1. Types and Objectives Assessment
a. An achievement test is a test of developed skill or knowledge. The most common type of achievement test is a standardized test developed to measure skills and knowledge learned in a given grade level, usually through planned instruction, such as training or classroom instruction.[1][2] Achievement tests are often contrasted with tests that measure aptitude, a more general and stable cognitive trait.
b. A diagnostic test is a test that helps the teacher and learners identify problems that they have with the language.
c. A placement test is a test given by a school to determine the academic or skill level of a student, especially a new student, in order to place them in the correct class.
d. A proficiency test measures a learner's
level of language. It can be compared with an achievement test, which evaluates a learner's understanding of specific material, a diagnostic test, which identify areas to work on, and a prognostic test, which tries to predict a learner's ability to complete a course or take an exam. Proficiency tests are uncommon within the classroom but very frequent as the end aim (and motivation) of language learning.
e. An aptitude test is designed to assess
what a person is capable of doing or to predict what a person is able to learn or do given the right education and instruction. It represents a person's level of competency to perform a certain type of task. Such aptitude tests are often used to assess academic potential or career suitability. Such tests may be used to assess either mental or physical talent in a variety of domains.
2. Issues in language assessment
- Literacy
One of the biggest problems facing ELL students is a lack of English language literacy, meaning the ability to understand how to read and write a particular language. Imagine trying to take a test about the solar system in a different language. You may know about our sun, moon, and the planets, but how would you get past the language barrier in order to prove it? One way to compensate for the language barrier is to read test directions, readings, and questions aloud to ELL students. Being able to hear the language spoken aloud while reading along can enhance their comprehension dramatically. Some students receive bilingual education, or education in both their native language and English. Sometimes it's better to assess students in their native language. It will give you more reliable information about their content knowledge. Of course, this isn't necessarily ideal if you're actually assessing language proficiency, and especially if you are trying to encourage them to speak a new language.Another necessary accommodation is extra time. Just providing ELL students with additional time to process the test and formulate their responses can go a long way towards helping them demonstrate their understanding of the content.
3.Hot topicsrelating to class-room-based assessment
a.Scaffolding-Up/Assets-Based Instruction
Educators who approach instruction with an assets-based lens acknowledge that all students enter classrooms with powerful cognitive, linguistic, and cultural assets. Assets-based instruction builds upon each students individual strengths as a springboard for acceleration, rather than focusing on perceived student deficits. All students benefit from a classroom environment that establishes high expectations, since all students share a common goal of mastering grade-level content and standards, according to Debra Hopkins, Senior Curriculum Consultant at Imagine Learning, a leading educational technology company that provides supplementary digital educational programs to schools across the nation. When we approach instruction with an assets-based perspective, we support all students in achieving to their highest potential.
When we scaffold up, we acknowledge that students may have different entry points relative to the goal and, instead of watering down or slowing down, we give them the strategic support they need to accelerate toward the goal, explains Hopkins. When we set high expectations and scaffold up, students absolutely rise to our expectations. Weve seen this over and over again.
b. Rigor
Theres been a lot of talk in education over the past few years about the importance of rigor and setting high expectations for students. Rigor has even become a bit of a buzz-word, though it can have a different definition depending on who you talk to. Rigor is not just working harder, longer, or requiring more, explains Hopkins. When students grapple with challenging grade-level content and higher standards, they should be given opportunities to interact with complex and compelling text and engage in rich academic discourse. Rigor also creates opportunities for productive struggle, key to developing resilience and a growth mindset.
c. Complex and Compelling Text
To engage students at all levels, its not enough for reading text to simply be complex. Complex reading text can be boring and dry, making it difficult for children to engage. Compelling text, on the other hand, draws a student in and gets them excited and interested in what theyre reading about. Teachers can incorporate all types of classroom activities to help students view text as intriguing and interesting, including sharing dramatic photos or works of art, video clips, poignant primary source quotes, or even their own personal experiences. According to an article by Lily Wong Fillmore, Professor Emerita at The University of California Berkeley, and Charles J. Fillmore, past Professor of Linguistics at UC Berkeley, There is only one way to acquire the language of literacy, and that is through literacy itselfComplex texts provide school-age learners reliable access to this language, and interacting with such texts allows them to discover how academic language works. (1)
Hopkins describes how utilizing compelling text encourages students to lean in and grapple with reading selections that may be a bit above their current reading level: At Imagine Learning, we are identifying and incorporating more paired selections and text sets, creating opportunities for multiple exposures to important vocabulary and big ideas. Students may be reading about contemporary issues like endangered species, important historic events, or ground-breaking ideas from cultures around the world; if we can create some magic around the topic and make it compelling, students will work harder and achieve higher.
d. Academic Discourse
When educators share complex and compelling text and set high expectations for students, they also establish a classroom environment that facilitates and values academic discourse. Some studies reveal that children only talk for five to ten minutes in an average eight-hour school day. These are classrooms where teachers do the vast majority of the talking. Research affirms that students benefit from rich student-to-student and teacher-to-student interactions as they build academic language and concepts, shares Hopkins. At Imagine Learning, we celebrate and support educators who encourage their students to engage in rich academic discourse around important, grade-level content and concepts. We know that students acquire academic language best when it is contextualized within big ideas, content-specific registers, and taught within phrasesas opposed to word-by-word.
An article by Jeff Zwiers, a senior researcher at Stanford Graduate School of Education, argues that teachers can foster opportunities for academic discourse in classrooms with purposeful planning. Teachers should create situations that challenge students to communicate with words and conversational patterns characteristic of cognitive language, posits Zwiers. Urge students to take the perspective of their listeners into account, exchange ideas respectfully, and clarify their message at key points. (2)
The challenge for teachers is to facilitate regular participation in productive academic discourse. Skilled educators foster collaborative discussions of learning between students, and between teachers and students, that can deepen understanding for all involved.
References :
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achievement_test
https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/diagnostic-test
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/placement-test
https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/proficiency-test
https://study.com/academy/lesson/assessment-issues-with-english-language-learners.html
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