Alternatives in Assessment

 Alternative assessment is a form of student performance grading that allows for a more holistic approach to student assessment. The traditional form of student assessment involves the average grading of a cumulative set of work for a given time period.

The characteristics of alternatives in assessment

1. They require students to perform, create, produce or do something

2. They use real-word context or simulations

3. They are non intrusive in that they extend the day to day classroom activities

4. They allow students to be assessed on what they normally do in class

5. They use tasks that represent meaningful instructional activities

6. They focus on processes as well as products

7. They tap into higher-level thinking and problem solving skills

Performance-based assessment

Performance-based assessment implies productive, observable skills, such as speaking and writing, of content-valid tasks. Such performance usually, but not always, brings with it an air of authenticity—real-world tasks that students have had time to develop. It often implies an integration of language skills, perhaps all four skills in the case of project work.

The characteristics of performance assessment:

1. Students make a constructed response

2. They engage in higher- order thinking , with open –ended tasks

3. Tasks are meaningful , engaging, and authentic

4. Tasks call for the integration of language skills

5. Both process and product are assessed

6. Depth of a student’s mastery is emphasized over breadth

Procedures for performance- based assessment

Performance-based assessment procedures need to be treated with the same rigor as traditional tests. This implies that teachers should

• state the overall goal of the performance,

• specify the objectives (criteria) of the performance in detail,

• prepare students for performance in step-wise progressions,

• use a reliable evaluation form, checklist, or rating sheet,

• treat performances as opportunities for giving feedback and provide that feedback systematically, and

• if possible, utilize self- and peer-assessments judiciously

Portfolios 

A portfolio is a purposeful collection of students work that demonstrates students’ efforts, progress, and achievements in given areas.

Portfolios include materials such as

• essays and compositions in draft and final forms;

• reports, project outlines;

• audio and/or video recordings of presentations, demonstrations, etc.;

• journals, diaries, and other personal reflections;• tests, test scores, and written homework exercises;

• self- and peer-assessments--comments, evaluations, and checklists.

Attributes of portfolios

• Collecting: an expression of students lives and identities.

• Reflecting: thinking about experiences and activities.

• Assessing: evaluating quality and development over time.

• Documenting: demonstrating student achievement.

• Linking: connecting student and teacher, parent, community, and peer

• Evaluating: generating responsible outcomes.

Steps and guidelines

• State objectives clearly

• Give guidelines on what materials to include

• Communicate assessment criteria to students

• Designate time within the curriculum for portfolio development.

• Establish periodic schedules for review and conferencing.

• Designate an accessible place to keep portfolios.

• Provide positive wash-back when giving final assessments.

It is inappropriate to reduce the personalized and creative process of compiling a portfolio to a number or letter grade. Instead, teachers should offer a qualitative evaluation such a final appraisal of the work, with questions for self-assessment of a project, and a narrative evaluation of perceived strengths and weakness.

Journals

A journal is a log of one’s thought , feelings, reactions, assessments, ideas, or progress, toward goals, usually written with little attention to structure , form, o correctness.

 Journals obviously serve important pedagogical purposes : practice in the mechanics of writing , using writing as a thinking process, individualization , and communications with the teacher .

Steps for journals

1. Sensitively introduce students to the concept of journal writing.

2. State the objective(s) of the journal: Language-learning logs, Grammar journals, Responses to readings, strategies-based learning logs, Self-assessment reflections, etc.

3. Give guidelines on what kinds of topics to include.

4. Carefully specify the criteria for assessing or grading journals. Effort as exhibited in the thoroughness of students entries will no doubt be important. Also, the extent to which entries reflect the processing of course content might be considered.

5. Provide optimal feedback in your responses: cheer-leading feedback, instructional feedback, or reality-check feedback.

6. Designate appropriate time frames and schedules for review.

7. Provide formative, wash-back-giving final comments.

 

Conferences and interviews

Conferences are not limited to drafts of written work. It must assume that the teacher plays the role of a facilitator and guide , not of an administrator of a formal assessment.

• A number of generic question that may be useful to pose in conference are:

1. What did you like about this work?

2. What do you think you did well?

3. How does it show improvement from previous work? Can you show me the improvement?

4. What did you do when you did not know a word that you want to write/say? 

Guidelines for conferences and interviews

1. Offer an initial atmosphere of warmth and anxiety-lowering (warm-up).

2. Begin with relatively simple questions.

3. Continue with level-check and probe questions, but adapt to the interviewee as needed.

4. Frame questions simply and directly.

5. Focus on only one factor for each question. Do not combine several objectives in the same question.

6. Be prepared to repeat or re frame questions that are not understood.

7. Wind down with friendly and reassuring dosing comments. 

Observations

Observation is a systematic, planned procedure for real-time, almost furtive recording of student verbal and nonverbal behavior.

One of the objectives of such observation is to assess students without their awareness (and possible consequent anxiety) of the observation so that the naturalness of their linguistic performance is maximized

Steps for Observations

• Determine the specific objectives of the observations

• Decide how many students will be observed at one time

• Set up the logistics for making unnoticed observations

• Design a system for recording observed performances

• Do not overestimate the number of different elements you can observe at one time

• Plan how many observations you will make

• Determine specifically how you will use the results  

Alternatives in observation

-Checklists are a viable alternative for recording observation results

-Rating scales have also been suggested for recording observations

 

Self and peer assessment

Self –assessment derives its theoretical justification from a number of well established principles of second language acquisition. The principle of autonomy is vital. It consists of the ability to set ones own goals both within and beyond the structure of a classroom curriculum, to pursue them without the presence of an external push, and to independently monitor that pursuit.

Peer-assessment appeals to similar principles , the most obvious of which is cooperative learning. Many people go through a whole regimen of education from kindergaten up through a graduate degree and never come to appreciate the value of collaboration in learning

Types of self and peer assessments

1. Assessment of a specific performance

2. Indirect assessment of general competence

3. Meta-cognitive assessment for setting goals

4. Socio-affective assessment

5. Student generated test  

Guidelines for self and peer assessments

1. Tell students the purpose of the assessment.

2. Define the task(s) clearly.

3. Encourage impartial evaluation of performance or ability

4. Ensure beneficial wash-back through follow-up tasks. 

 

Self- and peer-assessment tasks

Listening Tasks

• listening to TV or radio broadcasts and checking comprehension with a partner

• listening to an academic lecture and checking yourself on a "quiz" of the content

Speaking Tasks

• using peer checklists and questionnaires

• rating someones oral presentation (holistically)

Reading Tasks

• reading passages with self-check comprehension questions following

• taking vocabulary quizzes

Writing Tasks

• revising written work on your own or with a peer (peer editing)

• proofreading