1. Language Assessment: Principles & Classroom Practices
CHAPTER 1 TESTING, ASSESSING, & TEACHING
H. D. BROWN

2. What is a test? Test, Evaluation, Assessment?
-Test: method of measuring a person’s ability, knowledge, or performance in a given domain
-Indirect nature of testing: judge competence based on limited information on one’s performance & problem of generalization & interpretation

3. Assessment and Teaching
Assessment: an ongoing process that encompasses a much wider domain and it is done to make important curricular & instructional decisions or judge learners’ abilities in language domains
- Assessment should be based on solid theories & research!
- Test is a subset of assessment and its score is different from the interpretation of the result.

4. Assessment and Teaching
Evaluation (평가): a systematic way of performance in a given context and a bigger concept dealing with tests, assessment, and judgments based on national and institutional policies
Relationship of tests, assessment, and teaching (Figure 1.1) : teaching as a ground for ample opportunities to “play” with language for meaningful learning

5. Informal & Formal Assessment
Informal assessment in classroom
Formal assessment: planned, systematic, time-constrained, based on a limited sample of behaviors; Something is at stake! (e.g., stake-high exams)
All tests are formal assessment but not all assessment are formal.

6. Formative & Summative Assessment
Formative Assessment (형성평가): look into “forming” one’s competences to help learners to develop more
Summative Assessment(종합평가): measure or summarize one’s performance at the end of a course or instruction
When all tests are considered “summative”, attrition of learning occurs!

7. Norm-referenced & Criterion-references tests
Norm-referenced tests: compare results with others using mean, median, standard deviation, percentile rank, etc.
-Most standardized tests are norm-
referenced tests.
Criterion-referenced tests: All those who reach certain criteria can pass!; more for
feedback on specific course or lesson
objectives

8. Approaches to Language Testing: A Brief Histoy
1950s: test discrete elements of language
1970s-1980s: integrative view of testing
Discrete-point vs. Integrative Testing: Issue of (de)contextualization & authenticity
Cloze test & dictation as integrative testing
Unitary trait hypothesis (Oller, 1983): “indivisible” nature of language

9. Communicative Language Testing
Canale & Swain (1980): grammatical, discourse, sociocultural, strategic competences
Bachman (1990): Organizational & Pragmatic competences
Bachman & Palmer (1996): Strategic competence

10. Performance-based Assessment
Types of PBA: oral interview, written essays, open-ended Q & A, integrated skills performance, group performance, interactive tasks
Importance of language use and authenticity but one may question the reliability of scoring!

11. Current Issues in Classroom Testing
New Views on Intelligence
-Alfred Binet vs. H. Gardner’s multiple intelligence(MI): linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal intelligences
-Goleman’s EQ(emotional quotient)
-tyranny of objectivity in high-stake testing

12. Current Issues in Classroom Testing
Traditional vs Alternative Assessment
-one-shot, standardized vs. continuous & long-term
-timed, multiple choice vs. untimed, free-response
-decontextualized vs. contextualized
-scores only vs. individualized feedback
-norm-referenced vs. criterion-referenced

13. Current Issues in Classroom Testing
Traditional vs Alternative Assessment
-summative vs. formative
-product-oriented vs. process-oriented
-non-interactive vs. interactive performance
-extrinsic vs. intrinsic motivation
Beware of a bias toward alternative assessment!

14. Current Issues in Classroom Testing
Computer-based Testing(CBT)
-Computer-adaptive test(CAT)
-Internet-based test(IBT)
-based on Item Response Theory(IRT): 문항반응이론
-See advantages & disadvantages (p. 15)

15. Basic Principles Suggested
Periodic assessment
Appropriate assessment
Pinpoint strengths and weaknesses
Periodic closure to modules within a curriculum
Promote student autonomy by encouraging self-evaluation of their progress
Help learners set their own goals
Aid in evaluating teaching effectiveness