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Meeting # & Date
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Preparation for Meeting/ Assignments Activated at That Meeting (due as specified below)
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| Week 1: Introduction to Assessment; the FL and AL Cultures |
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01 • 08 Jan.
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Assignment 1: Written reflection on article, "Washington's proposed math rules to be released Tuesday" (due 15 Jan.)
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02 • 10 Jan.
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read Hughes: Preface, Chapters 1-3, maybe 13
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| Week 2: Language Standards and Widely-Used Assessment Instruments |
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03 • 15 Jan.
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ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines & the TOEFL: the "organizing principles" of testing and teaching; are there TESL equivalents of the ACTFL Guidelines, and FL equivalents of the TOEFL?; reliability, validity, backwash; more about major projects and class observations
read ACTFL Guidelines for speaking and writing & Hughes chapters 4, 5 and (if not read earlier) 13; Assignment 1 is DUE TODAY; Assignment 2: Rate your own proficiency (due 22 Jan.)
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04 • 17 Jan.
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Breakout sessions for OPI training (FL - stay in Broadway Building classroom) and test specs & item construction (AL - go to Ondine 202); preview of Assignment 3 (conduct a pseudo-OPI [FL]; write test specs & items [AL]
reading: Hughes 7 (everybody); Lynch-Davidson 1994 (AL required, FL optional); begin Stevens & Levi, Introduction to Rubrics (FL required, AL optional)
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| Week 3: a) the inner workings of the OPI (for FL) and the TOEFL (for AL); b) validity, reliability |
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05 • 22 Jan.
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Plenary session: debrief the 17 January breakout sessions; more about reliability, validity, backwash; rubrics & scoring guides
reading: Hughes chapters 6, 8, and Stevens & Levi or Lynch & Davidson as above
Assignment 2 (evaluate your own speaking proficiency) is DUE TODAY
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06 • 24 Jan.
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Breakout sessions for OPI training (FL - MEET IN ONDINE 202) and exploration of the IBT (AL - MEET IN REGULAR CLASSROOM, Broadway 220); preview of Assignment 3 (differs for FL and AL, and not due for several weeks)
reading: Hughes chapter 9, 10, and Stevens & Levi or Lynch & Davidson as above
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| Week 4: continuation of week 3; rubrics; testing writing |
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07 • 29 Jan.
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Hughes chapter 9; Stevens (more for FL); Davidson/Lynch (more for AL); optional article (0009 Marva Barnett): an example about how informed assessment leads to informed response to student writing in second languages; formal activation of Assignment 3 for FL participants (version for AL participants was activated in stages that began earlier)
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08 • 31 Jan.
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Continuation of 29 Jan. and a chance to "kick back"; preview of Assignment 4 (create a rubric) (Sara away for the day)
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Week 5: continuation of week 4; testing listening and reading; resource searching |
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09 • 05 Feb.
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reading: Hughes chapters 11, 12;
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10 • 07 Feb
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Breakout sessions for OPI training (FL - MEET IN ONDINE 202) and exploration of the IBT (AL - MEET IN REGULAR CLASSROOM, Broadway 220);
reading: Hughes Appendix 2
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| Week 6: resource searching; teaching & testing writing, listening, reading |
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11 • 12 Feb.
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quick overview of kinds of K-8 language programs; group discussion about standardized tests, standards-based education, teaching to the test; on-line secondary research; comparison of AL and FLL with regard to teaching and testing writing
reading: Hughes chapters 11, 12
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12 • 14 Feb.
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group discussion about standardized tests, standards-based education, teaching to the test; comparison of AL and FLL with regard to teaching and testing writing
reading: Hughes chapters 11, 12
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| Week 7: Teaching & Testing Writing (cont'd).; Testing reading & listening; FL- more about large-scale standards (National, state); AL - program-specific standards (IELP, etc.) computer-based testing; placement issues
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13 • 19 Feb.
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testing/ teaching writing (cont'd); large-scale standards (introduction, with AL/FL breakout sessions at next meeting); testing (and teaching?) listening and reading; computer-assisted testing (WebCAPE placement test as example); European Union standards and DIALANG test;
reading: Hughes chapters 9, 11, 12
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14 • 21 Feb.
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large-scale standards in FL & AL breakout sessions (AL in regular classroom; FL in Ondine 202)
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| Week 8: self-assessment as professional; textbook evaluation |
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15 • 26 Feb.
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visitor: Danelle Stevens (institutional assessment; author of rubrics book); language standards of the European Union; if time (probably not): assessing textbooks and other learning materials
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16 • 28 Feb.
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followup about institutional assessment; the "G" topic; report about AL job candidates; assessment of learning materials
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| Week 9: the "G" topic; breakout sessions for special topics |
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17 • 04 Mar.
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report about AL job candidates; continuation of "G" topic; about grants
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18 • 06 Mar.
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breakout sessions: AL (regular room) for classroom assessment; FL for testing reading & listening (meet in main FLL office, 393 NH, for further deployment)
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| Week 10: technology-supported assessment tools; research & grants to support assessment; assessment of professional development |
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19 • 11 Mar.
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in NH 437 (Computer classroom) for on-line language tests (WebCAPE, DIALANG)
reading: WebCAPE Manual (0179); Hughes, Chapter 16 "Test Administration", Appendix 1 "Statistical Analysis" (go lightly!), and Appendix 2 "Item Banking"
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20 • 13 Mar.
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Assessment-related grants; assessing own professional development
reading: documents linked on the outline for the meeting; "Reaching for PASS" document (0056) about what characterizes a well-prepared language teacher. NOTE please that the project was funded and designed to address FLL teacher ed. In class we will discuss its extension and alteration to fit TESL.
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| Finals Week: Culminating discussion: assessment of professional development |
| 21 • 18 Mar. |
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List of Main Course Assignments (not necessarily in final order), with estimate in () of hours of outside-class time needed:
• (2) Written reflection on newspaper article (see above, Assignment 1)
• (3 + 3) Further reading and written reflections: WebCAPE or DIALANG; learning materials (textbook, on-line resources, etc.) replaced with self-starting informal reflections of your own, which you are welcome to discuss with us or bring up in class
• (2) Evaluate your own language proficiency (Assignment 2)
• (3) Write a scoring guide (rubric) for a language learning activity (Assignment 4)
• (5) Evaluate own professional development and start teacher portfolio (may become part of panel discussion at meeting during final-exam time)
• (5) Search and annotate professional literature in preparation for major project (will be done as part of Major Project)
• (5) Classroom observations & reflection
• (10) Pseudo OPI (FL, primarily) / create test specs & items (AL, primarily) (Assignment 3)
• (20) Major project
Total: 55 hours, some of which is done as regular class preparation time
Small assignments (reflections, etc.) will usually be due ONE WEEK from when they are activated. Larger ones will have longer lead times. For the really big ones, like the major project, we will introduce them fairly early and check progress along the way.
There are no formal tests. We reserve the write to add short in-class reflections as "pop" quizzes.
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