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Testing, Evaluation and Assessment on Language Placement Tests: the status quo vs actual needs
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Sat, 03/14/2009 - 13:16
PCEs will be held on Tuesday 31st March. One of the Special Interest Groups organising pre-conference events is Testing, Evaluation and Assessment on Language Placement Tests: the status quo vs actual needs. The event will be focused on the following questions (please see Conference Brochure for a complete description):
- Is there an “ideal” means of placing language learners in their levels accurately?
- Should the test be computer adaptive or should there be human scoring?
- Is there an “ideal” length? How many items should it have?
- Should it be testing all the skills or just contain grammar and vocabulary items?
- What are some of the “ideal” task types?
- How does one interpret test results and set the cut-off scores?
- How does one determine the correlation between different versions of the same test?
- How does one maintain test fairness and avoid test bias?
- Should student evaluation be a part of the placement procedure?
- Should there be mechanisms of re-testing for more accurate placement? When and how?
- Should there be mechanisms to cater for misplaced students? When and how?
Let's start sharing our points of view about this topic here!
Sun, 03/22/2009 - 07:00
#2
Hi Diana, hi all,
will any of you be at the pre-conference on March 31st?
Yes, there are many questions..it will be interesting. Unfortunatly, I won't be able to be there, really hope it will be put on line.
As to "student evaluation", I think the question was intended with "student" as subject...as if we intended it as an object it would probalby be too general...might be wrong. What do you think?
Have a nice Sunday!
Best,
Silvia.
Sun, 03/22/2009 - 08:43
#3
Dear Silvia,
Here I am again!
On the ELT-Management forum we are talking a bit about student evaluation (the students evaluating their own progress, their attitude to homework, their teachers....) , but not actually at the placement stage. See the thread on Managing Conflicts and feedback:
http://iatefl.britishcouncil.org/2009/forum/managing-conflict
I have a question of my own - is there a good online source of free Placement Tests, particularly in the Business English line (B1 or B2, Accountancy) which you or anybody could recommend?
It always takes such an age to make up one's own test and I haven't yet found a language school that is willing to pay a decent hourly rate for this sort of work!
Thanks!
Diana
OM ELT-Management
Hi silvia,
I must say there are SOO many questions here I don't know where to start! (and perhaps I wasn't the only one)
Some questions are easy to answer, however:
No, there is no ideal way of placement; If writing is involved you need a human scorer; ideal is a length between 20 and 30 minutes, depending on level; testing oral and aural skills is vital (but more difficult to implement); ...
for others I haven't a clue !!
What is student evaluation (is "student" object or subject here?) What mechanisms could cater for misplaced students in the context of placement testing. I presume just putting the student into a different class is not meant here.
Diana http://iatefl.britishcouncil.org/2009/forum/introductions-1#comment-65