Communicative Testing

1) Communicative testing is a learning tool, providing evaluative information to both learners and teachers. Its focus on student-centered and student-managed ongoing assessment also reflects educational thought in other areas of language acquisition:

collaborative learning (Vygotsky, 1978) individual learning styles and preferences (Bickley, 1989; Keefe, [Ed.], 1979;

Reid, 1987) the importance of affect (Arnold, [Ed.], 1999) the process syllabus (Breen, 1984).

2) Communicative testing encourages a cycle of intention , action and reflection , facilitated by contextualized situations, which appeal to the student’s reality, thus becoming meaningful and self-motivational.

3) An institutional respect for the learner (which must be implicit in this approach), sees him/her as an active and socially responsible agent, fully capable of needs analysis, goal setting, and assessment of achievement.

4) Psychologists and educators still know little about how language learning occurs, and why and how some individuals are more competent than others, so that it is wrong to test discrete symptoms of the process.

5) Observable factors that appear to be associated with learning include:

construction of meaning, sharing of experiences identification of needs and purposes critical evaluation of performance strategies awareness of this process (Harri-Augstein & Thomas, 1991, p. 7).

These factors can be satisfactorily examined (from the point of view of both teacher and students) using reflective , authentic , communicative and interactive testing methods in appropriate learner-centered classroom activities .

7) Integrated into the entire curriculum, assessment can become both a means and an end , and considerations of validity, reliability and efficiency remain as a major issue in the ongoing reflective examination of language performance.

Traditional vs. Communicative Testing

Traditional Testing Communicative TestingTesting and instruction are two separate activities

Testing is an integral part of instruction

Students are conceived in a uniform way Each learner is seen as a unique personDecisions are based on test scores Tests are one of many sources of dataEmphasis on weakness/failure (what students cannot do)

Emphasis on strength/progress (what students can do)

One-shot test Ongoing assessmentCultural/socio-economic status bias Intercultural approach. More culture-fairFocus on one “right answer” Possibility of several perspectives as in real

lifeJudgment without suggestions or opportunity for improvement

Immediate feedback with useful information for improving/guiding learning

Teaching is adapted to tests Tests are adapted to teachingFocus on linguistic competence (language components)

Focus on communicative competence (language skills)

Promotes individual learning and comparison between students (norm-referencing)

Encourages collaborative learning and compares students to their own performance and the aims

Promotes extrinsic motivation for a passing grade

Promotes intrinsic motivation for the student’s own sake

Principles

1) ‘Start from somewhere’ by Phan (2008)

When making a communicative language test, test makers should clearly state what they expect test takers to perform when they use the target language in a particular context – what is tested. Then test makers should establish scales and criteria for assessment which can measure exactly the stated features of testees’ performance to ensure the validity of the test.

2) ‘Concentrate on content’.

It is important that test makers pay attentionnot only to topics and but also task types. Both the topic and task type should be suitable fortest takers’ age, proficiency level, interests and needs. According to Carroll (1983), ‘... the language tasks our learners are expected to perform in their future jobs will guide us with the tasks we will set them in our tests’ (p. 37).858

3) ‘Bias for best’ is the third principle, which, according to Brown (2006)

‘A term that goes little beyond how the student views the test to a degree of strategic involvement on the part of student and teacher in preparing for, setting up, and following the test itself’ (p. 34). In other words, test makers should make sure that test takers are well prepared or test takers are familiar with the test.

Characteristics

Brown (2005) suggests five core characteristics for designing a communicative language test.

meaningful communication authentic situation unpredictable language input creative language output integrated language skills (p. 21). First, the purpose of language

In other words, language tests should be based on communication that is meaningful to students and meets their personal needs. Authentic situations can help increase meaningful communication. The usefulness of authentic situations in increasing meaningful communication is emphasized by Weir (1990) when he states that, ‘language cannot be meaningful if it is devoid of context’ (p.11). By using ‘unpredicted language input’ and ‘creative language output’, Brown (2005) means that in real situations it is not always possible to predict what speakers say (unpredictable language input) so learners need to prepare for replying (creative language output). The last characteristic is integrated language skills. A communicative test should require test takers to show their ability of combining language skills as in real life communication situations. These above-mentioned characteristics should be paid attention to and included in communicative language tests.

Communicative Language Testing: Do School Tests Measure Students’ Communicative Competence? http://www.fllt2013.org/private_folder/Proceeding/856.pdf

Performance-based assessment

Performance-based assessment involves having the students produce a project, whether it is oral, written or a group performance. The students are engaged in creating a final project that exhibits their understanding of a concept they have learned.

There are two parts to performance-based assessments:

Product Descriptor defined task for the students to complete. The assessments are either product related, specific to certain content or specific to a given task.

The second part is a list of explicit criteria that are used to assess the students. Generally this comes in the form of a rubric. The rubrics can either be analytical, meaning it assesses the final product in parts, or holistic, meaning that is assesses the final product as a whole.

Types of Performance-Based Assessment:

1. Journals

Students will write regularly in a journal about anything relevant to their life, school or thoughts. Their writing will be in the target language. The teacher will collect the journals periodically and provide feedback to the students. This can serve as a communication log between the teacher and students.

2. Letters

The students will create original language compositions through producing a letter. They will be asked to write about something relevant to their own life using the target language. The letter assignment will be accompanied by a rubric for assessment purposes.

3. Oral Reports

The students will need to do research in groups about a given topic. After they have completed their research, the students will prepare an oral presentation to present to the class explaining their research. The main component of this project will be the oral production of the target language.

4. Original Stories

The students will write an original fictional story. The students will be asked to include several specified grammatical structures and vocabulary words. This assignment will be assessed analytically, each component will have a point value.

5. Oral Interview

An oral interview will take place between two students. One student will ask the questions and listen to the responses of the other student. From the given responses, more questions can be asked. Each student will be responsible for listening and speaking.

6. Skit

The students will work in groups in order to create a skit about a real-world situation. They will use the target language. The vocabulary used should be specific to the situation. The students will be assess holistically, based on the overall presentation of the skit.

7. Poetry Recitations

After studying poetry, the students will select a poem in the target langugage of their choice to recite to the class. The students will be assessed based on their pronunciation, rhythm and speed. The students will also have an opportunity to share with the class what they think the poem means.

8. Portfolios

Portfolios allow students to compile their work over a period of time. The students will have a checklist and rubric along with the assignment description. The students will assemble their best work, including their drafts so that the teacher can assess the process.

9. Puppet Show

The students can work in groups or individually to create a short puppet show. The puppet show can have several characters that are involved in a conversation of real-world context. These would most likely be assessed holistically.

10. Art Work/ Designs/Drawings

This is a creative way to assess students. They can choose a short story or piece or writing, read it and interpret it. Their interpretation can be represented through artistic expression. The students will present their art work to the class, explaining what they did and why.