A Quick look at the Quality of some Class Evaluation Evidence

Time Abroad:

A students time living in a different country tells us very little about their skills with the language,
since we dont really know how much they interacted with the language, or what kind of
environment they were in. It does, however, tell us something about their experiences, and thats
always a good resource to generate rapport with them.

Notebooks:

Notebooks are not strong evidence of students proficiency, although they can show that students
are actively participating in class and are able to follow instructions. An important exception for
this is specifically exercises that require independent written production.

Workbook:

Most students workbooks are meant to be used as extensions to class lessons, so that students
can review what was seen in class. In terms of validity, they help us consolidate knowledge and
demonstrate retention, but not language proficiency. Similarly, workbooks are very easy to copy
from and guess at, so they are not usually very reliable.

Team Projects:

Unless the projects design reserves times and instruments for individual evaluation, the final
result of team projects can often mask who did what, and so students with low proficiency might
be benefited or sheltered from accurate assessment.

Class Exams:

These are somewhat valid, since they often only test knowledge, and skills are not tested in a
performance-based way. They are also only somewhat reliable, since they create anxiety and are
often easy to pass without studying at all.

Diagnostic Exams:

Diagnostic tests are often larger in scope than class exams, and they often test two or three
abilities, which increases their validity for proficiency testing purposes. As with any test, however,
its reliability isnt 100%, since their format and the need for easy grading can make questions
confusing or easy to guess at. Application procedures can also compromise reliability (time issues,
risk of cheating, etcetera). Results of diagnostic exams can be misleading when we use them to
predict students success in class activities or students desired level or challenge.

Oral Presentations:

Oral presentations are similar to oral exams in their validity as performance-based assessments,
without the anxiety produced by the latter. Oral presentations, however, are often produced in
conditions beyond the natural use of the language, such as a helpful audience and with teachers
available to help at any time. Oral presentations are also often subject only to limited subject
matter and time.
Oral exams:

Oral exams are often performance-based, which makes them more valid evaluations than fill in
the blank exercises or multiple choice questions. They can create anxiety, however, and so
introverted or otherwise shy students (teens, for example), may get overly nervous in these tests,
and so their reliability is limited.

Written Work:

Students written work can be more reliable than oral presentations, since it gives students time to
structure what they think. It is also usually a valid way to assess students ability to coherently
produce a response to some stimulus and use grammar and vocabulary learned in an authentic
way. However, written work is not a good measure of a students ability to communicate orally.
The more written work we have to assess a student by, the better.

Class Interaction:

These are often a great way to gage students proficiency, since they involve the opportunity to
assess both accuracy and fluency. They are also a lot more precise, since they can be assessed
continuously and across a variety of contexts and structures. The only downside is that these often
take time in order to guarantee reliability and accuracy.

Self Assessments:

Believe it or not, self-assessments are usually reliable when they are well-structured, do not make
the student anxious and are accompanied by timely, relevant feedback from the teacher. Students
are usually aware of those things they have the most difficulty doing, and so when presented with
evidence, they generally give adequate assessment of their areas of opportunity.

Proficiency Tests:

Exams are generally designed to be valid and highly reliable, though no evaluation can be so 100%
by itself. If teachers should take them into consideration, one should look at all four skills and keep
in mind that proficiency tests are a measure of a students abilities with regards to the objectives
of the exam, not necessarily with the demands of your class in particular.