Assessment Philosophy

Criterion-references assessment is an essential part of the instruction to determine if the

outcome is being met. Students who demonstrated their knowledge is critical to the learning
process. There are several assessment tools that are being used regarding teaching sign
language. One of them is to evaluate their overall signing skills including facial expression and
body language.
Participation is one of my inclusive assessments. The rubric will be provided to allow
them to do their self-assessment based on how much they contribute to the classroom. The
rubric includes completion of class assignments, attendance, contribution to class discussion, and
classroom behavior.
Informal assessment is what being used often in the classroom with the students. The
main goal is to provide a quick washback with the students as they practice among their peers. If
the student signs wrong, recasting is the technique that is being used not toward a particular
student but as a whole (cite??). It is essential to prevent fossilization by making sure everyone
signs in a proper form (Han, 2004). My goal is to allow the students to acknowledge and self-
correct. It also allows the students to use video journals bi-weekly that are formative, valid, and
authentic. The journals are an excellent way for me to provide a washback. I can comment
specifically on their signing performance by demonstrating the proper signs. When students
receive washback from their assessment, it motivates them to do better (Brown &
Abeywickrama, 2019 p. 40). They will do their self-assessment and recognize their strengths and
weaknesses. Toward the completion of the course, the students will be able to compare their
signing skills from start to finish.
Midterms and final exams are examples of summative assessments that are being used in
the classroom. It allows me to evaluate and make sure they meet the course outcomes. For
instance, midterms will be consistent with the interviews. The interviews are both receptive and
expressive. It will consist of real-world conversations based on what they have learned. For the
final exam, students will be given both objective and subjective tests which consist of multiple-
choice videos and open-ended responses. I will ensure that the test design is based on reliability,
authenticity, and practicality.
Validity is one of the essential principles of all, “it is important to note that validity is a
matter of degree, not all or none.” (Brown & Abeywickrama, p. 32). Students should be taught
by “using real-life examples of language used in everyday situations” in the classroom (Use of
ACTFL, n.d.). Content validity is a measuring base on what’s being taught. Students who
practice their signing skills beforehand should be no different when taking the exam.
Practicality, reliability, validity, authenticity, and washback are essential when it comes
to design and give feedback. As an ASL teacher, I want to ensure that the assessments are
designed to meet the standard requirements resulting in successful outcomes.

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 References

Brown, H. & Abeywickrama, P. (2019). Language Assessment: Principles and classroom

practices. (3rd ed.). Hoboken NJ: Pearson.

Brown, H. & Lee, H. (2015). Teaching by principles: An interactive approach to language

pedagogy. (4th ed.). White Plains, NY: Pearson.

Han, Z. (2004). Fossilization in adult second language acquisition. Clevedon, UK: Multilingual
Matters.

Use of Authentic texts in language learning (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.actfl.org/guiding-principles/use-authentic-texts-language-learning

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