Integration

Validity of Language Assessment

Key Points: This article details the complexities that come with the validation of language tests. To validate a test means to determine whether or not the test can evaluate what the it is suppose to evaluate. That is, is the test measuring what the test maker intended to measure. According to this reading the problem with validating tests is that the measurements for validation need to be reviewed. The current definition of validation is put under the microscope in this article. This article is a call out to test makers to reevaluate the ways in which they validate tests. Criteria to look at when evaluating the validity of a test include: the consequences of the test and comparison of the test to other tests, and the language construct the test is suppose to measure.

My interaction with the reading:

1. Although this article was difficult for me to understand, it did make me consider the unique difficulties of language testing. For example, a language test may actually be testing a learner's ability to take a test. A test may have it's own discourse and demonstrating proficiency in that discourse may not represent proficiency in the target language.
2. In my own experience making tests I found it difficult to illicit a demonstration of a language skill. I had to walk a fine line between giving the answer away by being too specific or make the answer too difficult by being too vague.
3. I have a feeling that the term 'validity' means something in the testing world that I don't fully understand because this is my first time reading about tests. I understand the word but I have a feeling that the word is used to mean something specific in the testing world. Like it is testing jargon.

Fairness and Justice for All

Key Points: As the title suggests, this article is about fairness in testing. We learn how tests can be unfair. For example, tests administered on computer are unfair to students in locations that do not have computers. This article states that relatively little research has been done to determine how to make fair tests and that more research is necessary if test makers are to make fair tests. We learn that fair tests are important to society in that unfair tests affect college admissions and jobs. Tests in the past have been judged to be racist.

My interaction with the reading:

1. I'm a little confused by the use of the term 'construct' as it pertains to testing.
2. I learned a new term, wash back, which describes the phenomenon in which test influence how teachers teach. I think another way to say this, “teaching to the test.” I think wash back is an important issue in education. Especially in Korea.
3. I had never thought of tests as being unfair. I thought as long as every student reachieved the same test than it was a fair test. In this article we learn that this is not true and that making a fair test is not a simple matter.

Writing Assessment

ESL/EFL instructors’ practices for writing assessment: ... - A. Cumming

Key Points: A. Cummings traveled the world to talk to highly experienced EFL teachers and discovered that teachers who teach English for specific purposes and those who teach general purpose English course assess their students differently. The English for specific purposes teachers all shared a common way of assessing students that mostly focused on evaluating what the students produced and determining whether or not it was ready for the real world. However, general purpose teachers did not share a common assessment method. These teachers used a variety of methods and had a variety of criteria for their students with most benchmarks being centered around students as individuals in the process of development.

My Interaction with the Reading:

1. The article does not give a clear definition of the two types of classes and even states that all of the classes discussed lie somewhere along a continuum. Does not this make it difficult for the author and the reader to draw comparisons between the two types of classes?
2. How does the difference between the two types of classes affect my classroom? Am I teaching English for a specific purpose becuase I am preparing students for the college entrance exam?

The Effects of Portfolio Assessment ... - B. Nezakatgoo

Key Points: In this paper we learn about the benefits of using portfolios in a writing class for language learners. A portfolio is a collection of the student's writing that is turned in at the end of the semester. In a non-portfolio writing class completed assignments are no longer relevant to class, but in a portfolio based writing class writing assignments are revisited. Instead of having students write a final paper for their final exam, students can choose a previously written paper from their portfolio to improve upon. The portfolios emphasize process writing.

My Interaction with the Reading:

1. This seems like a great method; however, I'm concerned that some students may not take the method seriously and would simply try to use it as an easy way out of hard work. For example, telling a student to improve a paper may just mean to the student that they are getting away with not having to write.
2. It is necessary to find a balance between new writing and looking back at old writing. Improvement may be accomplished through practice or reflection.
3. I remember keeping portfolios in past classes, but it seemed that the teachers did not make use of portfolios. The portfolios were just a folder that had all my writing assignments in it. I did not have to write a cover letter or choose papers to improve upon.

Courses: From Principles to Practice – CLEMENTS

Key Points: Aware of the benefits to using portfolios for a writing class, this author describes his experience introducing portfolios to a university writing course with high intermediate to advanced English learners. The reader learns of some benefits to portfolios and some of the differences from traditional writing classes that Clements encountered. He also discusses some of the potential drawbacks to portfolio writing classes.

My Interaction with the Reading:

1. This article was an excellent counterpoint to the Nezakatgoo article because it included some the potential problems with portfolios. Nezakatgoo's article was decidedly optimistic, and this article was more piratical. I feel that I can take what I learned from this article into my classroom.
2. This article addressed my concern with the Nezakatgoo's article- that reflection may take time away from writing. Clements had his students write about their papers and their writing process.
3. What role does the students' first language play in portfolios? Could journals and reflections be written in their first language?

A Case Study of Dynamic Assessment ... - Lan & Luo

Key Points: Here we learn about Dynamic Assessment. It is changing your assessments as you go to accommodate the students' needs. It is also giving the student a role in their own assessment though discussions with the teacher. Dynamic Assessment also goes hand in hand with process writing. The teacher evaluates the first draft and then bases writing instruction on the students' needs to help them write a second draft.

My Interaction with the Reading:

1. Dynamic Assessment put a lot of emphasis on the teacher's ability. I feel the better the teacher the better this method will work in the classroom. An overworked, unequipped, or unenthusiastic teacher will have trouble implementing this into their classroom.
2. There is also a heavy reliance on the relationship between the teacher and the students. Students will have to have a lot of trust in their teacher, as well as the ability to discuss their writing with the teacher. This method may make some students uncomfortable.