Assessment in foreign and second-language education
Ms M M Gearon
12 points
* 3 hours per week
* Second semester
* Clayton
Objectives Upon successful completion of this subject, students should have developed knowledge and understanding of assessment in second language teaching or learning; produced a glossary of key terms related to measuring second language proficiency; examined and developed profiles as a means of measuring and reporting on learners' progress in a second language; designed a range of measurement items and instruments to test learners' knowledge of and skills in the second language; developed an understanding of the relationship between the nature of language, the nature of second language acquisition and measured learners' progress in a second language; developed and trialled different ways of assessing second language proficiency and reported this to learners; critically evaluated existing assessment schemes in TESOL and/or LOTE.
Synopsis This subject introduces practising teachers of foreign/second languages to the theory and practice of assessment of proficiency in a foreign or second language, and in particular to the assessment of communicative competence. General testing notions such as validity and reliability will be related to the assessment of second-language learning. Assessment procedures will be related to assessment purposes; task types, different reporting styles and washback effect of these procedures will be discussed. Examples of such procedures currently in use in Australia will be discussed and evaluated. The emphasis will be on practical applications to help teachers link assessment to curriculum aims and to improve the quality of their assessment procedures.
Assessment Glossary (1000 words): 5%
* Two major assignments (the
first, of 2000 words, will involve the evaluation of an existing test or
reporting format, and the other, of 3000 words, will involve the development of
an assessment procedure and report format for a specific group of second
language learners): 25% and 70%
* Participation in class discussions will
also be taken into consideration
Prescribed texts
Weir C Understanding and developing language tests Prentice-Hall, 1993
Recommended texts
Hughes A Testing for language teachers CUP, 1989
Weir C Communicative language testing Prentice-Hall, 1990
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