http://umbc.uoregon.

edu/eteacher/

EFL ASSESSMENT
Course Assignments

The following is a summary of the assignments you will have during this
course.

1. Discussion board. (15% of the course grade) Participation in the

discussion board is critical to help you, among other things, think about
relevant issues presented in the readings, share opinions with colleagues,
challenge and be challenged, show how you can support an argument, and
get the most from the course. In order to participate in the discussion board,
you must have read the weekly assignments.

When participating in the discussion board, keep the following ideas in

mind:
- Its main purpose is to encourage interaction in the group.

- Each week you are expected to

o post one original response to the moderators’ question by

Sunday midnight EST, and

o comment on at least two responses posted by your fellow

classmates by Wednesday midnight EST.

- Long entries are not appropriate for a discussion board. Keep your
entries no longer than 100-150 words.

- Discussion board moderators (starters and wrappers) will be

assigned every week. The starter will propose the main topics to
discuss during the week, in relation to the themes, reading
assignments and tasks, and will ensure that there is enough depth of
discussion on the proposed topics. If needed, they may propose new
questions to enrich the discussions within the themes presented each
week. The starter manages the discussion board from Friday through
Monday. Both moderators ensure that everyone participates and that
nobody monopolizes the discussions. The wrapper manages the
discussion board from Monday through Thursday, continuing to
ensure depth of discussion and proposing new topics if necessary.

The E-Teacher Scholarship Program is a cooperative grant agreement between the U.S.
Department of State ECA/A/L; the University of Maryland, Baltimore County; and the
University of Oregon.
http://umbc.uoregon.edu/eteacher/

The wrapper will summarize post a summary of the main conclusions

reached by the group at the end the each week.

Instructors will monitor individual participation on the discussion board and will
grade participants using the following holistic rubric:

Grade Each week, the participant...

A Posts three or more times for the unit and the posts consistently reflect
careful analysis of reading assignments and of others’ ideas.
B Posts three times for the unit and the posts generally reflect careful analysis
of assignments and others’ ideas.
C Posts fewer than three times for the unit or the posts do not reflect
understanding of the main concepts discussed.

Please note that the week you are assigned as the starter or the wrapper
you will be graded on how well you encourage your classmates’
discussion.

2. Reflective Essay (15% of the course grade). Each week a question or

questions will be posted for you to reflect on based on the readings and
topics for the week. Each weekly essay is due on Monday at midnight EST
and should reflect your understanding of the main themes discussed during
the week. This will encourage the application of theoretical concepts to your
particular context. This formative assessment tool will serve as a way for you
to communicate with and receive feedback from the course instructors on a
regular basis.

Reflective essays will be submitted as a Blackboard assignment. They should

be 1 to 2 pages in length (single spaced, 12 point font).

The following analytic rubric will be used to grade your essays each week:

The E-Teacher Scholarship Program is a cooperative grant agreement between the U.S.
Department of State ECA/A/L; the University of Maryland, Baltimore County; and the
University of Oregon.
http://umbc.uoregon.edu/eteacher/

Category An “A” essay... A “B” essay... A “C” essay...

Content answers the question somewhat answers the doesn’t answer the
(s), provides several question(s), provides question(s) well,
ideas and examples some ideas and provides few ideas and
from their own examples from their examples from their
experience and own experience and/or own experience and/or
readings that the readings that readings that illustrate
illustrate and support illustrate and support and support their ideas.
their ideas. their ideas.

Structure/ includes a thesis includes a thesis doesn’t include a thesis

Organization statement which
relates to the
question(s), topic
sentences that
support the thesis,
paragraphs with unity
and cohesion, and
appropriately uses
transitions.
statement which mostly
relates to the question
(s), topic sentences that
somewhat support the
thesis, paragraphs with
unity or cohesion, and
uses transitions.
statement which relates
to the question(s), topic
sentences don’t
support the thesis,
paragraphs do not
demonstrate unity or
cohesion, and
transitions are not
used.

Citing uses correct APA mostly uses correct does not cite most
sources formatting to cite all APA formatting to cite sources or includes
sources and does not all sources and does plagiarism.
include plagiarism. not include plagiarism.

You will also receive feedback on grammar/sentence structure, punctuation,

vocabulary, etc., however, it will not factor into your grade. The instructors
will comment on any patterns of errors and will make recommendations for
websites where you can find additional practice.

3. Weekly tasks. (15% of the course grade). For weeks 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6, you
will have short tasks to submit that will demonstrate your ability to apply the
topics discussed that week. Weekly tasks will be graded on how well the
course content has been applied to the task.

4. Test critique. (10% of the course grade). You will be asked to critically
evaluate a test or examination of your choice. You can use a test that you
developed for one of your classes or one that you administered in class. The
test you choose will need to be submitted with your assignment. Your
analysis of the test will reflect the assessment principles of validity,
reliability, authenticity, practicality and washback. This assignment is due by

The E-Teacher Scholarship Program is a cooperative grant agreement between the U.S.
Department of State ECA/A/L; the University of Maryland, Baltimore County; and the
University of Oregon.
http://umbc.uoregon.edu/eteacher/

the Wednesday of week 4. This project will be explained in more detail

when it is assigned.

5. Notebook of assessment ideas. (10% of the course grade). This

assignment will be a compilation of the three examples of language
assessment activities that you create throughout this course.

Specifications for each entry:

a. The notebook will contain at least three different assessments.
b. Each entry will assess a different language skill/area:
1. grammar or vocabulary
2. listening or reading
3. speaking or writing
4. (optional) content
5. (optional) alternative assessment
c. Each entry should show a different kind of assessment format so you can
take into consideration different age groups, learning contexts or
learning styles when designing assessment instruments.
d. Assessments can be formal or informal, summative or formative.
e. Each entry should include the following components:
• Assessment objective: what language area(s) is/are being evaluated?
• Assessment format:
o test/task type
o instructions for test takers
o number of items
o time assigned
• Sample items (you don’t need to include the entire activity or the
whole test)
• Scoring procedure: how will performance be measured and scored?
o Scoring criteria for each assessment section – the same
information that students will receive to know how the
assessment will be scored
o Rubrics for productive skills
o Sample responses/benchmarks
• Final reflection, comments, or observations (optional).

Some assessments may evaluate more than one language skill/area. In those
cases, the objectives and tasks should clearly reflect how each skill/area is
assessed.

You will be working on this assignment throughout the course. It will be due
on the Wednesday of week 7. You will submit a draft of your entries (the tasks

The E-Teacher Scholarship Program is a cooperative grant agreement between the U.S.
Department of State ECA/A/L; the University of Maryland, Baltimore County; and the
University of Oregon.
http://umbc.uoregon.edu/eteacher/

during week 3, 5 and week 6) so you can receive feedback on your work before
submitting the final notebook.

The following questions will help you as you complete this assignment. You can
use it as a checklist to guide you when developing each entry or when
preparing the notebook for submission:

Notebook of Language Assessment Ideas

1. Is the notebook complete? (at least 3 complete assessments)
2. Are different language/content areas addressed in each assessment? (e.g., grammar,
vocabulary, listening, reading, speaking, writing, content, integrated skills, etc.)
3. Are different learning styles, age groups and learning contexts considered?
4. Does each entry have a clear assessment purpose?
5. Is the assessment objective clearly explained and supported for each entry?
6. Does the entry clearly illustrate how the activity will be implemented? (Instructions, format,
number of items, time, etc.)
7. Does each entry include sample items?
8. Does each entry include the assessment criteria? (scoring/rubrics/sample responses, etc.)
9. Is the assessment properly classified?
10. Is the assessment task valid? (i.e., testing what it's intended to assess)
11. Do the assessment task and the rubrics reflect the assessment objectives for this task?
12. Are final reflections, comments or observations included? (optional, extra credit)

6. Assessment Policy or Training Plan (15% of the course grade). You

have two possible options to complete this assignment. You can either
develop or revise the assessment policy for your institution, or you can
prepare a training plan to train EFL teachers on a specific assessment
project. This assignment should be 2-3 typed, single-spaced pages and is
due on the Wednesday of week 9.

a. Assessment Policy--If you choose this project, it should include:

i. a description of the context and the current assessment policy

(if it exists)

ii. a description of the proposed assessment policy

iii. a rationale for the changes

b. Training Plan--If you choose this project, it should include:

The E-Teacher Scholarship Program is a cooperative grant agreement between the U.S.
Department of State ECA/A/L; the University of Maryland, Baltimore County; and the
University of Oregon.
http://umbc.uoregon.edu/eteacher/

i. a description of the context and a rationale for why the training

is necessary

ii. a description of the training including objectives, activities, and

assignments

iii. a description of how the training will be evaluated

7. Test development project (20% of the course grade). Your final project
will be to design a complete test or assessment tool for a course you are
teaching or have taught in the past. The main goal of this assignment is to
help you develop a valid and reliable assessment instrument for a specific
teaching context, ensuring that the assessment supports students’ learning
and informs your teaching. Start thinking about this project early during the
course so you can start gathering information in advance. You can expand
on one of the assessments from the Notebook of Assessment Ideas to
develop the full project, or you can start a new assessment.

The final project should include the following sections:

a. Introduction:
- General description of the course, standards and overall expectations
- Description of the ESL learners
- ESL course syllabus, standards or teaching context

b. Specifications: Answer the following questions when developing the

specifications for your assessment:
- What is the purpose of the assessment?
- What language skill(s) is (are) assessed? What is the construct of the
assessment?
- What tasks will be used? Why are those tasks selected?
- How many tasks will you use? How many items will each task have?
- How will the test be administered?
- How will students be informed about the content of this test?
- What are the instructions to give to students during the test?
- Include a complete version of the test.

c. Scoring criteria
- How will students’ performance be measured and scored?
- Include rubrics and assessment criteria for the different sections of the
test

The E-Teacher Scholarship Program is a cooperative grant agreement between the U.S.
Department of State ECA/A/L; the University of Maryland, Baltimore County; and the
University of Oregon.
http://umbc.uoregon.edu/eteacher/

d. Evaluation of the assessment tool

- How will you evaluate the validity of the assessment tool you proposed
before and after it is administered?
- What are the preliminary results of the validation process?

e. References and resources

This final project is due by the last day of the course, the Wednesday of week
10.

Below is the rubric that will be used to grade this assignment. You can use it as
a checklist to guide you when working on this project:

Scoring rubric for Final Assessment Project 0 or 1: 2: 3:

No or Yes; partially Yes; fully
Does the project include the following components? incomplete developed/ developed/
supported supported
1. a description of the general expectations of the course
and the learners’ background
2. an explanation of the assessment goals and purpose
3. a detailed explanation of the language content and
skills that are assessed
4. the tasks that will be used and a rationale to use those
tasks
5. a description of the number of tasks and items that will
be used
6. an explanation of how the assessment will be
administered, including instructions for the students
7. a complete version of the assessment instrument
8. the scoring criteria for the different tasks
9. appropriate validation procedures
10. preliminary validation results

In addition,
Do the assessment goals reflect the expected outcomes
and learning goals?
Do the tasks and scoring criteria clearly reflect the
assessment goals?

The E-Teacher Scholarship Program is a cooperative grant agreement between the U.S.
Department of State ECA/A/L; the University of Maryland, Baltimore County; and the
University of Oregon.