Good assessment is vital for every language program, even if grades are not being assigned. This is because tests and other assessment measures are essential for fine-tuning what is going on in the classroom. (When you make changes to what you are doing in the classroom because of test results, it is often referred to as the backwash effect of testing. This is considered to be very beneficial and one of the primary reasons for administering tests and one of the ways to carry out ongoing needs analysis). You might intuitively feel that you should spend most of your time developing materials or focusing on your teaching, but if you are not assessing your students' learning, how do you know that what you are doing is helping to meet their needs?

Your resources of time and energy are limited, and only a finite amount can be devoted to developing tests. However, if you don't do it, your other efforts may be unknowingly misguided, sorely lacking in efficiency, and would therefore be impractical. The ways you assess your students should be reliable and valid. In other words, they should consistently measure what they are supposed to (i.e. a spelling test would not be a valid way of measuring conversational ability). Tests should also be appropriate, simple to construct, uncomplicated to administer, easy to score and interpret, and economical.

For example, if you have just been teaching body parts to a group of children, you could test their comprehension by handing out red and green index cards. You point to your head and say, "I am touching my head." The children should hold up their green cards because what you said is correct. You touch your knee and say, "I am touching my elbow." They should hold up their red cards. If all of the students get it wrong, then you know you need to change how you are teaching the material. If only some of the students get it wrong, you can identify who they are without embarrassing them.

Another very low-tech example is a time when I was tutoring a group of three adult women. (By the way, this was before I began my studies). We were working on giving and understanding directions. The teacher who planned the lesson had provided us with maps, and the students were supposed to ask each other for directions on how to get to various places. It just wasn't working and I couldn't figure out what the problem was. I decided to have them give each other directions to places within the building where our class was being held (to the bathroom, the drinking fountain, etc.). We left our classroom and went out into the hall where it became clear that all three were utterly confused between left and right. It then occurred to me that I had been inconsistent in my teaching. I had been sitting across the desk from them and had sometimes used "my" right and sometimes "their" right. Once I figured out what the problem was, it was very easy to fix.

It is a good idea to include some form of assessment in all of your lessons. This not only helps you as the teacher, but it can be very motivating to students as they begin to perceive that their hard work is paying off. Assessment should be fun and creative. It is one of the most valuable ways you can spend your time as a teacher.

Complete the exercise of your choice and email it to Dr. Strong-Krause at diane_strong-krause@byu.edu.

REFLECTION

• Think about your students and the content or material you are trying to teach. Brainstorm various ways you could assess their learning. (Use this as an opportunity to find out what other teachers are doing!) List at least five assessment activities, and describe how you will use them in your classroom.

• Think about how the language learning in your classroom is being assessed. Ask the teacher why he or she is assessing it that way. Write a brief reaction with a special emphasis on what you would do the same as and different from your classroom teacher.

DISCOVERY

• Describe in writing how you will assess your students during your next lesson. Teach the lesson and administer the assessment, then write down how it went-did it work? What did you learn from it? What did your students get out of it? How will you change things next time?

• Write about a time when you realized that a student you were working with just "didn't get it." How did you know that he or she didn't understand? What did/could you do about it?

VISION

• Are your students currently benefiting from your existing assessment techniques? How? How can you use testing and assessment to provide feedback to yourself and to your students, and to motivate them in the process of learning an additional language?

• In a certain sense, your student is being assessed every time he or she uses English in a real world setting. What are some specific things you can do as a teacher or tutor to make your assessments similar to what your student will face when using the things you are teaching?
  

diane_strong-krause@byu.edu