Hi Anastasia and Sahar!

Speaking about assessment I can say that I always give my students Needs analysis test or Placement test at the beginning of the course.

Then, I often give them a questionnaire after, say, 4 or 5 lessons. If I teach in a company or at the language courses (not in the institute), I always use this kind of test, because I need to be sure that I’ve chosen the right strategies and our preliminary results, group work, etc. meet my students expectations. It also helps me avoid some misunderstandings with my group.
In the institute there is sometimes less possibility for variety.

I certainly use such things as Progress and Achievement tests. To tell the truth, I rarely use Diagnostic tests in the institute, more often with the corporate students.

Generally speaking subjective assessment plays more important role in the institute where I teach. In other places the percentage of subjective and objective assessment is about 50:50. Probably objective assessment even prevails.

Best,
Nataliya

Assessment is a virgin land for me personally, though I have some ideas to be shared. They may be of any help to you and your feedback will be of great help to me.

I think assessment will always depend on the aim of the course and learning outcomes expected from it. It includes both formative (made through the course and/or at its different  stages) and summative at the end. The criteria of assessment implied by learning outcomes of the course and methods to be used to test them, in other words, teachers' shared construct on the tests.

For example, if we use skills-based approach to teaching/learning BE, we will expect specific language behaviour of our students in business environment and skills necessary to communicate in it. These learning outcomes are predicted in terms of specific skills to be measured by the end of the course. The criteria of assessment will be aimed at measuring students ability to do smth. Eg. to assess presentation skills of students you can assess both quality of product (presentation) content and quality of product presentation as a process: Message (clear, interesting to the public), Structure (its organisation and parts), Manner of delivery (eye-contact, body-language, voice and speed), Language Use (Grammar, Coherence and cohesion devices, Pronunciation),  Visual Aids (Appropriacy, Organisation, Interaction), Participating in Discussion (Asking and Giving answers to questions), Overall impression.

The criteria for assessing presentation as a product will be:

• accuracy,
• range of vocabulary and grammar structures,
• organisation and cohesion,
• register and format. 

Does it make any sense for you?

Of course, it is good when a teacher and students are aware of and oriented on International exams in BE such as BEC and BULATS that can easify the process the test designing. The formats of International exams  can be of great help to those teachers who share their construct. What do you think?

Hi everyone,

My students usually prepare a lot of tasks for assessment, such as rendering, presentation, role plays or case studies, home reading (business articles), business letters. Another way to assess students is giving them tests (before and after the course, small tests after each unit and sometimes after some difficult tasks).
Some tests are aimed at developing particular skills and getting a certain amount of points; some are aimed at revising the vocabulary that we’ve already studied. Some tests are assessed by students themselves (self-assessment). I also use peer-assessment in various tasks.

The test before the course always looks like a questionnaire, while the final test is a thoroughly prepared set of audio and written tasks based on the material we’ve studied. I always include translation tasks in it.
The format of all other tests differs a lot but usually they are not too long as we just don’t have much time for them in our schedule. It can be an oral game, quiz, everything. These kinds of test are certainly not always teacher-centered and they are done mainly to revise students’ knowledge and to show them their weak and strong points at some stage of their learning. Another very important role of these tests for me is to entertain students.

I’ve started using portfolios in my teaching this year. It’s not only student’s portfolio to keep record of all the main oral and written tasks completed during the year but also mine. I think this is very useful both for me and for them.

Best,
Nataliya