Week 14

Assessments are a crucial part of teaching, it shows us the progress the student has made over time as well as the strengths and concerns some students need. Assessment can be as formal as a final project or test it can be as simple and informal as observation. Assessments give the students a freedom in the classroom, tests can harbor anxiety in students and assessments can give them an opportunity to show what they have learned in a creative way. There is also freedom with what a teacher can do with assessments, there can be a lot of creativity and versatility in assessments but they must be practical, reliable and valid. If the test is dependable, tests what it is intended to test and practical then it is trustworthy and the students will feel more comfortable with it. The test should always be authentic and use authentic language, this is especially important for English language learners.

I personally believe alternative assessments provide more stability and security in students. I believe they showcase student’s strengths and concerns better than a traditional test. For example in this class we have a good mix of alternative assessments and tests. It is important to know what a student knows and tests can do a good job of that but there are so many factors that can influence a test. With alternative assessments students have a better opportunity to demonstrate what they know. When the students have an opportunity to use alternative assessments such as portfolios, journals, conferences and observations they are more in control of their learning. In portfolios students can pick and choose what they think is most important, the students are more in control of their learning and learning outcomes which is more meaningful than taking a multiple choice test and forgetting about it a week later. Alternative assessments are an outlet for students to be creative and for me it is more meaningful. Traditional tests are important but there should be a healthy mix of alternative assessments as well.

When traditional testing is needed it is important that as a teacher you know how to construct a quality test that is valid, reliable, and practical. The items that are being tested should be clear and unambiguous, the last thing a teacher wants to do is confuse students when they are being assessed. The directions should be clear, this can be challenging especially for non native English speakers. Teachers should have a variety of discourse types in the test as well as in the evaluation. It is important for testers to develop a variety of procedures to assess different skills.

Oral Proficiency tests are a whole new area that needs to be assessed differently. An interdisciplinary approach is a great way to understand the language because it is practical and an effective means of assessment.