UNIT 12: ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION Unit 12 · UNIT 12: ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION Unit 12 Assessment...

UNIT 12: ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION

Unit 12

Assessment and

Evaluation

The cartoon suggests several perspectives on assessment and evaluation. Write down possible functions and compare them with those discussed in this chapter.

STUDY QUESTION: BOOK PAGE 264

Sample Student Answers

Assessment helps teachers gain an idea about what students understand, plan and organize instruction, and provide helpful feedback to students

Assessments help students see what they learn, use that knowledge to adapt their learning, and may ask them to take more responsibility for their own learning

Assessments allow students, teachers and parents know of achievement at certain stages of education, e.g., in order to celebrate success, plan interventions, or support progress


Unit 12

Assessment and

Evaluation

As to the competition-oriented performance or achievement principle, sum up, consider and discuss the following critique (pp. 266-267) expressed by pedagogues (our trans.).



Summary:

Competition-oriented performance or achievement principle is only one of several factors connected to and influencing social progression

The performance society leads to stress, rivalry, and a struggle for self-identity, by destroying solidarity and supporting social fragmentation

This assessment has been found to hamper students’ motivation and desire to learn by connecting a sense of failure and frustration to schools

Discussion:

The critique presents valid viewpoints: the principles of performance and achievement have a negative impact on society, causing unnecessary stress, rivalry and complications

At the same time, it is not the only problem in today’s society since other principles, such as right social connections or being liked are strong

contributors to climbing the social ladder, facts that ultimately support inequality

If competition is a core principle in society, teaching it would prepare learners for the real world

More cooperation would be beneficial for equality, social life, and maybe even overall performance of society as a whole.


Unit 12

Assessment and

Evaluation

Reflect on memorable tests of your school career. Which of the four functions (pp.268-269) did they serve? What will be the functions of the tests you will have to pass yet?



Previous tests: SAT’s served the differentiation and selection process to allocate students to different class levels (top/middle/bottom)

Tests served as a diagnosis process to detect the strengths and weaknesses of students, and to screen and place them into 'appropriate' paths for future schooling (GCSE’s)

The Information process in SAT’s is also used to find the strengths and weaknesses of the students to help them where needed and to encourage strengths

Educational process wasn’t related to the SAT’s; if anything, it was noticeable that students became de-motivated and had difficulties to obtain a sense of achievement

Future tests: university exams form stepping stones to a degree and to a future career. Provides a sense of achievement with each step - education process is palpable


Unit 12

Assessment and

Evaluation

Consider the following assessment problems: 1. Why do some class tests have (overall) extremely bad results,

and others extremely good results? 2. Why does an average student get better grades in one class

than in another? 3. Why do some students feel that they can never get a good

grade in a particular class? 4. If a student makes progress in a dictation test and has ‘only’

35 mistakes instead of his usual 45-50, should he still get a ‘no pass/fail’ (grade 6) or possibly – according to the concept of individual referencing – a better grade? How can this be justified vis-à-vis his or her classmates?



1. Norm referencing: different abilities of the teachers - learning/teaching wasn’t appropriate to the test questions, questions not specific enough

2. Group referencing: students’ grades are dependent on the rest of the class as well as their own ability; learner may dislike the teacher or the subject

3. Group referencing: in a good class, grading becomes stricter as the average becomes higher - this makes it difficult for students to reach the higher grades

4. Individual referencing: on an individual level, it should certainly be classed as an improvement, but at the same time in comparison to the class, still below average; individual reference is used to boost motivation


Unit 12

Assessment and

Evaluation

Since the yardstick of communicative competence is the ‘real world out there‘, consider and discuss which competences cannot be tested with regard to validity, reliability, and objectivity. Also, what other factors might come into play when teachers grade student performances?



Authentic language use shows regional varieties in pronunciation and in grammar, such as /d/ for /th/ in mother, 'would' in if-clauses in some regions in the U.S., or the neglect of adverbial forms (-ly), which would be marked wrong by most German teachers

Creativity, taste, and attitude are of great importance in interaction but are difficult to categorize and grade

The quality of social relationships is of central importance to successful communication, but as a participant in interaction, the teacher is also responsible for the success of an interaction, e.g. in an oral exam

Liking and disliking teachers or students may inform grading subconsciously. Affect may be related to similarities and differences of individuals, race, class, gender, or ethnicity. It is crucial to ask oneself whether one's emotions or prejudices have an impact on grading


Unit 12

Assessment and

Evaluation

How are the following test formats related to general educational goals: Pattern drills: what kind of student personality is fostered if a

teacher prefers pattern drills? Interpreting Shakespearean sonnets: what kind of

educational goals are implied if a teacher enjoys the interpretation of ‘great works of art’?

Writing your CV and preparing for a job interview: what kind of general educational goals are implied if a teacher focusses on career-oriented skills?



Pattern drills simply serve to internalize language patterns without any intention or impact concerning general educational competences

Interpreting Shakespearean sonnets may help to develop analytic skills, to gain insight into the complexity of emotions and relationships, to stimulate the reflection on values, and to foster self-reflection, aesthetic taste and judgment (see education in the sense of cultivation, pp. 176-177)

Writing your CV and preparing for a job interview: if the teacher focusses on career-oriented skills, all general educational goals are in implied in a narrow, functional sense (procedural knowledge and skills, key qualifications, learn how to learn, social competences, and value orientation)


Unit 12

Assessment and

Evaluation

Consider the advantages and disadvantages of the following task types: Closed task (Kieweg 1999b: 18) Semi-open task (TMBWK 2010: 2, adapted) Open task



Closed task: Advantages - simplicity of creation, marking, and correction

Valid and reliable; simple to understand for the students

Disadvantages - limited skill range tested; difficult to include context

Semi-open task: Advantages: several skills and competences can be tested

Accurate and detailed feedback for learners on individual skills and competences

Disadvantages: time- consuming to create and more difficult to assess than closed tasks

Validity and reliability are more difficult to achieve than in closed tasks

Open task: Advantages: imitates real life communicative situations, e.g. receiving or giving directions with the help of a map of London

Multiple skills and competences can be tested simultaneously, ranging from easy to complex

Disadvantages: can be time-consuming to create and to mark

Open to subjectivity because of many criteria that contribute to mastering a task


Unit 12

Assessment and

Evaluation

Discuss which criteria should be considered as having more importance, which less. How clear is the difference between the level of points?



The sequence of criteria should be as follows:

The quality and understandability of the content

The quality of information retrieval

Understandability and verbal correctness

The ability to express oneself appropriately

The quality of the presentation

In general, the difference between the criteria is clear and understandable

However, teachers can apply these criteria in different ways to the same exams


Unit 12

Assessment and

Evaluation

Reflect on and discuss the following statement: “A paper which is excessively marked and scribbled over by the teacher is no longer the student’s property. It becomes the teacher’s.” (Peñaflorida 2002: 345)



Excessive alterations or scribbles can change a student’s original views/ideas, therefore creating something which the student had not initially intended

Instead, only necessary comments, suggestions, and changes should be made, so that the work still remains and reflects the student’s understanding

In the case of papers with a large amount of necessary corrections, the teacher should talk directly to the students about the errors and have them revise the text after a mutual discussion and agreement on ways to improve

Excessive marking can lead to the loss of motivation and confidence, can be too overwhelming and upsetting for the student to understand


Unit 12

Assessment and

Evaluation

Define the three parts: are they closed, semi-closed, or open? What is being tested and how is the overall grade computed? How could test design and grading be improved?



Part 1: closed question (simply writing pre-learnt verb forms)

Part 2: closed question (direct translation)

Part 3: open question (providing own likes/hobbies)

A ‘traditional test’ to check verb forms, translation skills and simple sentence structure

One point for every correct verb form, two points for every correct sentence, and half a point deduction for each mistake

The traditional design (three clear parts) is easily comprehensible and makes marking easy

The grading is too strict: only 1 ½ point deduction from 24p means grade 2 for more than 90% of right answers; 90% correct answers should be rewarded with a 1; it is not clear what the overall grading scheme looks like if it starts with 24-23 for the best grade


Unit 12

Assessment and

Evaluation

Consider the grading and how it could be done differently. Which grade would you have given, considering content, language, and form? What kind of comments would have been more helpful than just the question mark in the margin and the wriggle under the words?

STUDY QUESTION 1: BOOK PAGE 290


The grading is not clear and demotivating: there are no explanations about the number of points gained or lost. The teacher should have allocated points for positive aspects and negative points for errors

Probably, I would have given a 3- as well. There are errors, but the ‘message’ of the text is still understandable

Instead of the question mark, suggestions of a better phrase could have been made, especially as the teacher knows the literary text students were asked to respond to

Keep the marking consistent: the teacher has provided some corrections, but only underlines other mistakes and errors


Unit 12

Assessment and

Evaluation

In this case, assess the teacher’s grading. How do you consider the mistakes in the answer (graded and not graded)? How would your grading differ if the CV had been practiced extensively before the test?

STUDY QUESTION 2: BOOK PAGE 290


The teacher’s grading is fair and helpful (provides suggestions and corrections where needed)

Below the student’s work, the teacher also provides relevant and helpful comments to improve the letter

Some mistakes have not been corrected (‘safe’ instead of ‘save’; tourists without an article); it would be good to correct all mistakes, especially in a letter of application

Extensively practiced: current grading would be too generous (important content missing, misuse of 'must' and 'funny')

Stricter marking for the failure to answer the question and exactly follow the genre conventions of a letter of application: salutation, reference to open position, qualification for the job, standard close

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