language teacher is to have their student go out and
speak the language. By having a real-world conversation with the student, it allows the
teacher to assess their speaking skills in the target language. It also allows the student to
have an idea of a real-world experience where he or she would use the target language.
Reflection: The idea of an interview with a teacher can be stressful to a student. However,
I believe that speaking a foreign language in general is a daunting task for some. For this
assessment, I as a teacher would need to give my students a lot of time to prepare so that
they can feel comfortable during the interview/conversation.
Directions: You will need to know vocabulary for all the topics listed. You will be choosing
from a hat before the interview to decide which topic we will be discussing.
Topics to choose from: Vacation, modes of transportation, friendship, food and family
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Rubric:
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Assessing Culture
Artifact # 1: French Idioms WebQuest
Description: This is a cultural webquest that I designed for French students. There are
multiple steps that are listed for the students to do in order to complete the task. The
purpose of this assessment is to have the students choose some French idioms that they
want to learn that they can also use outside of the classroom. They are also required to
share their idiom with a picture that they create using the paint tool on the computer.
Rationale: This particular assessment allows the students to see how the French people
speak, outside of the grammar rules. It is a sort of culture lesson on slang. It also helps the
students show what the students know about how English idioms are formed and how the
French idioms differ from those in English. In this assessment, the students will be able to
use their newfound culture knowledge while they are speaking to French natives.
Reflection: I believe that idioms and idiomatic phrases are a part of the French culture. I
do believe that this assessment falls into the culture category for that reason. I also believe
that this is a necessary topic to discuss in class. It also makes the students feel that what
they are learning is relevant to the real world. I also think that this assessment is a good
way to see if they are learning and interested in the French culture. I would know if they
were not if they just picked the first ten idioms from the web page, for example.
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Below are the screenshots for the cultural French idioms WebQuest.
Link:https://sites.google.com/a/bsugmail.net/french-idioms/
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Artifact # 2: French Revolution
Description: I have created a website that goes over the basics of the French Revolution.
http://frenchrvolution.weebly.com/. This website has a section where students will be
assessed on the cultural knowledge of the French Revolution. The students will be creating
a cartoon comic strip using the online tool ToonDoo to demonstrate their knowledge. The
teacher will also explain in further detail what will be expected of the students. The
students will have class time to work on their ToonDoo. They will also have time next
class to create and work on their animation. The students will be required to consult with
me during the next class to go over their animation and information.
Rationale: This assessment provides the teacher with whether or not the students are
comprehending the content that is being presented. The students are creating a product that
displays their knowledge of the French revolution. They will also be displaying the causes
and effects of the French Revolution so that they can see the cultural influences from the
past and how they affect today’s French culture.
Reflection: Part of knowing the current French culture comes from the history of France.
It is important to know that the French people are the way that they are because of the
history of France. Also, this assessment allows the students to be creative by creating their
own comic strip. By having the students do this is allows the visual learners to see how the
French Revolution played out rather than just reading about it. I believe that this type of
assessment would be more effective than just having a paper and pencil test because
students can personalize their knowledge of the French historical culture.
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Nom: ____________________________________ Date: ______________________
Directions: Create a comic strip using ToonDoo about the French Revolution. You can
present any aspect that you would like in your cartoon! Make sure you have at least four
different parts with text. Be creative with your dialogue. You must use some French text in
your dialogue at least five words. This will be worth 50 points. Below is an example of a
ToonDoo.
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Traditional Assessments
Traditional assessments like any type, method and form of assessment has its many
strengths and weaknesses. Traditional Assessments usually are referring to a paper-and-
pen test that students take in the classroom at their desk. Also traditional assessments or
test go along with the school and state standards for that particular content area. I think that
the most common form of a traditional test is a multiple choice test. In today’s culture, we
are seeing more and more of online tests for various reasons and on various topics that are
given in multiple choice forms. There is a very good reason for doing this that I will be
discussing.
First let’s talk about the strengths of traditional assessments. Some common types
of traditional assessment include; multiple choice tests, fill in the blank tests, matching
tests, true or false tests, short essay tests, final exams, chapter exams, and finally
standardized tests such as the ISTEP etc. The one thing that I believe is the most beneficial
of traditional assessments is the practicality of them. It is very easy to administer in a large
number and also to grade in a large number. This has a huge effect on teachers and their
reasoning behind using traditional assessments. I believe that teachers would use different
and in depth types of assessment every single day if they could but this is just not practical
for them. Traditional assessments allow for teachers to gain a general understanding of a
student’s competency level on a standards basis.
Another major strength of traditional assessments goes along with their high
practicality. Because these tests are so easy to administer and score, it is easier for teachers
to hand back to tests to students and thus is able to give prompt Washback to the students.
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This is important because students need to have some sort of feedback on their assessment
in a timely manner. For example, if a student takes an exam and then a month later the
teacher goes back over that exam, the student may or may not even remember the test and
it also loses its relevance for the student.
Although traditional assessments are very practical, they do have many drawbacks
in the classroom as well. Traditional assessments lack relatability and authenticity. Not
many products of traditional assessments can be used in everyday life for the student.
Traditional assessment also usually does not allow for the student to produce something
creative. It causes teachers to teach to the test during class instead of having students
creatively and actively explore new ideas in the classroom. Traditional assessments are
also not very effective in reaching the ultimate goal in a foreign language classroom which
is speaking the language. For example, a student can pass a written or multiple choice
exam with flying colors but when he or she goes to the host country, they cannot
communicate with the native speakers. This I believe is the major downfall of traditional
assessments.
Although the strengths and weaknesses are great in both areas of traditional
assessment, I believe that the idea of traditional assessments is growing and developing.
Traditional assessment methods can be reevaluated to insure that they are valid, authentic
and also practical all at the same time.
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List of Types and Purposes of Tests
1. Achievement Test: An achievement test is a standardized test that is designed to measure an individual’s level of knowledge in a particular area.Purpose: By the end of a given period of instruction, this test is used to measure whether or not the student has an appropriate knowledge of the content area.
2. Cloze Test: A cloze test is a type of assessment where a portion of the test is removed and the student is asked to replace the missing word with the correct answer.Purpose: The purpose of a cloze test is to assess the ability of a student to understand the context and vocabulary in the target language as a whole.
3. Criterion-Referenced Test: A criterion-reference test is a test that measures a student’s performance that is against a fixed criterion set by the teacher.Purpose: The purpose of a criterion reference test is to measure and give feedback to the students and teacher usually in the form or a grade.
4. Diagnostic Test: A diagnostic test is a test that is designed to diagnose specified aspects of a language.Purpose: The purpose of a diagnostic test is to hone in specifically on one aspect of the language and measure the students’ strengths and weaknesses.
5. Norm-Referenced Test: A norm-referenced test is a test in which each test-taker’s score in interpreted in relation to a mean or average score, median or middle score, standard deviation, and percentile rank.Purpose: The purpose of a norm-referenced test is to rank and sort students in comparison to their school and/or classmates. A norm-reference test is not to determine a student’s competency of the target language.
6. Placement Test: A placement test is a test that places a student into a particular level or section of a language curriculum.Purpose: The purpose of a placement test is to place a student in the level of a course or school that he or she would most benefit from.
7. Proficiency Test: A proficiency test is a test that is not limited to any one course, curriculum, or single skill in the language; rather, it is a test that assesses overall ability in the language.Purpose: The purpose of a proficiency test is to measure the overall competency in the target language.
8. Standardized Test: A standardized test is a test that presupposed certain standard objectives or performance levels.
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Purpose: The purpose of standardized tests is to show if students have met the required standards.
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Non-Traditional Assessments
Non-traditional assessments are usually the exact opposite of traditional assessment
(hints the name). Non-traditional types of assessment can include but are not limited to
performance-based assessment. It allows for students to create, produce and perform
something to show what they have learned in the classroom. It allows for students to
investigate topics and ideas rather than be taught them directly from a book. Students can
explore ideas with each other and share concepts with each other as well in non-traditional
assessment methods.
Usually non-traditional methods of assessment are formative rather than summative
and occur over a longer period of time. They also allow for students to create and produce
things that are relevant to the real world. Non-traditional assessments help a student reach
the ultimate goal in a foreign language classroom which is speaking the target language
outside of the classroom. I think this is the most attractive aspect about non-traditional
assessments. The aspect about this type of assessment compared to traditional assessment
is that you as a teacher can see the process of how a student comes up with the product. It
allows for students to demonstrate their creativity as they understand the material at hand.
Compared to traditional assessments, non-traditional assessments seem like the
better choice to use in a foreign language classroom however it too has significant
downfalls. As wonderful as non-traditional assessment is to a foreign language classroom,
it is extremely difficult to implement and even more difficult to grade. In order to use a
type of non-traditional assessment as a teacher you have to thoroughly prepare. It is very
easy for a non-traditional assessment to go wrong. With traditional assessments, they
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usually work and are useful because they are tested and widely used. Because non-
traditional forms of assessment aren’t as widely used by teachers, it is not a one hundred
percent guarantee that it will work in the classroom. Secondly, non-traditional assessments
are extremely time consuming and even more difficult to grade. For example, if a student
creates an assessment portfolio for their language, it will take a teacher a very long time to
grade each student’s portfolio and also grade it with no bias. Therefore, non-traditional
assessments are not as practical as traditional assessments.
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A List of Non-Traditional Assessments
Below are a few examples that I have created specifically for a French classroom. This examples show how non-traditional assessments are used in a foreign language classroom.
1. Classroom Debate: The students in the classroom will be divided in half. Once the students are divided into groups they will then brainstorm together and come up with arguments for their side and counter arguments against the other side. The topic will be chosen by the students that will be dealing with French culture. The students will have to have some impromptu discussions as well as the arguments that they have planned out.
2. Peer Teaching: The students in the classroom will be divided into four or five groups. Each group will have a grammar topic that will be learned as a group collectively together. Once each group has a good understanding of the topic, they will be given a number and then divided again into a different group. Each student in the group will teach the other students their assigned grammar topic.
3. Creating a Song: The students will be given two options, one option is to create their own song in French about any appropriate topic they choose. The second option is to translate an appropriate song to French and either record it or make a music video. The students will be able to work in groups or work alone.
4. Public Speech: The students will be giving a public speech on a French holiday or a French event. The students will have the freedom to choose any holiday or even that interests them. The students again will be able to work in groups or alone.
5. Student Research: The students will do a research study of their peers and family members outside of the classroom. The students will conduct interviews with the students in the school or their family members about what they know about the French language or French culture. The students will present the data that they gathered in a short research paper.
6.
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Online Assessment Resources
1. http://www.abcteach.com/ ABC Teach is a website where you can explore new teaching materials, worksheets, rubrics, reading comprehension, SMART board activities and more.
2. http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Browse/PreK-12-Subject-Area/French/Price- Range/Free This is a website that has different study guides or activities or assignments that can be for free use or for a small price.
3. http://www.frenchteacher.net/ This website basically acts as a support group for French teachers. It provides free resources for teachers such as PowerPoint templates and guides for lesson planning.
4. http://www.applauselearning.com/FRENCH/departments/24/ This is a website with a plethora of different resources from movies to literature to flags or photography games and audio. You name it they have it. They also provide study guides for French movies and books.
5. http://www.tes.co.uk/french-secondary-teaching-resources/ This is a website that a teacher can use to organize their lessons and activities and store them online to share.
6. http://www.4teachers.org/profdev/index.php?profdevid=as This is a website that provides a teacher with different methods and ways to implement different types of assessment in the classroom. It seems to me like the online version of our book! It provides links to other websites as well as some tools of their own.
7. http://rubistar.4teachers.org/ This is a website where teachers can easily make rubrics without hassle. You can also search for rubrics that have already been created by other educators in your specific content area.
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Assessment Resources
1. Bailey, Kathleen M. Learning about Language Assessment: Dilemmas, Decisions, and Directions. Pacific Grove: Heinle & Heinle, 1998. Print.
2. Brown, H. Douglas. Language Assessment: Principles and Classroom Practices. White Plains, NY: Pearson Education, 2010. Print.
3. Chamot, Anna Uhl. Methods for Teaching Learning Strategies in the Foreign Language Classroom and Assessment of Language Skills for Instruction. Final Report. Washington, D.C.: Distributed by ERIC Clearinghouse, 1993. Print.
4. Clapham, Caroline, and David Corson. Language Testing and Assessment. Dordrecht: Kluwer, 1997. Print.
5. Davies, Alan. Principles of Language Testing. Oxford, UK: B. Blackwell, 1990. Print.
6. Grigorenko, Elena L. Multicultural Psychoeducational Assessment. New York: Springer Pub., 2009. Print.
7. Kunnan, Antony John. The Companion to Language Assessment. Chichester: Wiley Blackwell, 2014. Print.
8. Lambert, Richard D. Foreign Language Instruction: A National Agenda. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications, 1987. Print.
9. Muma, John R. Language Handbook: Concepts, Assessment, Intervention. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1978. Print.
10. Verhoeven, Ludo Th., and Jong, John H. A. L. De. The Construct of Language Proficiency: Applications of Psychological Models to Language Assessment. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Pub., 1992. Print.
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Glossary
Alternative assessment: Various instruments that are less traditional and more authentic in their elicitation of meaningful communication.
Assessment: an ongoing process of collecting information about a given object of interest according to procedures that are systematic and substantively grounded
Authenticity: the degree of correspondence of the characteristics of a given language test task to the features of a target language task.
Autonomy: the ability to set one’s own goals and independently monitor success without the presence of an external stimulus.
Cloze: a text in which words are deleted and the test-taker must provide a word that fits the blank space.
Communicative test: a test that elicits a test-taker’s ability to use language that is meaningful and authentic.
Criterion-referenced test: a test designed to give test-takers feedback, usually in the form of grades, on specific courses or lesson objectives; the distribution of students’ scores across a continuum may be of little concern.
Dictation: a method of assessment in which test-takers listen to a test and write down what they hear.
Formal assessment: systematic, planned exercises or procedures constructed to give teacher and student an appraisal of student achievement.
Formative assessment: evaluating students in the process of “forming” their competencies and skills with the goal of helping them continue that growth process.
Gate-keeping: playing the role of allowing or denying someone passage into the next stage of an educational process.
Grading: assigning a score to a test or a composite set of recorded assessments, usually by means of a letter.
Absolute grading: a score on a test-taker’s performance is empirically calculated by predetermined measures of achievement of learning objectives.
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Relative grading: also known as “grading on the curve” in which a score on a test-taker’s performance is compared to other test-takers and sometimes altered to suit instructional needs.
Indirect testing: an assessment method in which the test-taker is not required to perform the target task; rather, inference is made from performance on non-target tasks.
Informal assessment: incidental, unplanned comments and responses, along with coaching and other impromptu feedback to the student.
Information transfer: a process in which information processed from one skill is used to perform another skill.
Integrative test: a test that treats language competence as a unified set of interacting abilities of grammar, vocabulary, reading, writing, speaking, and listening.
Interview: a context in which a teacher engages in a face-to-face question-and-answer dialogue with a student for a designated assessment purpose.
Language ability: an individual’s general or overall competence to perform in an acquired language.
Measurement: a process of quantifying a test-taker’s performance according to explicit procedures or rules.
Multiple intelligences: types of intelligence that extend beyond traditional IQ-based concepts, such as spatial, musical, kinesthetic, naturalist, interpersonal, and intrapersonal intelligence.
Objective tests: tests that have predetermined fixed responses.
Performance: one’s actual “doing” of language in the form of speaking, writing, listening, and reading.
Performance-based assessment: assessment that typically involves oral production, written production, open-ended responses, integrated performance group performance, and other interactive tasks.
Picture-cued items: test questions in which a visual stimulus serves to prompt a response or in which the test-taker chooses, among visuals, a response that correctly matches a spoken or written prompt.
Proficiency test: a test that is not limited to any one course, curriculum, or single skill in the language; rather, it tests overall global ability.
Reliability: the extent to which a test yields consistent and dependable results.
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Inter-rater: condition in which two or more scorers yield consistent scores for the same test. Intra-rater: condition in which the same scorer yields consistent scores across all tests.
Student-related: a learner-related issue such as fatigue, anxiety, or physical or psychological factors which may make an “observed” score deviate from one’s “true” score.
Test: consistency of different facets f a test in each test administration.
Test administration: consistencies in conditions in which the test is administered.
Rubrics: statements that describe what a student can perform at a particular point on a rating scale.
Standardized tests: test that presuppose certain standard objectives or performance levels.
Standards: specification of curricular objective, criterion levels, and/or cut-off points against which a student’s test performance is evaluated.
Standards-based assessment: measure that are used to evaluate student academic achievement and to show that students have reached certain standards.
Summative test: a test that aims to measure, or summarize, what a student has grasped and typically occurs at the ends of a course or unit of instruction.
Validity: the extent to which inference made from assessment results are appropriate, meaningful, and useful in terms of the purpose of the assessment.
Concurrent: the extent to which results of a test are supported by other relatively recent performance beyond the test itself.
Consequential: a test’s impact, including such consideration as its accuracy in measuring intended criteria, its effect on the preparation of test-takers, and the social consequences of a test’s interpretation and use.
Construct: any theory, hypothesis, or model that attempts to explain observed phenomena in one’s universe of perceptions.
Content-related: the extent to which a test actually samples the subject matter about which conclusion are to be drawn.
Criterion-related: the extent to which the linguistic criteria of the test are measured and implied predetermined levels of performance are actually reached.
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Face: the extent to which a test-taker views the assessment as fair, relevant , and useful for improving learning.
Predictive: the extent to which results of a test are used to gauge future performance.
Washback: the effect of assessments on classroom teaching and learning.
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