EFL Classroom Assessment

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Questions and Answers

What is language assessment primarily concerned with?

Measuring a person's language learning awareness

Developing intercultural competence in language learners

Gathering evidence to inform inferences about a person's language-related knowledge, skills, or abilities (correct)

Evaluating a teacher's instructional methods

What are the two essential qualities of a valid assessment in the EFL classroom?

Valid and reliable (correct)

Objective and valid

Objective and reliable

Reliable and fair

What is an important criterion for evaluating the form of a language assessment?

Originality and imagination

Learner group

Task instruction

Correct orthography and grammar (correct)

What is an example of an individual reference standard in language assessment?

Comparing a student to themselves Signup and view all the answers

What is a key aspect of content in language assessment?

Coherence Signup and view all the answers

What is an important consideration in language assessment in the EFL classroom?

All of the above Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of background information in language assessment?

To provide context for the assessment Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary goal of language assessment?

To obtain evidence to inform inferences about a person's language-related knowledge, skills, or abilities Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary goal of self-assessment in language learning?

To raise learners' awareness of their learning process Signup and view all the answers

Which oral error correction technique involves the teacher repeating or reformulating the student's mistake?

Echoing Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary benefit of peer-assessment in language learning?

It enhances learner autonomy and collaboration Signup and view all the answers

What is included in a language learner's portfolio?

A purposeful collection of students' work that demonstrates their efforts, progress, and achievements Signup and view all the answers

Which oral error correction technique involves the teacher pointing out the mistake for the student to correct?

Self-correction Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary purpose of a portfolio in language learning?

To demonstrate students' language learning progress and achievements Signup and view all the answers

What is the benefit of self-assessment in language learning, according to the text?

It increases learner motivation Signup and view all the answers

Which oral error correction technique involves the teacher asking other students to correct the mistake?

Correction by classmates Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary purpose of summative assessment?

To summarise learner achievements at the end of a course or unit Signup and view all the answers

What is the focus of assessment of learning?

The outcome and products of learning only Signup and view all the answers

What is language assessment literacy?

The ability to critically evaluate language tests Signup and view all the answers

What is the European Language Portfolio based on?

The CEFR and includes work samples, certificates and continuous self-assessment Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary purpose of formative assessment?

To provide feedback to learners and inform teaching Signup and view all the answers

What type of assessment aims at identifying strengths and weaknesses of the learner?

Diagnostic assessment Signup and view all the answers

What is the relationship between assessment and learning in the foreign language classroom?

Assessment and learning are inseparable Signup and view all the answers

What is the benefit of using portfolios in language assessment?

It allows for a broader basis of evaluation over a given time Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Definition of Language Assessment

Involves obtaining evidence to inform inferences about a person's language-related knowledge, skills, or abilities
Evidence is gathered from performance tasks that involve the use of language
Inferences are interpretations of that performance

Implications for the EFL Classroom

Marks should be objective, valid, and reliable
Additional aspects to consider:
- Intercultural competence
- Language learning awareness
- Task achievement
- Literary competence

Criteria for Assessment

Form:
- Adequate for the selected audience
- Fits the genre
- Length
- Understandable language
- Degree of correct orthography and grammar
- Variation in vocabulary
- Complex sentence structure
Content:
- Response to the task
- Coherence
- Structure
- Originality and imagination
- Communicative success
Background information:
- Task instruction
- Learner group
- Previous performance of the student
- Preparation in the previous lesson
- Teacher's expectations

Oral Error Correction

Direct correction: teacher interrupts student directly after the mistake and corrects it
Correction by classmates: teacher asks other students what was wrong and how to say it correctly
Self-correction: teacher points out mistake, student corrects it themselves
No correction: teacher doesn't correct error to avoid interrupting student's speech
Echoing: teacher repeats or reformulates what student said, correcting mistake indirectly
Correction via gestures or facial expressions: teacher uses body language to make student aware of mistake

Other Forms of Assessment

Self-assessment:
- Learners reflect on their own performance and act as assessors
- Raises learners' awareness of and motivation for their learning process
- Makes them more autonomous
Peer-assessment:
- Learners evaluate and assess each other's performances
- Enhances learner autonomy to improve quality of learner's work
- Enhances learner collaboration to improve quality of learner's work
- Possibly results in increased motivation

Portfolio Assessment

Purposeful collection of students' work that demonstrates their efforts, progress, and achievements
Includes different materials (e.g. written homework, audio files, creative writing)
Allows for a broader basis of evaluation, documenting a learning process over time
Includes a meta-level of reflecting on the individual learning process
Best-known example is the European Language Portfolio, based on the CEFR

Summative and Formative Assessment

Summative Assessment:
- Typically occurs at the end of a course or unit of instruction
- Aims to summarize what a learner has learned
- Examples: classroom test after a textbook unit, Abitur
Formative Assessment:
- Most classroom-based assessment is formative in nature
- Aims to 'form' learners' competences in the process of assessment
- Feeds back into teaching and learning, giving insights into strengths and weaknesses of learner performance

Reflection

Assessment and learning should be seen as inseparable in the foreign language classroom
Assessment ideally feeds back into teaching
Assessment of Learning:
- Focuses on the outcome and products of learning only
- Testing
Assessment for Learning:
- Takes a process-oriented perspective
- Diagnostic assessment, identifying strengths and weaknesses of the learner to help them move on
Language Assessment Literacy:
- Ability to critically evaluate language tests
- Compile, design, and monitor language assessment procedures in foreign language contexts
- Grade and score them on the basis of theoretical knowledge

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Description

Learn about language assessment in the EFL classroom, including intercultural competence and language learning awareness. Discover how to obtain evidence and make inferences about language skills and abilities.