Description

This practical resource book will familiarize teachers, staff developers, and administrators with the latest thinking on alternatives to traditional assessment. It will prepare them to implement authentic assessment in the ESL/Bilingual classroom and to incorporate it into instructional planning.

Features

• Overview and rationale for authentic assessment.
• A solid, research-based framework linking assessment to instruction.
• Specific issues in the assessment of English language learners.
• Practical approaches for using portfolios, self-assessment, and peer assessment, accompanied by guidelines for grading practices.
• Practical, effective strategies for assessing oral language proficiency, reading, writing, and the content areas.
• Reproducible scoring rubics, checklists, and anecdotal record forms that can be adapted for local assessment needs.

Table of Contents

Foreword

Index of Figures and Reproducibles

Preface

1 Moving Toward Authentic Assessment

· Assessment of English Language Learning Students

· Definition of Authentic Assessment

· Purposes of this Book and Target Audience

· Overview of the Book

2 Designing Authentic Assessment

· Approaches to Teaching and Learning

· Types of Authentic Assessment

· Awareness of Authentic Assessments

· Designing Authentic Assessments

· Technical Quality of Authentic Assessments

· Issues in Designing Authentic Assessment

· Conclusion

· Application Activities

3 Portfolio Assessment

· Instructional Context

· What a Portfolio Is and Isn’t

· Self-Assessment: The Key to Portfolios

· Managing Portfolios

· Using Portfolio Assessment in Instruction

· Conclusion

· Application Activities

4 Oral Language Assessment

· Nature of Oral Language

· Authentic Assessment of Oral Language

· Using Oral Language Assessment in Instruction

· Conclusion

· Application Activities

5 Reading Assessment

· Nature of Reading in School

· Authentic Assessment of Reading

· Using Reading Assessment in Instruction

· Conclusion

· Application Activities

6 Writing Assessment

· Nature of Writing in School

· Authentic Assessment of Writing

· Using Writing Assessment in Instruction

· Conclusion

· Application Activities

7 Content Area Assessment

· Content Area Instruction in Schools

· Authentic Assessment in Content Areas

· Using Content Area Assessment in Instruction

· Conclusion

· Application Activities

8 Examples from the Classroom

· Talk Show

· Geoboard

· Magnet Experiment

· Interpreting Portfolio Entries

· Reading Response Time

· Anecdotal Records

· Book Talks: Integrated Reading

Appendix

Sample Entries from Roxana’s Portfolio

Glossary

References

Index of Classroom-based Assessment Techniques

Back Cover

¿Lucid, practical, and theoretically sophisticated¿strategies for implementing authentic assessment in the classroom and the school as a whole¿¿
¿Jim Cummins
Professor, Curriculum Department
Ontario Institute for Studies
in Education

This practical resource book will familiarize teachers, staff developers, and administrators with the latest thinking on alternatives to traditional assessment. It will prepare them to implement authentic assessment in the ESL/bilingual classroom and to incorporate it into instructional planning.

• Overview and rationale for authentic assessment.
• A solid, research-based framework linking assessment to instruction.
• Specific issues in the assessment of English language learners.
• Practical approaches for using portfolios, self-assessment, and peer assessment, accompanied by guidelines for grading practices.
• Practical, effective strategies for assessing oral language proficiency, reading, writing, and the content areas.
• Reproducible scoring rubrics, checklists, and anecdotal record forms that can be adapted for local assessment needs.