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AL 1of12 Introduction To Assessment Literacy

This document provides an introduction to assessment literacy through a video and discussion questions. The 17-minute video is divided into four sections that discuss assessment literacy for students, teachers, managers, and policymakers. It emphasizes that assessment literacy is important for all stakeholders involved in testing. The document then provides discussion questions to help build understanding of key concepts in assessment literacy.

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51 views4 pages

AL 1of12 Introduction To Assessment Literacy

This document provides an introduction to assessment literacy through a video and discussion questions. The 17-minute video is divided into four sections that discuss assessment literacy for students, teachers, managers, and policymakers. It emphasizes that assessment literacy is important for all stakeholders involved in testing. The document then provides discussion questions to help build understanding of key concepts in assessment literacy.

Uploaded by

seattlechaz
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Assessment Literacy Series

Introduction to Assessment Literacy (1 of 12)

Introduction to Assessment Literacy


(Video at: www.trinitycollege.com/TESOL-AL)

This video looks at what assessment literacy is and its importance for students,
teachers, managers and policymakers.

0:09 – 2:33 Assessment literacy overview 9:05 – 12:05 Assessment literacy for managers
2:34 – 5:14 Assessment literacy for students 12:05 – 17:00 Assessment literacy for policy makers
5:15 – 9:04 Assessment literacy for teachers

1. Before watching the video

What do you understand by the term ‘assessment literacy’?

Now look at the list of factors below which are often used for selecting a test or
exam offered by an external awarding body.

First, just tick the criteria you think are important when selecting an English
language test. Leave the ‘Ranking’ column blank for the time being.

Test selection criteria Important Ranking

1. The cost of the test

2. When the test is available (which times in the year)

3. The frequency of the test (how often are the tests


available)
4. The length of the test

5. What the test assesses (grammar, vocabulary, skills)

6. Who marks the test (is it marked internally by teachers


or externally by examiners appointed by the board)
7. Exam/Board reputation (how well the test and/or the
examining board is/are known)
8. Currency (what the qualification will enable the students
to do)
9. The grading system used (e.g. Pass/Merit/Distinction, A,
B, C grades or a numerical score)
10.The pass and fail rates

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Assessment Literacy Series
Introduction to Assessment Literacy (1 of 12)

Now rank the criteria from 1-10 in terms of importance in the ‘Ranking’ column.

2. During the video

Now watch the overview (00:09). Check your answer for the definition of
assessment literacy and complete the gaps below. The answers for (a) – (d) are
numbers and for (e) you just need a few words.

There are (a)___ videos, which are approximately (b)___ minutes long
Each video has (c)___ sections and each section is (d)___ minutes long.
At the end of the video there is also a (e)_________________________

Make notes on the following points and answer the questions to help build your
understanding of assessment literacy. Cross out the incorrect word(s) in the
sentences at the end of each section.

A. Assessment literacy for students (02:34)

Notes:

Q. What do students need to know about the test they are taking?

Good assessments should aim to find out what students know/do not know.

B. Assessment literacy for teachers (05:15)

Notes:

Q. What types of assessment questions are mentioned?

Teachers need /do not need to know assessment methodology.

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Assessment Literacy Series
Introduction to Assessment Literacy (1 of 12)

C. Assessment literacy for managers (09:05)

Notes:

Q. What do managers need to consider when selecting a test?

In the example given, the tests chosen by the managers assessed/did not
assess the intended skills the managers wanted.

D. Assessment literacy for policy makers (12:07)

Notes:

Q. What considerations do policy makers need to bear in mind when looking at


and basing decisions on data?

Multiple choice questions are /are not the best way to assess students’
communicative language ability.

3. Discussion points
What areas of language assessment would you like to learn more about?

How can you use your knowledge of assessment literacy help your students?

What are your views of the assessment tools used at your place of work?

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Assessment Literacy Series
Introduction to Assessment Literacy (1 of 12)

Now thinking about some of the terms you heard in the video.

In the section on Assessment literacy for teachers, more specifically at 06:56 they
talk about ‘backwash’. What do you think this means?

In the same section 07:56 they also mention content, construct and face validity?
What do you think they are?

In the section on Assessment literacy for policy makers (12:07) several references
are made to the PISA rankings. What are the PISA rankings and discuss how
important they are? Consider the perspectives from students, teachers, managers
and policy makers.

In the same section 13:02, they refer to constructive alignment. What do you think
is meant by this? (You can find the answer in the Assessment Literacy 3 video,
which is all about this topic).

4. Further learning

If you want to learn more about this topic, look at these resources:

Books
Hughes, A. (2002) Testing for Language Teachers. Cambridge: CUP.
Price, M., Rust, C., O’Donovan, B., Handley, K., & Bryant, R. (2012) Assessment
Literacy: The foundation for improving student learning. Oxford: ASKe.

Websites
https://tea.iatefl.org/resources/
https://www.altaanz.org/current-issue.html

Journal article (both available freely on Google Scholar)


Popham, W. J. (2009). Assessment literacy for teachers: Faddish or
fundamental?. Theory into practice, 48(1), 4-11.

Taylor, L. (2009). ‘Developing assessment literacy’. Annual Review of Applied


Linguistics, 29: 21-36.

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