2. Course Description

The field of education has witnessed significant shifts away from assessment of learning to Assessment for and as learning. Assessment is an integral part of the instructional and learning process. Teachers and students are viewed as major change agents in assessment. We are also aware that assessment is increasingly used to drive educational reforms and evaluate the quality of education by holding educators accountable for students’ learning outcomes. This test-driven educational reform effort has caused a great deal of controversy in modern society across continents.

This course is intended for those interested in developing critical assessment literacy for tackling issues arising from assessment practice for school-aged language learners. The course readings and activities will focus on theoretical underpinnings and issues associated with language assessment practices in large contexts and on the practical demands and challenges of various assessment activities in and outside the classroom. The use of assessment is the central theme, and throughout the course, we will address various theoretical and practical issues arising from the use of assessment. We will consider theoretical bases and empirical evidence that educators and teachers should know when assessing school-aged language learners. Various cognitive and non-cognitive factors influencing students’ language proficiency development in mainstream content lessons will be examined.

We will engage in critical discussions about validity, reliability, and fairness issues arising from standardized norm-referenced tests that are often externally mandated. These methods are used for the initial identification of English language learners, standardized English proficiency tests for placement and diagnosis, and standards-based achievement measures used to serve accountability purposes. In addition, we will review research on topics such as how different types of feedback are used for students in different age groups and how individual differences, such as goal orientation, affect the utility of assessment feedback. Students will also have ample opportunities to develop their own assessment methods systematically. Students will develop checklists to evaluate the appropriateness of assessment methods for various age groups and contexts. Throughout the course, students will be asked to reflect on new learnings and their experiences with assessment.

In this course, students will critically examine the status quo of contemporary educational assessment by focusing on the following areas:

•   Purposes and different types of assessment;

•   Validity and reliability issues in assessment;

•   Theories about language development;

•   Assessing vocabulary, reading, oral, and writing abilities;

•   Classroom assessment;

•   Alternative assessment;

•   Equity and fairness issues;

•   Communicating assessment results with various stakeholders.