The 5th Annual Conference- March 26th , 2006

For English Teachers- East Jerusalem

ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION DEFINED

Dr. Jeane Kattan- Bethlehem University

Assessment is the act of gathering information on a daily basis in order to understand

individual students’ leaning and needs.

Evaluation is the culminating act of interpreting the information gathered for the
purpose of making decisions or judgments about students’ leaning and needs, often at
reporting time.

Assessment and evaluation are integral components of the teaching-leaning cycle.

The main purposes are to guide and improve leaning and instruction. Effectively
planned assessment and evaluation can promote leaning, build confidence and
develop students’ understanding of their own progress by involving them in gathering
their own data, and by sharing teacher-gathered data with them. Such participation
makes it possible for students to identify personal learning goals.

Formative assessment and evaluation focus on the processes and products of

learning. Formative assessment is continuous and is meant to inform the students, the
parent/ guardian, and the teacher of the student’s progress toward the curriculum
objectives. This type of assessment and evaluation provides information upon which
instructional decisions and adaptations can be made and provides students with
directions for future learning.

Involvement in constructing their own assessment instruments or in adapting ones the

teachers has made allows students to focus on what they are trying to achieve,
develops their thinking skill, and helps them to become reflective learners. As well,
peer assessment is a useful formative evaluation technique. For peer assessment to be
successful, students must be provided with assistance and the opportunity to observe a
model peer assessment session. Through peer assessment students have the
opportunity to become critical and creative thinkers who can clearly communicate
ideas and thoughts to others. Instruments such as checklists or learning logs, and
interviews or conferences provide useful data.

Summative assessment and evaluation occur most often at the end of a unit
instruction and at term or year end when students are ready to demonstrate
achievement of curriculum objectives. The main purposes are to determine
knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitudes that have developed over a given period of
time; to summarize student progress; and to report this progress to students, parents/
guardians, and teachers.

Summative judgments are based upon criteria derived from curriculum objectives. By
sharing these objectives with the students and involving them in designing the
evaluation instruments, teachers enable students to understand and internalize the
criteria by which their progress will be determined.

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Often assessment and evaluation results provide both formative and summative
information. For example, summative evaluation can be used formatively to make
decisions about changes to instructional strategies, curriculum topics, or leaning
environments. Similarly, formative evaluation assists teachers in making summative
judgments about student progress and determining where further instruction is
necessary for individuals or groups.

WHAT IS ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENT AND WHY IS IT NEEDED?

Many of the reigning theoretical assumptions on which contemporary testing and

assessment rely are based on behaviorist views of cognition and development. In the
1990’s, we have come to realize that new, alternative ways of thinking about learning
and assessing leaning are needed. Gardener (1993) argues that there is a resurgence of
interest in the idea of multiplicity of intelligences. He and other researchers claim the
existence of mental modules (i.e., fast-operating, reflexlike, information processing
devices). (See Appendix I) Others (Sternberg, 1988, Perkins, 1981, Gruber, 1985)
have investigated the concept of creativity. Their studies have shown that creative
individuals do not have unique mental modules, but they use what they have in their
use of time, and the quality of their products (Gardner, 1993).

So, while the operative is “alternative’, we must ask alternative to what? A case can
be made in second languages of an alternative to conventional ways of monitoring
students’ language progress and performance. Alternative assessment is an ongoing
process involving the students and teacher in making judgments about the student’s
progress in language using-conventional strategies.

Many educators have come to recognize that alternative assessments are an important
means of gaining a dynamic picture of students’ academic and linguistic development.
“Alternative assessment refers to procedures and techniques which can be used within
the context of instruction and can be easily incorporated into the daily activities of the
school or classroom” (Hamayan, 1995, p. 213). It is particularly useful with English
as a second language students because it employs strategies that ask students to show
what they can do. In contrast to traditional testing, “students are evaluated on what
they integrate and produce rather than on what they are able to recall and
reproduce” (Heurta-Macias, 1995, p.9). Although there is no single definition of
alternative assessment, the main goal is to “gather evidence about how students are
approaching, processing, and completing real-life tasks in a particular domain”
(Huerta-Macias, 1995, p.9). Alternative assessments generally meet the following
criteria:

• Focus is on documenting individual student growth over time, rather than

comparing students with one another.
• Emphasis is on students’ strengths (what they know), rather than weaknesses
(what they don’t know).
• Consideration is given to the learning styles, language proficiencies, cultural and
education backgrounds, and grade levels of students. (See Appendix II)

To summarize alternative assessment:

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• is any method of finding out what a student knows or can do that is intended to
show growth and inform instruction and is not a standardized or traditional test;
• is by definition criterion-referenced;
• is authentic because it is based on activities that represent actual progress toward
instructional goals and reflect tasks typical of classrooms and real-life settings;
• requires integration of language skills;
• may include teacher observation, performance assessment, and students self-
assessment.

The education world is gradually being revolutionized by the implementation of

alternative assessment. As the term implies, alternative assessment is an alternative to
traditional assessments of students. There is wide variety of alternative assessment,
but they all share the same types of characteristics. They require students to create
something, perform, or complete an extensive task. All forms of alternative testing
require the use of the higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy, such as analysis, synthesis,
and evaluation. All of them create real world correlations; authentic assessment does
this the most extensively. Possibly the best commonality is that the scoring is done by
people and not machines. This allows for human evaluation and for open
communication between the student and the teacher. Alternative assessment requires
students and teachers to reflect upon previous work, progress, and possible
improvements.

Kathy Bailey (1998 pg 207) provides us with a very useful chart that effectively
contests traditional and alternative assessment. (See figure 1).

Figure 1: Contrasting Traditional and Alternative

Traditional Assessment Alternative Assessment

One-shot tests Continuous, longitudinal assessment
Indirect tests Direct tests
Inauthentic tests Authentic assessment
Individual projects Group projects
No feedback provided to learners Feedback provided to learners
Timed exams Untimed exams
Decontextualized tests tasks Contextualized test tasks
Norm-referenced score interpretation Criterion-referenced score interpretation
Standardized tests Classroom-based tests

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Following are some types of Authentic Assessments:
Assessment Description
Oral Interviews Teacher asks students
questions about personal
background, activities,
readings, and interests
Story or Text Students retell main ideas or
Retelling selected details of text
experienced through
listening ore reading
Writing Samples Students generate narrative,
expository, persuasive, or
reference paper
Projects/Exhibitions Students complete project in
content area, working
individually or in pairs
Experiments/ Students complete
Demonstrations experiment or demonstrate
use of materials
Constructed- Students respond in writing
Response Items to open-ended questions
Teacher Teacher observes student
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Advantages
• Informal and relaxed context
• Conducted over successive
days with each students
• Record observations on an
interview
• Students produces oral
report
• Can be scored on content or
language components
• Scored with rubric or rating
scale
• Can determine reading
comprehension, reading
strategies, and language
development
• Students produces written
document
• Can be scored on content or
language components
• Scored with rubric or rating
scale
• Can determine writing
processes
• Students make formal
presentation, written report,
or both
• Can observe oral and written
products and thinking skills
• Scored with rubric or rating
scale
• Students make oral
presentation, written report,
or both
• Can observe oral and written
products and thinking skills
• Scored with rubric or rating
scale
• Student produces written
report
• Usually scored on
substantive information and
thinking skills
• Scored with rubric or rating
scale
• Setting is classroom
Observations attention, response to
instructional materials, or
interactions with other
students
Portfolios Focused collection of
student work to show
progress over time
Appendix I
environment
• Takes little time
• Record observations with
anecdotal notes or rating
scales
• Integrates information from
a number of sources
• Gives overall picture of
student performance and
learning
• Strong student involvement
and commitment
• Calls for student self-
assessment

Multiple Intelligences

Howard Gardner of Harvard has identified seven distinct intelligences. This theory
has emerged from recent cognitive research and “documents the extent to which
students possess different kinds of minds and therefore learn, remember, perform, and
understand in different ways”, according to Gardner (1991). According to this theory,
“we are all able to know the world through language, logical-mathematical analysis,
spatial representation, musical thinking, the use of the body to solve problems or to
make things, an understanding of other individuals, and an understanding of
ourselves. Where individuals differ is in the strength of these intelligences-the so-
called profile of intelligences-and in the ways in which such intelligences are invoked
and combined to carry out different tasks, solve diverse problems, and progress in
various domains.

Visual-Spatial - think in terms of physical space, as do architects and sailors. Very

aware of their environments. They like to draw, do jigsaw puzzles, read maps,
daydream. They can be taught through drawings, verbal and physical imagery. Tools
include models, graphics, charts, photographs, drawings, 3-D modeling, video,
videoconferencing, television, multimedia, texts with pictures/charts/graphs.

Bodily-Kinesthetic - use the body effectively, like a dancer or a surgeon. Keen sense
of body awareness. They like movements, making things, touching. They
communicate well through body language and be taught through physical activity,
hands-on leaning, acting out, role playing. Tools include equipment and real objects.

Musical - show sensitivity to rhythm and sound. They love music, but they are also
sensitive to sounds in their environments. They may study better with music in the
background. They can be taught by turning lessons into lyrics, speaking rhythmically,
tapping out time. Tools include musical instruments, music, radio, stereo, CD-ROM,
multimedia.

Interpersonal- understanding, interacting with others. These students learn through

interaction. They have many friends, empathy for others, street smarts. They can be

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taught through group activities, seminars, dialogues. Tools include the telephone,
audio conferencing, time and attention from the instructor, video conferencing,
writing, computer conferencing, E-mail.

Interpersonal- understanding one’s own interests, goals. These learners tend to shy
away from others. They’re in tune with their inner feelings; they have wisdom,
intuition and motivation , as well as a strong will, confidence and opinions. They can
be taught through independent study and introspection. Tools include books, creative
materials, diaries, privacy and time. They are the most independent of the learners.

Linguistic- using words effectively. These learners have highly developed auditory
skills and often think in words. The like reading, playing word games, making up
poetry or stories. They can be taught by encouraging then to say and see words, read
books together. Tools include computers, games, multimedia, books, tape, recorders,
and lecture.
Logical-Mathematical – Reasoning, calculating. Think conceptually, abstractly and
are able to see and explore patterns and relationships. They like to experiment, solve
puzzles, ask cosmic questions. They can be taught through logic games,
investigations, mysteries. They need to learn and form concepts before they can deal
with details.

At first, it may seem impossible to teach to all leaning styles. However, as we move
into using a mix of media or multimedia, it becomes easier. As we understand
learning styles, it becomes apparent why multimedia appeals to learners and why a
mix of media is more effective. It satisfies the many types of learning preferences
shows that a variety of decisions must be made when choosing media that is
appropriate to learning style.

Appendix II

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 LEARNING STYLES

Read the sentence and circle the response that is appropriate for you.

Example:
I like to learn by listening to songs no a little good best

1. In English class, I like to learn by reading no a little good best

2. In class, I like to listen to cassettes. no a little good best
3. In class, I like to learn by playing games. no a little good best
4. In class, I like to learn by conversations. no a little good best
5. In class I like to learn by pictures, films, video. no a little good best
6. I want to write everything in my notebook. no a little good best
7. I like to have my own textbook. no a little good best
8. I like the teacher to explain everything to us. no a little good best
9. I like the teacher to give us problems to work on. no a little good best
10. I like the teacher to help me talk about my interests. no a little good best
11. I like the teacher to tell me all my mistakes. no a little good best
12. I like the teacher to help me find about my mistakes. no a little good best
13. I like to study English by myself (alone). no a little good best
14. I like to learn English by talking in pairs. no a little good best
15. I like to learn English in a small group. no a little good best
16. I like to learn English with the whole class. no a little good best
17. I like to go out with the class and practice English. no a little good best
18. I like to study grammar. no a little good best
19. I like to learn many new words. no a little good best
20. I like to practice the sounds and pronunciation. no a little good Best
21. I like to learn English words by seeing them. no a little good best
22. I like to learn English by hearing them. no a little good best
23. I like to learn English words by doing something. no a little good best
24. At home, I like to learn by reading newspapers and no a little good best
magazines.
25. At home, I like to learn by watching TV in English. no a little good best
26. At home, I like to learn by using cassettes. no a little good best
27. At home, I like to learn by studying English books. no a little good best
28. I like to learn by talking to friends in English no a little good best
29. I like to learn by watching and listening to no a little good best
Australians.
30. I like to learn by using English in stores, on the bus, no a little good best
etc.