Useful Assessment and Evaluation in Language Education

The specific—and varied—ways in which assessment and evaluation can impact learning and teaching have become an important language education research concern, particularly as educators are increasingly called on to implement these processes for improvement, accountability, or curricular development purposes. Useful Assessment and Evaluation in Language Education showcases contemporary research that explores innovative uses of assessment and evaluation in a variety of educational contexts.

Divided into three parts, this volume first examines theoretical considerations and practical implementations of assessment conducted for the purpose of enhancing and developing language learning. Part 2 addresses novel assessment development and implementation projects, such as the formative use of task-based assessments, technology-mediated language performance assessment, validation of educational placement tests for immigrant learners, and the use of assessment to help identify neurolinguistic correlates of proficiency. The final section of the book highlights examples of argument-based approaches to assessment and evaluation validation, extending this critical framework to quality assurance efforts in new domains. Adding to research on traditional and conventional uses of testing and evaluation in language education, this volume captures innovative trends in assessment and evaluation practice that explicitly aim to better inform and enhance language teaching and learning.

Table of Contents

Preface
John McE. Davis

Part 1. Connecting Assessment, Learners, and Learning

1. Developing Students' Self-Assessment Skills: The Role of the Teacher
Richard Kiely

2. Young Learners' Processes and Rationales for Responding to Self-Assessment Items: Cases of Generic Can-Do and Five-Point, Likert-Type Formats
Yuko Goto Butler

3. The Impact of Self-Assessment on Learning and Teaching in Technology-Mediated Language Education: User Perceptions of the Teletandem Tracking Sheet
Viviane Bagio Furtoso and Michael J. Ferreira

4. An Integrated Approach to Foreign Language Instruction and Assessment
Keiko Koda and Junko Yamashita

5. Using Assessment to Promote Learning: Clarifying Constructs, Theories, and Practices
Constant Leung, Chris Davison, Martin East, Michael Evans, Yongcan Liu, Liz Hamp-Lyons, and James E. Purpura


Part 2. Innovating, Framing, and Exploring Assessment in Language Education

6. Linguistic Correlates of Proficiency (LCP): At the Intersection of Testing and Teaching
Svetlana V. Cook, Shauna J. Sweet, Alia Lancaster, Nicholas B. Pandza, Scott R. Jackson, Eric Pelzl, Kira Gor, and Catherine J. Doughty

7. Face-to-Face Speaking Assessment in the Digital Age: Interactive Speaking Tasks Online
Larry Davis, Veronika Timpe-Laughlin, Lin Gu, and Gary Ockey

8. Task-Based Language Assessment for L1 and L2 Speakers in Primary Education: Designing a Useful Task-Specification Framework
Koen Van Gorp

9. Predicting Placement Accuracy and Language Outcomes in Immigrants' L2 Finnish Education
Taina Tammelin-Laine, Ari Huhta, Reeta Neittaanmaki, Tuija Hirvela, Sari Ohranen, and Elina Stordell

Part 3. Validity Evaluation
10. University Entrance Language Tests: Examining Assumed Equivalence
Bart Deygers

11. Addressing Consequences and Validity during Test Design and Development: Implementing the CAL Validation Framework
Justin Kelly, Jennifer Renn, and Jennifer Norton

12 Using a Validation Framework as a Guide for Planning Analyses and Collecting Information in Preoperational and Operational Testing
Chih-Kai Lin and David MacGregor

13. Addressing Diversity in CALL Evaluation through Arguments and Theory-of-Action
Jim Ranalli

14. Validating Assessments for Meaning and Usefulness
Michael T. Kane


List of Editors and Contributors
Index

Reviews

"Raises the need for further research in many areas related to language assessment and evaluation, and draws attention to the many challenges that remain for language teachers tasked with implementing assessments within the Assessment for Learning framework. Overall, this collection of well-written studies is laudable in the contribution it makes to this field of research."—Teachers College Record

"This book is an important step in the field’s movement toward recognizing and emphasizing the importance of assessment as part of the language learning process. Rather than focusing solely on the more traditional area of assessing language proficiency, this book rightfully emphasizes the importance of the usefulness of assessments."—Elvis Wagner, Associate Professor of Education, Temple University

"This book provides language assessment students, researchers, and practitioners an up-to-date and comprehensive collection of articles that collectively address the potentially transforming role of assessment and evaluation in language education. It showcases the diverse and constantly expanding theories, methods, contexts, and purposes that inform the development, validation, and uses of language assessments to enhance the educational enterprise."—Lorena Llosa, Ph.D., NYU

"The perspectives offered in this volume present innovative research on foreign language learning from outside the academic contexts of theological education and religious studies."—The Wabash Center Journal On Teaching

Contributors

Viviane Bagio FurtosoYuko ButlerSvetlana V. CookLarry DavisChris DavisonBart DeygersCatherine J. DoughtyMartin EastMichael EvansMichael J. FerreiraLin GuLiz Hamp-LyonsTuija HirveläAri HuhtaScott R. JacksonMichael KaneJustin KellyRichard KielyKeiko KodaAlia LancasterConstant LeungChih-Kai LinYongcan LiuDavid MacGregorReeta NeittaanmäkiJennifer NortonGary OckeySari OhranenNicholas B. PandžaEric PelzlJames E. PurpuraJim RanalliJennifer RennElina StordellShauna J. SweetTaina Tammelin-LaineVeronika Timpe-LaughlinKoen Van GorpJunko Yamashita

Supplemental Materials

Awards

About the Author

John McE. Davis is John McE. Davis is Research Scientist at the Center for English Language Learning and Assessment at the Educational Testing Service, USA. His research interests include language program evaluation, language assessment, and questionnaire research methods.

John M. Norris is Senior Research Director of the Center for English Language Learning and Assessment at the Educational Testing Service, USA. His primary research interests include educational uses of language assessment, program evaluation, task-based language teaching, and research synthesis.

Margaret E. Malone is Director of the Assessment and Evaluation Language Resource Center (AELRC) and Research Professor at Georgetown University and Director of the Center for Assessment, Research and Development at ACTFL. Her current research focuses on language assessment literacy, oral proficiency assessment and the relative difficulty of learning different languages.

Todd H. McKay is a Ph.D. candidate in applied linguistics and research assistant with the AELRC at Georgetown University. His research interests include language assessment, language program evaluation, and applied measurement, with emphases on the less commonly taught languages and language programs in South Asia.

Young-A Son is a PhD candidate in the Department of Linguistics at Georgetown University. Her research interests include the assessment of foreign and heritage language learners. More specifically, her work examines validation of language tests and other indicators of language proficiency for research as well as instructional purposes.