ERIC Number: ED404880
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1996
Reference Count: N/A
Classroom-Based Evaluation in Second Language Education. Cambridge Language Education Series.
Genesee, Fred; Upshur, John A.
The guide is designed to assist second language teachers in developing and conducting reliable and valid assessments in their classrooms. A wide range of formal and informal evaluation techniques is discussed, including a number of alternative approaches. An introductory chapter gives an overview of the uses and aims of evaluation and previews the guide's content. The remainder of the guide is in three parts. The first describes the context of second language evaluation, outlines the authors' approach to evaluation, and discusses theoretical and practical principles for collecting information to be used in evaluation. The second part describes how to collect information using various alternative methods: observation; conferences and portfolios; and dialogue journals, questionnaires, and interviews. The third part looks at the construction of language tests and specific test types, including objectives-based, criterion-referenced, standardized, and open- and closed-ended. Issues discussed include choosing and devising test tasks, assembling and scoring tests, and interpreting test scores. A final, summary chapter provides a quick guide to testing choices and decision-making. (MSE)
Descriptors: Alternative Assessment, Classroom Observation Techniques, Classroom Techniques, Dialog Journals, Evaluation Methods, Interviews, Language Tests, Portfolio Assessment, Questionnaires, Second Language Instruction, Second Languages, Student Evaluation, Test Format, Test Use, Testing
Cambridge University Press, 40 West 20th Street, New York, NY 10011-4211 (hardback: ISBN-0-521-56209-0; paperback: ISBN-0-521-56681-9).
Publication Type: Guides - Classroom - Teacher; Books
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Teachers; Practitioners
Authoring Institution: N/A