Principles and Purposes of Language Assessment: Elaine Grace T. Osing, MALT

Module I:
Principles and Purposes of

Language Assessment
Elaine Grace T. Osing, MALT
Learning Objectives
O At the end of this module, students should be
able to:
1. Explore the different definitions of concepts
related to language and literature assessment.
2. Explain the principles that govern effective
assessment and evaluation.
3. Discuss the purposes of language testing.
4. Identify the functions of language tests in
education.
5. Acknowledge the value of assessment in the
language learning-teaching process.
Key Concepts
O Assessment – is the act of gathering
information on a daily basis in order to
understand individual student’s learning and
needs.
- refers to the act of collecting information
and making judgments about a language
learner’s knowledge of a language and ability to
use it. (Carol Chapelle and Geoff Brindley)
O Testing – refers to procedures that are based
on tests. In learning, it is a salient part of
assessment.
O Language testing – is the practice and study

of evaluating the proficiency of an individual
in using a particular language effectively,
(Priscilla Allen)
O Measurement – more broadly includes testing
and other types of measurement, as well as
other types of information that result in
quantitative data such as attendance, records,
questionnaires, teacher ratings of students, etc
O Evaluation – is the culminating act of
interpreting the information gathered for the
purpose of making decisions or judgments
about students’ learning and needs, often at
reporting time. It forms as part of assessment.
Assessment and Evaluation
Principles
O Assessment and evaluation are essential
components of the teaching-learning process.
They should be planned, continuous activities
which are derived from curriculum objectives
and consistent with the instructional and
learning strategies.
Principles
O A variety of assessment and evaluation
techniques should be used. Techniques should
be selected for their appropriateness to
students’ learning styles and to the intended
purposes. Students should be given
opportunities to demonstrate the extent of their
knowledge, abilities, and attitudes in a variety
of ways.
Principles
O Teachers should communicate assessment and
evaluation strategies and plan in advance,
informing the students of the objectives and
the assessment procedures relative to the
objectives. Students should have opportunities
for input into the evaluation process.
Principles
O Assessment and evaluation should be fair and
equitable. They should be sensitive to family,
classroom, school, and community situations,
and to cultural or gender requirements; they
should be free of bias.
Principles
O Assessment and evaluation should help
students. They should provide positive
feedback and encourage students to participate
actively in their own assessment in order to
foster lifelong learning and enable them to
transfer knowledge and abilities to their life
experiences.
Principles
O Assessment and evaluation data and results
should be communicated to students and
parents/guardians regularly in meaningful
ways.
Principles
O Assessment and evaluation should use a variety of
techniques and tools. The teacher collects assessment
information about students’ language development
and their growth in speaking, listening, writing, and
reading knowledge and abilities. The data gathered
during assessment becomes the basis for an
evaluation. Comparing assessment information to
curriculum objectives allows the teacher to make a
decision or judgment regarding the progress of a
student’s learning.
Purposes of Assessment
1. Assessment for Learning – focuses on the
gap between where a learner is in his/her
learning, and where he/she needs to be – the
desired goal. This can be achieved through
processes such as sharing criteria with learners,
effective questioning and feedback.
O Black and William define assessment for
learning as “all those activities undertaken by
teachers and/or by their students, which
provide information to be used as feedback to
modify the teaching and learning activities in
which they are engaged.”
Learners learn best when…
O They understand clearly what they are trying to
learn, and what is expected of them.
O They are given feedback about the quality of
their work and what they can do to make it better.
O They are given advice about how to go about
making improvements.
O They are fully involved in deciding what needs
to be done next and who can give them help if
they need it.
2. Assessment as learning – is about reflecting
on evidence of learning. This is part of the cycle
of assessment where pupils and staff set learning
goals, share learning intentions and success
criteria, and evaluate their learning through
dialogue and self and peer assessment. Through
this, learners become more aware of what they
learn, how they learn, and what helps them learn.
3. Assessment of learning – involves working
with the range of available evidence that enables
staff and the wider assessment community to
check on students’ progress and using this
information in a number of ways. It provides an
arena for the management and planning of
assessment, and for teachers to work
collaboratively with the evidence. It connects
assessment with the curriculum.
O Judgements about students’ learning need to
be dependable. This means that:
- They are valid (based on sound criteria)
- They are reliable (accuracy of assessment and
practice)
- They are comparable (they stand up when
compared to judgments in other departments
or schools)
Functions of Language Tests
1. In learning
* Tests are used to measure students’ language
ability, to discover how much they have been
learning, to diagnose students’ strengths and
weaknesses, and to motivate students in
learning.
O Sometimes, language teachers choose to test students
through periodic quizzes and tests of achievement.
O At other times, instructors assess students’ language
proficiency (ex: their global ability to use the foreign
or second language), maybe after the end of several
years of language study.
O At other times, language teachers use tests for
placement and diagnostic reasons and other purposes.
2. In teaching
a. Tests are used in teaching as a means to ensure
effective teaching, to improve teaching quality, to
obtain feedback on student learning place on a course.
b. Tests can have a backwash effect, which means that
they may result in changes of instructional programs
or teaching practices to reflect the test contents
because language teachers want their students to do
well on high stakes tests for many different reasons.
3. In research
Language tests have a potentially important
role in virtually all research, both basic and
applied, that is related to the nature of language
proficiency, language processing, language
acquisition, language attrition, and language
teaching.
Assignment
O Research about the kinds of assessment and
evaluation that occur regularly throughout the
school year and write it in a ½ crosswise.

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Module I:

Principles and Purposes of

O Language testing – is the practice and study

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