Bachelor of Teaching Programme (PISMP) Teaching of English as a Second Language (TESL) TSLB3033 Principles and Practice in English Language Teaching Topic 8 : Purpose Of Assessment In English Language Teaching Assessment of Learning

1. ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING
TOPIC 8
PURPOSE OF ASSESSMENT IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING
TSLB3033 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING
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2. Assessment? What is an assessment?
 Assess (v.) refers to evaluate or estimate the nature, ability,
or quality of something (Oxford Advanced Learner’s
Dictionary, 2015).
 The systematic collection, review, and use of information
about educational programs undertaken for the purpose of
improving learning and development (Palomba & Banta,
1999).
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3. Why assessment? (Higher Learning Commission, n.d.)
 To provide data/information a teacher needs on your students’
learning
 To engage the teacher and others in analysing and using this
data/information to confirm and improve teaching and learning
 To produce evidence that students are learning the outcomes
the teacher intended to enable them to achieve
 To guide the teacher in making educational and institutional
improvements
 To evaluate whether changes made improve/impact student
learning, and documents the learning and the teacher’s efforts.
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4. ASSESSMENT OFLEARNING
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5.  Predominant kind of assessment in schools
 Its purpose is summative, intended to certify learning and report to
parents and students about their progress in schools, usually by
signalling students’ relative position compared to other students.
 Typically done at the end of something (eg. a unit, course, a grade, a
key stage, a program) and takes the form of tests or exams that
include questions drawn from the material studied during that time.
 The results are expressed symbolically, generally as marks across
several content areas to report to parents.
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6.  Purpose: to assess the quantity and accuracy of student work, and the bulk
of teacher effort in assessment is taken up in marking and grading.
 A strong emphasis is placed on comparing students, and feedback to
students comes in the form of marks or grades with little direction or advice
for improvement.
 These kinds of testing events indicate which students are doing well and
which ones are doing poorly. Typically, they don’t give much indication of
mastery of particular ideas or concepts because the test content is generally
too limited and the scoring is too simplistic to represent the broad range of
skills and knowledge that has been covered.
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7.  This lack of specificity hasn’t presented a problem because the teachers’
perceived purpose of the assessment is to produce a rank order of the students
and assign a symbol to designate the students’ position within the group.
 Teachers maintain voluminous records of student achievement that are used only
for justifying the grades that are assigned.
 Although the public has been largely supportive of grading in schools, scepticism
is increasing about its fairness and even its accuracy.
 Teachers consider many factors other than academic achievement when they
assign grades; teachers weight assessments differently, and they misinterpret
single scores on assessments to represent performances on a wide range of
skills and abilities (Marzano, 2000).
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8. Primary School Evaluation Test (UPSR)
 A national examination taken by all Malaysian students at the
end of their sixth year in primary school.
 It is prepared and examined by the Malaysian Examinations
Syndicate (Lembaga Peperiksaan Malaysia), an agency that
constitutes the Ministry of Education.
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9. CHUN @ 2016

10. Advantages
 It provides motivation and helps create an appropriate learning
environment.
 Positive results can increase confidence and encourage positive,
subsequent behaviour.
 Weaker are identified and alternative methods of learning can be
considered for the future.
 The results provide a measurable and directly comparable way of
determining the success of learning.
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11. Disadvantages
 Controversial, and has been suggested to be too rigid
 Many schools or governing bodies choose to implement
standardised testing to ensure that pupil’s achievements can be
monitored in a clear way that is comparable across a wider area
 It causes the pupils forget the real purpose of learning.
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12. THANK YOU.
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