Personal reaction to the workshop on " Assessin g English Language Learners"

My Thoughts;

Great teacher, great classes along with all the colleagues and stuff, lern a lot in my own way.

Posting my reading reactions weren't that easy for me, but there is always this little feeling inside to ask someone who knows more, or even trying myself until I get through or get out ( this is supposed to be funny) , the thing is, I discovered that life is a continuos learning process for kids from 1 to 92, whether in a classroom or out there in the real, and that is great, cause there is where I know for sure, that I don't know it all and that we must be open to newness and surprises even when they bring a touch of bitterness with them sometimes.

I thank God for people like my teacher Dr.Gilberto Hernández whom I learned a lot from, and his special way to deal with us learners, so understanding, full of joy when together, made us all felt like one set, never different.

My best regards to him and wihes of lots of blessings to his family. Love you teach...., be blessed where ever life may take you....!

Chapter # 1


The Process of Developing Assessment

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During the process of observation that frequently teachers go through every day, assessment has an important role, in other words, it covers a range of activities that takes into consideration student’s performance in class to large-scale standardized exams.

Assessments include the phases of planning, development, administration, analysis, feedback and reflection. Teachers at times can be working in several different phases.

Assessment dills with series of process that will enhance the learning of both teachers and students who are engage in the second language acquisition. The following processes are:


 Planning: here you need to decide on the purpose of assessment taking into considerations the abilities, resources and target language use.


 Specifications: they provide a common set of criteria for development and evaluation.



 Constructing the Assessment: write your tests in a way that anybody can understand it, permit that your colleagues carefully examined items you wrote as you have scrutinized theirs.


 Preparing students: students need accurate information about assessment, developing good test-taking skills, also, what they will cover in terms of skills and materials, how much the assessment are worth, and when students can reasonably get their results.

 Assessment in the Larger Cycle: here it is important to schedule time for analysis, feedback, and reflection.

Chapter # 2


Techniques for Testing

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Design tests and assessment tasks based on blueprints or tests specifications.

It is easier to create parallel items/if test developers follow a blueprint or test specification. If you don’t have a test specification but do have an assessment

Task that works, analyze what the task entails and write a specification to fit it.

Ensure the format remains the same within one section of the exam.

It is confusing to mix formats within the same section of a test.


Make sure the item format is correctly matched to the test purpose and course content.

Test items should relate to curricular objectives. Teachers should think about what they are trying to test and match their purpose with the item format that most closely resembles it.

When the items in the test does not corresponds, students are first to notice that some things in it were not studied or practiced in class.


Include items of varying levels of difficulty.

Present items of different levels of difficulty throughout the test from easy to difficult.

Chapter # 3

Assessing Reading

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Make sure your assessment matches your reading program.

Test the skills you teach , and consider the target situation of your learners when developing reading assessment.


Choose a range of text types appropriate to your program.

Consider students’ background knowledge and interests in selecting texts. Some familiarity with the topic or vocabulary aids comprehension. However, students should actually have to read the text and not simply rely on prior knowledge in responding to questions. ( Never use texts that students have already read)


Use authentic or adapted texts whenever possible.

Check the texts for readability levels and vocabulary. Be certain that copied authentic materials are legible…., credit your sources !


Exploit the entire text.

Vary whole-text questions with those that focus on specific sections. Questions should cover all sections of a text.

Assess inferencing and critical thinking.

It is easy to ask questions about specific, stated details, but much more challenging to create items that require students to think beyond the printed text. Include questions that require students to think beyond what they see in print.

Chapter # 4


Assessing Writing
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Give students multiple writing assessment opportunities.

Provide plenty of opportunities for students of all levels to practice the type of writing that you expect them to do on the writing test. Often teachers avoid writing until exam time because it is a lot of work to individually mark several drafts of the same essay.


Develop prompts that are appropriate for the students.

The prompts you select or develop should invite the desired type of writing. They should be realistic and sensitive to the cultural background of the student. Choose subjects within the realm of your students’ experience.

Evaluate all answers to one question before going on to the next.

This practice prevents a shifting of standards from one question to the next and helps the rater mark more consistently.


Mark only what the student has written.

Don’t be influenced by other factors in addition to the quality of the work, such as the quality or legibility of the handwriting.


Get students involved.

Get students involved in developing and marking their writing tests. Have them suggest prompts they’d like to write on and get them involved in peer assessment. Share whatever scoring criteria and rubrics you use with students. Transparency can help students internalize the rubric so that it becomes a natural part of their editing process.

Chapter # 5


Assessing Listening
Reaction paper by; Sylvia Johnson S.
“ Valid and reliable testing of listening comprehension is a complex process”.
Assess listening comprehension even though it is difficult to assess .

One reason for the neglect of listening assessment materials is the unavailability of culturally appropriate listening materials suitable for ESL/EFL contexts. The biggest challenges for teaching and assessing listening comprehension concern the production of listening materials Indeed, listening comprehension assessment is often avoided because of the time, effort, and expense required to develop, rehearse, and record, and produce high-quality audiotapes or CDs.

Reading texts most be converted to listening texts.

A written text lacks oral features. The closer a text is to oral language, the more appropriate it will be to assess students’ listening comprehension.

Give credit for what students know.
Don’t deduct for spelling or grammar mistakes when your focus is on listening comprehension.

Don’t just test what is easy to test.

Many teachers focus their tests items on local information ( e.g., numbers, dates, places) because these detail-focused items are easier to write than items that focus on meaning. Make sure your major is on meaning. Include higher-order thinking skills as well.

Give students a reason for listening.

The purpose of the listening activity should resemble those in real-life situations. Input should have a communicative purpose. In other words, the listener must have a reason for listening.

Chapter # 6


Assessing Speaking

Reaction paper by; Licda: Sylvia Johnson S.


Choose tasks that generate positive washback for the teaching and learning.



Select speaking assessment tasks that have a positive effect on the teaching and learning process. These tasks should be as authentic as possible.

Allow time for a warm-up.

A warm-up will probably improve results. Speaking tests can be traumatic for second language learners. Use a warm-up activity to put students at ease.

Keep skill contamination in mind.

Don’t give students lengthy written instructions that must be read and understood before speaking.

Try to personalize the tests by using the students’ names.

Address students by their name to personalize the test. If you make personal comments, do not monopolize the exam by talking too much.

Never mark the test in front of the students.

It is distracting for students to see teachers marking in front of them. The best solution is to have two teachers administer the oral assessment, one functioning as interlocutor and the other as assessor in the background. If you administer a speaking test alone, wait until students have left the room before you record their marks. If you must take notes during the exam, make sure you tell students before-hand that you’ll be doing this.