alternatives in assessment rocío-carolina

8/13/2019 Alternatives in assessment Roco-Carolina

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BEYOND TESTS: ALTERNATIVES

IN ASSESSMENT

Source: Brown, D. (2004) Language Assessment: Principles andClassroom Practices. New York: Pearson Longman.

Jenny C. Acevedo and Roco C. Oviedo

Universidad Industrial de Santander

Santander, Colombia


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One of the disturbing things about tests is the

extent to which many people accept the results

uncritically, while others believe that all testing is

invidious. But tests are simply measurement tools:

It is the use to which we put their results that can

be appropiate or inappropiate.

Bailey (1998)


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Introduction

In Chapter 1, an important distinction was made between testingand assessing:

Tests are formal procedures, usuallyadministered within strict time

limitations, to sample the

performance of a test-taker in aspecified domain.

Test

Assessment connotes a much broaderconcept in that most of the time whenteachers are teaching, they are also

assessing. Assessment includes alloccasions from informal impromptuobservations and comments up to

and including tests.Assessment


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Alternative Assessment

A new proposal that emerged in the 1990s

The proposal was to assemble additional measurement of students,in order to triangulate data.


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Brown and Hudson(1998) proposed a new terminology:

instead ofAlternative assessment, they changed it to

Alternatives in assessment.

All tests are assessmentsbut not all assessments are tests.


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Characteristics of alternatives inassessment

1.They require students to perform, create, produce, or do something

2. They use real-world contexts or simulations

3. They are nonintrusive

4. They allow students to be assessed on what they normally do in class

5. They use tasks that represent meaningful instructional activities

7. They tap into higher-level thinking and problem-solving skills

6. They focus on processes as well as products

8. Provide information about both the strengths and weaknesses of students

9.They are multiculturally sensitive when properly administered

10. They ensure that people, not machines, do the scoring

11. Encourage open disclosure of standards and rating criteria

12.Call upon teachers to perform new instructional and assessment roles


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Dilemma in standardized andalternatives in assessment

Formal standardized tests:

Highly practical, reliable instruments.

Designed to minimize time and money and to be accurate in their

scoring.

Alternatives such as portfolios or conferencing with students ondrafts of written work, or observations of learners:

All require considerable time and effort

But the alternative techniques also offer greater washback, aresuperior formative measures, and, because of their authenticity,

usually carry greater face validity.


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Practicality/reliability and washback/authenticityrelationship graph


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Alternatives in Assessment


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Performance-based assessment

Performance-based assessment implies productive, observable

skills, such as speaking and writing, of content-valid tasks.

Characteristics1. Students make a constructed response

2. They engage in higher- order thinking , with openended tasks

3. Tasks are meaningful , engaging, and authentic

4. Tasks call for the integration of language skills

5. Both process and product are assessed6. Depth of a students mastery is emphasized over breadth


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Procedures for performance- basedassessment

Performance-based assessment procedures need to be treated

with the same rigor as traditional tests. This implies that

teachers should:

state the overall goal of the performance

specify the objectives (criteria) of the performance in detai

prepare students for performance in stepwise progressions

use a reliable evaluation form, checklist, or rating sheet

treat performances as opportunities for giving feedback and provide

that feedback systematically

utilize self- and peer-assessments


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Portfolios

A portfolio is a purposeful collection of students work thatdemonstrates students efforts, progress, and achievements ingiven areas (Genesee and Upshur, 1996).

Portfolios include materials such as:

essays and compositions in draft and final forms; reports, project outlines;

audio and/or video recordings of presentations, demonstrations, etc.

journals, diaries, and other personal reflections;

tests, test scores, and written homework exercises;

self- and peer-assessments--comments, evaluations, and checklists.


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Atributes of portfolios

Gottlieb (1995) suggested a developmental scheme forconsidering the nature and purpose of portfolios,using the acronym CRADLE to designate six possibleattributes of a portfolio:

Collecting: an expression of students lives and identities.

Reflecting: thinking about experiences and activities.

Assessing: evaluating quality and development over time.

Documenting: demonstrating student achievement.

Linking: connecting student and teacher, parent, community, and peers.

Evaluating: generating responsible outcomes.


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Steps and guidelines

1. State objectives clearly

2. Give guidelines on what materials to include

3. Communicate assessment criteria to students

4. Designate time within the curriculum for portfolio development.

5. Establish periodic schedules for review and conferencing

6. Designate an accessible place to keep portfolios.

7. Provide positive washback when giving final assessments.

It is inappropriate to reduce the personalized and creative process of

compiling a portfolio to a number or letter grade. Instead, teachersshould offer a qualitative evaluation such a final appraisal of the

work, with questions for self-assessment of a project, and a

narrative evaluation of perceived strengths and weakness.


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Activity

In groups you are going to implement , as a teacher, a portfolio on your

class. Using the guidelines on pages (257-259), you are going to plan your

portfolio following at least 5 out of the 7 steps. You will have 10 minutes.


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Journals

A journal is a log of ones thought, feelings, reactions,assessments, ideas, or progress, toward goals,

usually written with little attention to structure, form,or correctness.

Journals obviously serve important pedagogical

purposes: practice in the mechanics of writing, usingwriting as a thinking process, individualization, and

communications with the teacher.


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Steps for journals1. Sensitively introduce students to the concept of journal writing.

2. State the objective(s) of the journal: Language-learning logs, Grammar

journals, Responses to readings, strategies-based learning logs, Self-

assessment reflections, etc.

3. Give guidelines on what kinds of topics to include.

4. Carefully specify the criteria for assessing or grading journals.

5. Provide optimal feedback in your responses: cheerleading feedback,

instructional feedback, or reality-check feedback. McNamara, (1998, p.39)

6. Designate appropriate time frames and schedules for review.

7. Provide formative, washback-giving final comments.


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Conferences and interviews

Conferences are not limited to drafts of written work. It must

assume that the teacher plays the role of a facilitator and guide,not of an administrator, of a formal assessment.

Conferencesgoals

Commenting on drafts of essays and reportsReviewing portfoliosResponding journalsAdvising on a students plan for an oral presentationGiving feedback on the results of performance on a testAssessing general progress in a course.

Interviewsgoals

Assess the students oral production

Seeks to discover a students learning styles andpreferencesAsks a student to assess his or her own performanceRequests an evaluation of a course


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Guidelines for conferences andinterviews

1. Offer an initial atmosphere of warmth and anxiety-lowering (warm-

up).

2. Begin with relatively simple questions.

3. Continue with level-check and probe questions, but adapt to the

interviewee as needed.

4. Frame questions simply and directly.

5. Focus on only one factor for each question. Do not combine several

objectives in the same question.

6. Be prepared to repeat or reframe questions that are not understood.

7. Wind down with friendly and reassuring dosing comments.


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Observations

Observation is a systematic, planned procedure for real-time,

almost furtive recording of student verbal and nonverbal

behavior.

One of the objectives of such observation is to assess

students without their awareness (and possible consequent

anxiety) of the observation so that the naturalness of their

linguistic performance is maximized.


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Potential observations Sentence-level oral production skills pronunciation of target

sounds, intonation, etc.- grammatical features (verb tenses,question formation, etc.)

Discourse-level skills (conversation rules, turn-taking, and

other macroskills) Interaction with classmates (cooperation, frequency of oral

production)-

Frequency of student-initiated responses (whole class, groupwork)


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Steps for observations

Determine the specific objectives of the observations

Decide how many students will be observed at one time

Set up the logistics for making unnoticed observations

Design a system for recording observed performances

Do not overestimate the number of different elements

you can observe at one time

Plan how many observations you will make

Determine specifically how you will use the results


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Self- And Peer-assessment

Do you think learners are able to monitor their own

performance and use those conclusions for

corrections?


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Self-assessment derives from principles of second

language acquisition

Autonomy

Intrinsic Motivations

Cooperative Learning (peer-assessment)


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Types of self- and peer-assessment:

1. Assessment of (a specific) performance:

Students monitors him/herself

Give evaluation of performance

Takes place immediately or very soon after the

performance


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2. Indirect assessment of (general) competence:

Assessing general ability or performance during a

term, period, course.

3 M t iti t (f tti l )


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3. Metacognitive assessment (for setting goals):

Personal goal settings:

Fosters intrinsic motivation

Provides extra-special impetus of having set and

accomplished a goal

Journal entries


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Goal card example:

The studentsself-assessment on the back

of the card:


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4. Socioaffective assessment:

When learners resolve to:

Assess and improve motivation

Lower their own anxiety Plan to overcome mental or emotional barriers to

learning


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Self-assessment of styles:

Self-assessment of multiple intelligences:


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5. Student-generated test:

Engage the students in the process of

constructing tests themselves


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Guidelines for self- and peer-assessment

1. Tell students the purpose of the assessment

2. Define the task(s) clearly.

3. Encourage impartial evaluation of performance or

ability.

4. Ensure beneficial washback through follow-up tasks.


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Self- and peer-assessment tasksListening Tasks

listening to TV or radio broadcasts and checking comprehensionwith a partner

listening to an academic lecture and checking yourself on a"quiz" of the content

Speaking Tasks

using peer checklists and questionnaires

rating someone's oral presentation (holistically)

Reading Tasks

reading passages with self-check comprehension questions

following taking vocabulary quizzes

Writing Tasks

revising written work on your own or with a peer (peer editing)

proofreading


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The six alternatives in assessment with regard to the fulfillment of

the major assessment principles:

To summarize


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alternatives in assessment rocío-carolina

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