By
B.A. Mey Reynolds Panton
When people hear the word
assessment, they think about exams. Nevertheless, assessment takes into account
exams and student’s daily activities. It includes the following phases:
planning, development, administration, analysis, feedback and reflection. A
teacher could also work on different stages at the same time.
Assessment is part of the
curriculum. Teachers must resolve how to assess students from the beginning of
a course, define the standards (which refer to the level of instruction) and break
them down into specific objectives. This will help students prepare themselves for
the assessment. It is important also to consider a time for analysis in order
to get some feedback; which is crucial for the positive development of the
course.
As a whole, the phases or steps in
the assessment process (mentioned at the beginning) are important. Teachers
need to focus on them, in order to accomplish their goals successfully. These
are some hints about those steps: First of all, teachers must select an
assessment that is suitable to their needs, plan thinking on the purpose of the
assessment. Second, give students clear specific objectives, so they will know
exactly what to study. Then, use the specific objectives to construct the test.
Next, inform students about the exam (day of the application, objectives that
will be cover and day for the results). Finally, take time for analysis
feedback and reflection; remember that learning is a process.
Glossary
Stakeholders: Students, parents,
colleagues, administration.
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TLU: Target Language Use domain “tasks
that the test taker is likely to encounter outside of the test.”
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Real-life domain: Situations that student
will find in daily life.
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Map: Make choices about what to assess.
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Specification: Detailed description of
what is being assessed.
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Reverse engineering: Close inspection of
the formats used in standardized examinations.
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