In Brown’s chapter 23 it was interesting to see his
viewpoint on assessment in comparison to what we are learning in ENG 345. When
he brought up the question about whether there is ever teaching without
assessment since at one point or another everything that is taught is assessed,
it really made me reflect on my learning experience. There is a long standing argument
that is fundamentally based on whether or not grades should be given and I am
constantly changing my position in this argument. I think that grades can be a
very important motivator and tool to gauge the learning of students, but on the
other hand students should be intrinsically motivated and want to learn for
their own benefit. This directly correlates with testing because tests are
often a large sum of points and they motivate students to learn the material
more specifically so that they may pass the test instead of for their own
learning. Also the concept of wash back comes into mind because often teachers
tend to teach to the test so that their students score highly, but skip out important
or beneficial material that students would need to know in order to function
appropriately in a real setting.
I think that in terms of practicality, criterion referenced
tests are more beneficial for the learners because it specifically tests the
material that is from the curriculum and students may see where they need more help.
Norm-referenced tests can prove unfair at times because instead of grading the
students based on their individual performance, a teacher could compare the results
as a whole without any type of helpful feedback. Validity is another important
factor in testing because with its various types it shows how easily a test can
go from being valid to invalid if it is not designed appropriately.
In terms of classroom based assessment, I think the concept
of alternatives in assessment is really important because it shows a more
authentic demonstration of student’s language ability. For example, some
students find it difficult to take tests and often score poorly but may have a
great understanding of all concepts of the language. It is also very important
to have alternative assessment in the language classroom because some
assessments tend to limit the different domain skills that are necessary to
have proficiency in a language (ie. speaking, listening). Among the examples of
alternative assessment, I think that portfolios and observations are the most
beneficial because they are unique and authentic demonstrations of the student’s
abilities and improvement is really clear when comparing work from various
times throughout the semester.