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ASSESSMENT IN
TEACHING AND LEARNING
TOPIC 2
2.0
SYNOPSIS
2.1
LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of this topic, you will be able to:
2.2
1.
2.
3.
FRAMEWORK OF TOPICS
Reasons / Purposes of
Assessment
Assessment of
Learning / Assessment
for Learning
Types of Tests:
Proficiency,
Achievement,
Diagnostic, Aptitude,
and Placement Tests
CONTENT
SESSION TWO (3 hours)
2.3
Reasons/Purpose of Assessment
Critical to educators is the use of assessment to both inform and guide
once a year to all students at approximately the same time. Then, the results are
used for accountability, identifying schools for additional assistance, and certifying the
extent to which individual students are meeting competency.
Let us take a closer look at the two assessments below i.e. Assessment of
Learning and Assessment for Learning.
2.4
Assessment of Learning
Assessment of learning is the use of a task or an activity to measure, record,
2.5
2.6
Types of tests
The most common use of language tests is to identify strengths and
weaknesses in students abilities. For example, through testing we can discover that
a student has excellent oral abilities but a relatively low level of
reading comprehension. Information gleaned from tests also assists us in deciding
who should be allowed to participate in a particular course or programme area.
Another common use of tests is to provide information about the effectiveness of
programmes of instruction.
Henning (1987) identifies six kinds of information that tests provide about students.
They are:
o Diagnosis and feedback
o Screening and selection
o Placement
o Program evaluation
o Providing research criteria
o Assessment of attitudes and socio-psychological differences
Alderson, Clapham and Wall (1995) have a different classification scheme.
They sort tests into these broad categories: proficiency, achievement, diagnostic,
progress, andplacement. Brown (2010), however, categorised tests according to
their purpose, namely achievement tests, diagnostic tests, placement tests,
proficiency test, and aptitude tests.
Proficiency Tests
Proficiency tests are not based on a particular curriculum or language
programme. They are designed to assess the overall language ability of students at
varying levels. They may also tell us how capable a
person is in a particular language skill area.Their purpose is to describe what
students are capable of doing in a language.
Proficiency tests are usually developed by external bodies such as
examination boards like Educational Testing Services (ETS) or Cambridge ESOL.
Some proficiency tests have been standardised for international use,
such as the American TOEFL test which is used to measure the English language
proficiency of foreign college students who wish to study in NorthAmerican universities or the British-Australian IELTS test designed for those who
wish to study in the United Kingdom or Australia (Davies et al., 1999).
Achievement Tests
Achievement tests are similar to progress tests in that their purpose is to see
what a student has learned with regard to stated course outcomes. However, they
are usually administered at mid-and end- point of the semester or academic year.
The content of achievement tests is generally based on the specific course content or
on the course objectives. Achievement tests are often cumulative, covering material
drawn from an entire course or semester.
Diagnostic Tests
Diagnostic tests seek to identify those language areas in which a student
needs further help. Harris and McCann (1994 p. 29) point out that where other
types of tests are based on success, diagnostic tests are based on failure. The
information gained from diagnostic tests is crucial for further course activities and
providing students with remediation. Because diagnostic tests are difficult to write,
placement tests often serve a dual function of both placement and diagnosis (Harris
or IELTS exam and link it to curricular benchmarks. In the latter, tests are based on
aspects of the syllabus taught at the institution concerned.
In some contexts, students are placed according to their overall rank in the
test results. At other institutions, students are placed according to their level in each
individual skill area. Elsewhere, placement test scores are used to determine if a
student needs any further instruction in the language or could matriculate directly into
an academic programme.
Discuss and present the various types of tests and assessment
tasks that students have experienced.
Discuss the extent tests or assessment tasks serve their purpose.