Assessment Literacy for the Language Classroom

Abstract

Language testing has seen unprecedented expansion during the first part of the 21 st century. As a result there is an increasing need for the language testing profession to consider more precisely what it means by 'assessment literacy' and to articulate its role in the creation of new pedagogic materials and programs in language testing and assessment to meet the changing needs of teachers and other stakeholders for a new age. This paper describes a research project in which a survey instrument was developed, piloted and delivered on the internet to elicit the assessment training needs of language teachers. The results were used to inform the design of new teaching materials and the further development of online resources that could be used to support program delivery. The project makes two significant contributions. Firstly, it provides new empirically derived content for the concept of assessment literacy within which to frame materials development and teaching. Secondly, it uncovered methodological problems with existing survey techniques that may have impacted upon earlier studies, and solutions to these problems are suggested. CHANGING TIMESThe first decade of the 21 st century has seen a phenomenal increase in the testing and assessment responsibilities placed upon language teachers. There are arguably three primary reasons for this, two of which are external to the field, one of which is internal.Firstly is the increased use of tests and assessments, both externally mandated and locally developed, for the purposes of accountability. Malone (2008) identifies the No Child Left Behind legislation in the United States, and the widespread implementation of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) in Europe, as major change factors. Similarly, McNamara and Roever (2006: 212) refer to the CEFR as "...the most comprehensive example of policy-driven assessment yet seen". Although policy makers have always sought to control educational practice through the use of tests, we are more aware than ever of the power of tests (Shohamy, 2001), and the way in which they are used in political systems to manipulate the behaviour of teachers and hold them accountable for much wider policy goals. Brindley (2008) notes that it is the externally mandated nature of tests that make them such attractive political tools. Policy makers frequently believe that changes can be implemented relatively quickly and cheaply without having to undertake curriculum development or change classroom practices through teacher education programs. Often motivated by fears for the economic future of the country without an appropriately skilled workforce, tests are perceived to address the need to raise educational standards by introducing transparent means of accountability (Fulcher, 2009). Tests of international literacy, such as the PISA program, are also used in an accountability role (McGaw, 2008). The results of such tests not infrequently lead to national educational reform, as was the case in Germany following the 2000 tests (...

A Call for Language Assessment Literacy in the Education and Development of English Language Teachers

“…Fulcher (2012) states that the earliest attempt to define assessment literacy for teachers was made by the American Federation of Teachers (1990) and it included competencies in "selecting and developing assessments for the classroom, administering and scoring tests, using scores to aid instructional decisions, communicating results to stakeholders, and being aware of inappropriate and unethical uses of tests" (Fulcher, 2012, p. 115). Soon after, Stiggins (1991) defined assessment literacy as "having a basic understanding of the meaning of high-and low-quality assessment and being able to apply that knowledge to various measures of student achievement" (p. 535).…”

Assessment literacy of national examination interviewers and raters – experience with the CEFR

“…There seems to be agreement (Brindley 2001, Malone 2008, Popham 2009, Fulcher 2012) that many test users -and here we specifically include teachers who prepare students for tests, develop tests and act as interviewers and raters during high stakes tests like national examinations -have limited knowledge about language testing, sometimes irrespective of the fact that language testing and assessment have been part of their teacher education. Research into assessment literacy has focused on the kinds of textbook that are available and their relevance for particular groups in language education population like teachers, testers and researchers (Davies 2008, Fulcher 2012, suggesting that more accessible testing/ assessment materials be developed for educators who are not necessarily testing experts but need to make informed assessment related decisions in their daily professional life.…”

“…There seems to be agreement (Brindley 2001, Malone 2008, Popham 2009, Fulcher 2012) that many test users -and here we specifically include teachers who prepare students for tests, develop tests and act as interviewers and raters during high stakes tests like national examinations -have limited knowledge about language testing, sometimes irrespective of the fact that language testing and assessment have been part of their teacher education. Research into assessment literacy has focused on the kinds of textbook that are available and their relevance for particular groups in language education population like teachers, testers and researchers (Davies 2008, Fulcher 2012, suggesting that more accessible testing/ assessment materials be developed for educators who are not necessarily testing experts but need to make informed assessment related decisions in their daily professional life. Another area of research are the characteristic features of language testing courses (Brindley 2001, Brown, Bailey 2008, Inbar-Lourie 2008, Malone 2008 where the findings point to 'the presence of a stable knowledge base [among test users] that is evolving and expanding, rather than shifting radically' (Brown, Bailey 2008: 371), still emphasising that a framework of core competences of language assessment be established for language testing courses (Inbar-Lourie 2008: 396-398) with the competences involving three areas: language testing/ assessment skills, language testing/ assessment knowledge and language testing/ assessment principles (Davies 2008: 328).…”

An Investigation of Chinese Middle School in-Service English Teachers� Assessment Literacy

“…Existent research focuses on the knowledge base of language assessment literacy (e.g. Bailey & Brown, 1996;Brown & Bailey, 2008;Tsagari, 2011;Fulcher, 2012;Jeong, 2013). In Chinese context, Jin (2010) investigated 86 language testing courses for teacher preparation programs for universities across China and found a heavy focus on testing and measurement perspective rather than assessment perspective.…”