A summary presentation made for the Didactics 2 blog project

1. Develop, Not Judge
Continuous assessment in the ESL classroom

2. Why continuous assessment is
important?
In order to transform the whole educational
process, that change to assessment is being
made hand-in-hand with the change
outcomes-based education.

3. The concept of CA itself holds rich potentials
for teacher because it affirms high-order
creative and critical thinking because
embraces not only cognitive outcomes but
affective and behavioral outcome as well.

4. When the assessment is built into the
instructional process, the confusion and
frustration that test takers often face is
reduced.

5. Continuous assessment defined
As defined in the South African context, CA is
conceptually similar to a term in wider use,
alternative assessment.

6. CA focuses on tasks or projects which demand
performance of the learners; as the
following:
1. Journals
2. Reflective responses
3. Portfolios
4. Teacher observation
5. Self-evaluation questionnaries

7. Self-and peer-assessment devices
They are skills to be developed that learners
can take with them when they live schools
and then use for life-long learning.

8. Self assessment
Blanche and Merino (1989) found that self-
appraisal exercise are likely to increases
motivation of the language.

9. Peer-assessment
It can be defined as a response in some form
to other learner´s work. Also can be given by
a group or individual.

10. Some benefits to portfolio assessment
1. reminds
2. Helps
3. Improves
4. stimulates

11. A nod to portfolio assessment
Portfolio can be defined as a meaningful
collection of student work to give fuller
picture of what a learner has achieved.

12. Implications of continuous assessment
for teachers
CA reflects evolving theories of learning and
teaching and educational outcomes and
assessment.

13. CA offers to a way to cater to a diversity of
learners in the language class.

14. Classroom teachers might introduce CA
gradually, perhaps experimenting with self
assessment

15. CA in the English language classroom is one
response to new global realities as they
shape the classroom.

16. Coming to Grips with
progress testing:
some guidelines for its design

17. Why most teacher test?
A well-planned course should measure the
extend to wish students have fulfilled course
objectives, then progress center are a central
part of the learning process.

18. Reasons for testing can be identified
1. Testing tells teachers what students can or cannot
do.
2. Testing tells students how well they are
progressing.
3. By identifying students’ strengths and
weaknesses.
4. Testing will help evaluate the effectiveness of the
programs, coursebooks, materials, and methods.

19. Progress test
 Progress tests are a central part of the learning process.
 Testings tells teachers what students can or cannot do.
 Testings tells students how well they are progressing
 Identifying students strengths and weakness

20. Theorical considerations
let start by defining progress tests as a measure of
students progress toward definite goals .
Other important issue is whether there is a
discrepancy between teaching and testing within the
communicative paradigm relates to the amount of
help that is available to the student from the teacher

21. Planning stage
 Specifications : the teacher will have to select what s/he
considers most important and not what is easiest to test.
 Construct validity is concerned there are certain features of
communicative language teaching that we should attain
within the testing format : demand for context, information
gaps, unpredictability, authentic language participant roles
emphasis on discourse ,and real life situations.

22. Development stage:
In this stage we start the process of test
design.
Guidelines for the construction:
 Compile written and spoken source materials that fit the contents of
programme.
 Select activities that best measure performance. We should try to
include all the possible activities used in the classroom .
 Select the test format: multiple choice, true or false, gap filling .
 Include clear and unambiguous instructions with brief and well chosen
wording and some examples.

23.  Design a clear layout which will not include mistakes.
 Thoughtfully consider the scoring and making systems.
 Analyze the test statistically
 Consider the pedagogical effects that the test may have on
teaching.
 Present the test and feedback results to the students with
the aim of reviewing and revising the teaching of content skills
in which the test has shown students to be weak.