What makes an assessment appropriate?
A good language proficiency test is made up of language tasks that replicate what goes on in
the real world (Bachman & Palmer, 1996). Thus performance assessments, which require
test takers to demonstrate their skills and knowledge in ways that closely resemble real-life
situations or settings (National Research Council, 2002), are most appropriate. Performance
assessments generally reflect language used in the real world better than selected-response
tests (e.g., true-false or multiple choice).
Performance assessments require learners to accomplish tasks that demonstrate what they
know and can do. Examples of performance assessment tasks include oral interviews, oral
or written reports (e.g., how to become a citizen), projects (e.g., researching, producing, and
distributing a booklet on recreational opportunities available in the community), or
demonstrations (e.g., filling out forms, writing a note in response to a memo from a child’s
teacher). Information from a variety of performance assessments provides a more complete
picture of learners’ abilities than can be gathered from performance on one standardized test
alone (Van Duzer, 2002).
For performance assessments to be used for accountability purposes, they need to be
standardized. Programs should check with their state representatives to see what
assessments can be used for accountability reporting. (See English Language Assessment
Instruments for Adults Learning English, page IV–31, for a list of some of the performance
assessments used for NRS reporting. For more detailed discussion of test appropriateness,
see Kenyon & Van Duzer, 2003.)
Other Uses of Assessments
Not all assessments are used for program accountability. They also may be used to
determine learners’ goals and needs, to place learners in appropriate instructional levels and
classes, to measure learners’ progress and help them move to more advanced levels, to
qualify them to enroll in academic or job training programs, and to document program
effectiveness. To accomplish these purposes, programs often use a variety of different
assessments, including both standardized and alternative measures.
Alternative assessments include surveys, interviews, checklists, observations, teacherdeveloped
tests, learner self-assessment, portfolios, and performance-based tests (Van
Duzer, 2002). These assessments allow program administrators and teachers to learn what
adults need and want to learn (in a needs assessment) and monitor their learning from
classroom-based activities (in ongoing assessment). Alternative assessments may be
conducted in learners’ native languages if that is reasonable. For example, surveys and
interviews are often used soon after enrollment to find out about adults’ and their children’s
language and literacy use at home and at work, what they believe they do well, and what
they want to learn. These kinds of assessments also are used to place learners in classes.
Portfolios, or collections of individuals’ work, can include such items as book reports, notes
from interviews, learners’ reflections on their progress, writing samples, data from
performance-based assessments, and scores on standardized tests. From program-developed
performance-based tests, instructors, administrators, and learners can get information about
how the learners use English to accomplish different tasks. Skills such as reading a chart or
locating information on a schedule can be related to actual situations that learners might
encounter. Authentic materials such as job schedules, pay stubs, and union contracts are
often used to assess learner knowledge and skills in workplace programs (Holt & Van
Duzer, 2000).
Both standardized and alternative assessments have disadvantages. Standardized tests may
not capture the incremental changes in learning that occur over short periods of instructional
time. This is particularly a problem in adult education programs where learners may have
only a few hours per week to devote to attending classes or where instruction is focused on a
limited number of learner goals. Because it takes a long time to learn a language, learners
may not have enough instructional time to demonstrate gain on a standardized test.
Alternative assessments may be time consuming for both learners and teachers. In addition,
data from alternative assessments do not meet federal accountability requirements, and they
may not meet eligibility requirements for job training programs, higher level classes, or
certification. Because of these limitations, ESL programs often use a combination of
standardized and alternative assessments to assess literacy and language proficiency.
Factors Influencing the Effectiveness of Assessments
The time it takes for learners to show a gain on an assessment equivalent to at least one level
—as defined by the NRS—depends on both program and learner factors.
Program factors:
??Intensity of the classes (how long and how many times per week)
??Training and experience of the instructors
??Adequacy of facilities (comfortable, well-lit)
??Resources available to instructors and learners
Learner factors:
??Educational background (including literacy in the native language)
??Age
??Experiences with trauma
??Opportunities to use the language outside of instructional time
??Time and ability to attend class
المادة المعروضة اعلاه هي مدخل الى المحاضرة المرفوعة بواسطة استاذ(ة) المادة . وقد تبدو لك غير متكاملة . حيث يضع استاذ المادة في بعض الاحيان فقط الجزء الاول من المحاضرة من اجل الاطلاع على ما ستقوم بتحميله لاحقا . في نظام التعليم الالكتروني نوفر هذه الخدمة لكي نبقيك على اطلاع حول محتوى الملف الذي ستقوم بتحميله .
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