Luis Octavio Canseco García / Escuela de Idiomas / Universidad Regional del Sureste / Oaxaca / México
In many references, the terms assessment
and evaluation are used synonymously.
According to Nunan (1999), Evaluation is
the collection and interpretation of
information about aspects of the curriculum
(including learners, teachers, materials,
learning arrangements, etc.) for decision
making purposes.
Assesment
Luis Octavio Canseco García / Escuela de Idiomas / Universidad Regional del Sureste / Oaxaca / México
Assesment is a subcomponent of evaluation.
It refers to the tools, techniques, and
procedures for collecting and interpreting
information about what learner can and
cannot do.
Assesment is extremely related to goals and
objectives as well as course content.
Luis Octavio Canseco García / Escuela de Idiomas / Universidad Regional del Sureste / Oaxaca / México
Traditionally, assessment practices are
characterized by test designed,
administered and graded by the teacher.
Traditional techniques are exams, tests and
quizzes.
Luis Octavio Canseco García / Escuela de Idiomas / Universidad Regional del Sureste / Oaxaca / México
Practical Ideas on Alternative Assessment for ESL Students
Nonverbal Assessment Strategies
Physical Demonstration
To express academic concepts without speech, students can point or
use other gestures. They can also be asked to perform hands-on
tasks or to act out vocabulary, concepts, or events.
Pictorial Products
To elicit content knowledge without requiring students to speak or
write, teachers can ask students to produce and manipulate drawings,
dioramas, models, graphs, and charts.
Luis Octavio Canseco García / Escuela de Idiomas / Universidad Regional del Sureste / Oaxaca / México
Practical Ideas on Alternative Assessment for ESL Students
Nonverbal Assessment Strategies
Oral Performances Or Presentations
Performance-based assessments include interviews, oral
reports, role plays, describing, explaining, summarizing,
retelling, paraphrasing stories or text material, and so on.
Oral assessments should be conducted on an ongoing basis to
monitor comprehension and thinking skills.
Luis Octavio Canseco García / Escuela de Idiomas / Universidad Regional del Sureste / Oaxaca / México
Practical Ideas on Alternative Assessment for ESL Students
Oral and Written Products
Content area logs
Designed to encourage the use of metacognitive strategies when
students read expository text.
Reading response logs
Used for students' written responses or reactions to a piece of
literature. Students may respond to questions--some generic, some
specific to the literature--that encourage critical thinking, or they may
copy a brief text on one side of the page and write their reflections on
the text on the other side.
Luis Octavio Canseco García / Escuela de Idiomas / Universidad Regional del Sureste / Oaxaca / México
Practical Ideas on Alternative Assessment for ESL Students
Oral and Written Products
Writing assignment
This can be controlled or structured. The teacher can guide students
through a pre-writing stage, which includes discussion, brainstorming,
webbing, outlining, and so on. The results of pre-writing, as well as
the independently written product, can be assessed.
Dialogue journals
Provide a means of interactive, ongoing correspondence between
students and teachers. Students determine the choice of topics and
participate at their level of English language proficiency.
Luis Octavio Canseco García / Escuela de Idiomas / Universidad Regional del Sureste / Oaxaca / México
Practical Ideas on Alternative Assessment for ESL Students
Oral and Written Products
"Audio and video cassettes"
They can be made of student oral readings, presentations,
dramatics, interviews, or conferences (with teacher or peers).
Luis Octavio Canseco García / Escuela de Idiomas / Universidad Regional del Sureste / Oaxaca / México
Practical Ideas on Alternative Assessment for ESL Students
Portfolios
Portfolios are used to collect samples of
student work over time to track student
development.
The following types of materials can be
included in a portfolio:
Luis Octavio Canseco García / Escuela de Idiomas / Universidad Regional del Sureste / Oaxaca / México
Practical Ideas on Alternative Assessment for ESL Students
Audio- and videotaped recordings of readings or oral
presentations.
Writing samples such as dialogue journal entries, book
reports, writing assignments (drafts or final copies),
reading log entries, or other writing projects.
Conference or interview notes and anecdotal records.
Checklists (by teacher, peers, or student).
Tests and quizzes.
Luis Octavio Canseco García / Escuela de Idiomas / Universidad Regional del Sureste / Oaxaca / México
A suggested grading scale for mexican
students is:
10 Trabajo de calidad superior con mucha
atención al detalle. Asistencia perfecta o casi
perfecta. El alumno aprovechó de todas las
oportunidades de participar y practicar en clase.
9 Trabajo muy fuerte, en términos de calidad y
esfuerzo. Pocas o ninguna inasistencia y una
buena contribución a las actividades en clase.
Luis Octavio Canseco García / Escuela de Idiomas / Universidad Regional del Sureste / Oaxaca / México
8 Por lo general, trabajo bueno. El alumno hizo
un buen esfuerzo y produjo trabajos completos.
Su asistencia fue buena y el alumno se
involucró en la clase.
7 Trabajo adecuado. El alumno completó su
trabajo con un nivel aceptable de calidad.
Asistencia regular con algún esfuerzo de
participar en clase.
Luis Octavio Canseco García / Escuela de Idiomas / Universidad Regional del Sureste / Oaxaca / México
6 No aprobatorio. El alumno no hizo las tareas
asignadas, o produjo un trabajo de calidad
inferior que mostró poco esfuerzo, y no participó
mucho en actividades en clase.
5 Reprobatorio. Su trabajo fue
consistentemente de calidad pobre y/o no
entregó sus tareas.
Luis Octavio Canseco García / Escuela de Idiomas / Universidad Regional del Sureste / Oaxaca / México
Useful sources about language learning
levels to base your goals, objectives and
assessment techniques are:
Niveles del Marco Común Europeo de
Referencia.doc
Niveles de Conocimiento de Idiomas
SEP.pdf
Luis Octavio Canseco García / Escuela de Idiomas / Universidad Regional del Sureste / Oaxaca / México
Don’t forget the parts of our suggested
syllabus:
Course Information
Teacher Information
General Objectives (goals)
Specific Objectives
Luis Octavio Canseco García / Escuela de Idiomas / Universidad Regional del Sureste / Oaxaca / México
Course Content
(Structures, Vocabulary, Notions,
Pronunciation, Functions, Cultural
Aspects, Situations, Skills, Topics)
Teaching Strategies
Learning Strategies
Assessment
Luis Octavio Canseco García / Escuela de Idiomas / Universidad Regional del Sureste / Oaxaca / México
Bibliography and References:
Jameson, J. (1998). Three principles for success: English language
learners in mainstream content classes (From Theory to Practice
Issue No. 6). Tampa, FL: Center for Applied Linguistics, Region XIV
Comprehensive Center.
Nunan, David. (1999) Second Language Teaching and Learning,
Heinle and Heinle.
Oxford, R.L. (1990), Language Learning Strategies, Newbury House.