Unit 15 Assessment in

Language Teaching

Teaching objectives
By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:
know what assessment is and how it is different from

evaluation and testing

know the purpose of assessment
know the methods of assessment
know the criteria for assessment
know the principles of assessment
know the function of tests in assessment

Teaching contents
Understanding assessmen

t
Assessment purposes
Methods for assessment
Criteria for assessment
Assessment principles
Tests in assessment

Understanding assessment
finish task 1, ticking the right ones that they think can

best describe what assessment is.

the differences between testing, assessment, and
evaluation.

Testing: done at the end of a learning period; result expressed by a

mark, a grade or ratio; students compared with each other.
Assessment: involving the collection of information or evidence of
a learners progress or achievement over a period of time for the
purpose of improving teaching and learning; not based on one
test or task; students are measured against his/her own starting
point.
Evaluation: involving making an overall judgment about ones
work or a whole schools work.

task 2 :group discussion

read the definition of the

above three terms again.

explain to each other how

testing is related to
assessment and assessment
to evaluation.
back

2. Assessment purposes
why is assessment necessary?
what are testing , assessment and evaluation for?

Testing for schools and parents benefit

Assessment for teachers and learners benefits
Evaluation for the authoritys benefits
what does assessment have to do with administrators, teachers,

parents and students?

back

3. Methods for assessment

Speaking of assessment
methods, many teachers
immediately think of tests.
Assessment includes testing
but definitely not only
testing.

methods of assessment
what are summative assessment and formative

assessment respectively?

summative assessment: based on testing, done at the end of a

learning period.; focus on memory work; cannot be used to
inform teachers teaching and students learning
formative assessment: based on information collected in a
classroom during the teaching process; providing more
information.

the methods of assessment

1) testing;

4) self-assessment and peer

assessment

2) teachers observations
3) continuous assessment

5) project work
6) portfolios

task 6 :group discussion

If you are given the

chance to assess the

students overall
language achievement in
whatever methods they
like, how would you do
it.
write your steps and
reasons for doing so.
back

4. criteria for assessment

Depending on different language
assessment purposes and the stage at
which the assessment is made,
assessment should be made according to
different criteria or references.

4.2 the criteria for assessment

answer the following questions:
what is criteria-referenced assessment?
what is norm-referenced assessment?
what is individual-referenced assessment?

4.3 task 7
answer the question:

What are the possible

advantages and
disadvantages of
different assessments
based on different
criteria?
write your answers in

the chart on page 256.

back

5. Assessment principles
assess authentic us of language in reading, writing,

speaking, and listening.

assess literacy and language in a variety of contexts
assess the environment, the instruction, and the students
assess processes as well as products
analyze patterns of errors in language and literacy.
base assessment on normal development patterns and
behavior in language and literacy acquisition
clarify and use standards when assessing reading,
writing, and content knowledge.
involve students and parents, as well as other personnel
such as the ESL or mainstream teacher, in the assessment
process.
make assessment an ongoing part of every day.

It is ideal if assessors can follow all these

principles. But in reality, it is very difficult to
achieve this.

back

6. Tests in assessment
We have said that testing
does not equate with
assessment, but testing is,
at least now, the most
widely used method to
collect information for the
purpose of assessment.
So it is desirable and
necessary for teachers to
familiarize with testing
techniques.

test formats
questions and answers
true or false questions
multiple-choice questions
gap-filling or completion
matching questions
dictation
transformation
translation
essay writing
interview

task 9
answer the questions:
what are the advantages and disadvantages of testing?
what are the usual formats of the tests that you have

taken in your experience of English learning?

Is there any particular format that you like or dislike?

Give your reasons

Conclusion
In this unit, we started with a discussion on what

assessment is in order to understand the

differences among testing, assessment, and
evaluation. Then we discussed assessment
methods.
Assessment can be done in many ways. Testing is
only one of them. Whatever methods or formats
are used, assessment must always follow a set of
principles which guarantee assessment validity
and reliability.

Thank you