Schedule & Assignments - 2011 Spring Quarter

last modified: 6/10/11

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Red italic text like this = comments after the meeting

Meeting # & Date

PREPARATION for Meeting/ Assignments Activated at That Meeting (due as specified below & on my deadline page)

Week 1: Introduction to Assessment; the FL (and AL) Culture(s)

01 • 29 March


handout

Assignment 1: Written reflection on article, "Washington's proposed math rules to be released Tuesday" (due 5 April.)

02 • 31 March


handout

read Hughes (0876): Preface, Chapter 1; those who haven't taken an intro language pedagogy course: read supplementary materials as assigned individually (especially 0001, "Standards for Foreign Language Learning"; 0384 Allen, "Teachers' Pedagogical Beliefs and the Standards for Foreign Language Learning")

Week 2: Language Standards and Widely-Used Assessment Instruments

03 • 5 April


handout

ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines: 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 2-5 and 13; Assignment 1 is DUE TODAY; start thinking about Assignment 2: Rate your own proficiency (due 19 March.)

04 • 7 April


handout

Pseudo-OPI training; preview of Assignment 3 (conduct a pseudo-OPI )
reading: Hughes 7 (everybody); ??begin Stevens & Levi, Introduction to Rubrics

Week 3: a) the inner workings of the OPI; b) validity, reliability, accuracy, precision

05 • 12 April


handout

Pseudo-OPI training
reading: main thing right now is to get several chapters into Hughes
Assignment 2 (evaluate your own speaking proficiency) is DUE at the next meeting (#6, 14 April)

06 • 14 April (no page for this meeting)


handout: none

first hour: attend CAE presentation about ePortfolios and Generative Interviewing.

Second hour: Pseudo-OPI training (media clips); preview of Assignment 3 (not due for several weeks)
language-specific ACTFL Guidelines
Assignment 2 (evaluate your own speaking proficiency) is DUE TODAY
reading: Hughes chapter 9, 10, and Stevens & Levi or Lynch & Davidson as above will be modified

supplementary reading (no hurry) about curricular implications of OPI: 1) 0072 Govoni & Feyten, "Effects of the ACTFL-OPI-Type Training on Student Performance, Instructional Methods, and Classroom Materials", FLA 32.2, 1999 (abstract only); 2) 0135 Hayden, Curricular Implications; 3) 0174 TOC of FLA 2003 special-topic issue about the OPI; 4) 0308 Armstrong, Adapting the OPI to the Classroom.

Week 4: continuation of week 3; rubrics

07 • 19 April


handout

First 15-30 minutes: Group discussion without me - I'll be at an IAC (Institutional Assessment Council) meeting that starts at 3:30 pm in SMSU 258 (you are welcome to attend). Suggested topic: validity and reliability of the OPI

More about OPI technique: role-play situations; advantageous prompts for the IH/AL level. Comment about the French interview of me on 14 April: not enough prompting for description of people and things (think: family, personal life, everyday environments and activities).

Formal activation of Assignment 3 (pseudo-OPI)

"Backwash": implementing oral testing in language programs

Maybe: validity and reliability of the OPI

Maybe: a trial scoring guide about something other than language learning

Reading: By now you should be finishing the first half of Hughes (Chapters 1-8, 10 [save Chapter 9 for a week or so]). The second half of Hughes (Chapters 9-end) has to do with specific language skills and learners. We'll spend most of the next couple weeks on that, and on rubrics. During the final weeks of the quarter we'll get into other assessments related to language learning: textbooks, courses, curricula, departments, institutions, and other subjects areas as they might relate to languages (example: Content-Based Instruction)

The ACTFL Guidelines and OPI are very widely acknowledged in our profession. But there has been some critical discussion. And early (and very stern) example is: Lantolf, James P., and William Frawley, "Oral-Proficiency Testing: A Critical Analysis", Modern Language Journal, 69.4 (1985): 337-45.

08 • 21 April


handout

Handout serves as meeting outline. Still more OPI activity; more about rubrics and grades; about testing writing (and teaching it too)

Hughes chapter 9; start Stevens "Rubrics"; optional article (0009 Marva Barnett): an example about how informed assessment leads to informed response to student writing in second languages;

Week 5: continuation of week 4; testing writing, listening and reading

09 • 26 April


handout

reading: Hughes chapters 11, 12; most of meeting will be about OPIs, but with some attention to rubrics and to Big Ideas for Major Projects.

10 • 28 April


handout

Implications of OPI / Speaking Guidelines in our programs (how to test large numbers of students; classroom activities). Testing and teaching for writing proficiency. BIMP.

Week 6: rubrics; teaching & testing writing, listening, reading

11 • 03 May


handout

more about rubrics; examination of work samples; new assignment (create a scoring guide)

12 • 05 May


no handout

Maggie Elliott: research presentation

begin reading for upcoming meetings: background of US educational system, including standards and assessment (0314 abc, distributed in class); State of Oregon PASS standards for Second Language (0698 - everybody) and your choice of one of these subject areas: arts (0693), English (0694), math (0695), science (0696), social sciences (0697); everyone: Portland Public Schools Second Language Standards (0010a)

Week 7: state & district standards and assessment tools

13 • 10 May


handout

testing/ teaching writing (cont'd); large-scale standards: introduction to Oregon standards; clarification of FOPI assignment. Handout serves as meeting outline.

14 • 12 May


handout

Oregon and PPS second/world language standards; "teaching to the test"; quick overview of kinds of K-8 language programs; more about rubrics: multiskill/ multi-person activities (projects, teamwork); unfinished topics from meeting meeting #11, 03 May

Week 8: continuation of week 7; testing reading and listening

15 • 17 May


handout

Some texts (other than Hughes) about teaching/ assessing reading and listening: 0161 Liskin-Gasparro, "Practical Considerations in Receptive Skills Testing" (FLA 17.4 (1984): 369-73; 0162 James, "Are You Listening: the Practical Components of Listening Comprehension" (FLA 17.2 (1984); 0197 Swaffar, "Reading in the Foreign Language Clasroom: Focus on Process: (Unterrichtspraxis, Fall 1981, 176-93); 0324 Arens & Swaffar, "Reading Goals and the Standards for Foreign Language Learning" (FLA 33.1 [Jan/Feb 2000]: 104-22); 0397 Weist, "Literature in Lower-Level Coures: Making Progress in Both Language and Reading Skills" (FLA 37.2[Summer 2004]: 209-23); 0669 Swaffar, "Readers, Texts, and Second Languages: The Interactive Process" (MLJ 72.ii[Summer 1988]:123-49);

I don't have PDFs for the following - maybe you can get them from PSU Library / JSTOR: 0216 Byrnes, "The Role of Listening Comprehension: A Theoretical Base" (FLA 17.4 [1984]: 317-29); 0217 Bacon, "Listening for Real in the Foreign-Language Classroom" (FLA 22.6[1989]:543-51); 0211 Canale, "Considerations in the Testing of Reading and Listening Proficiency (FLA 17.4[1984]: 349-57); 0219 Meyer, "Getting Started: Reading Techniques That Work from the Very First Day" (FLA 21.5[1988]:423-31);

16 • 19 May


handout

continuation of #15; discussion of "BIMP"

Begin reading about assessing textbooks & other resources, courses, curricula, programs (including details of research): 0699 ACTFL "Blueprint for Action on Language Education (2005); Donato, et al, "Literary Discussions and Advanced Speaking Functions: Researching the (Dis)Connection" (FLA 37.2, 183-9; here 0104abs the abstract); ••more to come (Weber state dept assessment; WBF assessment of EWU; )

Week 9: testing reading & listening (maybe); assessing textbooks & other resources, courses, curricula, programs (including details of research)

17 • 24 May


handout

Group makes scoring guide; listening and reading tests; BIMP feedback and discussion; generic prochievement scoring guide; Oregon Common Assessment

18 • 26 May


handout

continuation of meeting #17; assessment beyond assessing language skills: courses, programs, curricula, departments, faculty, ??

Suggestions for reading about assessment beyond language assessment (see above, meeting #16 for initial reading):

0171 Calvin, Lisa M., and N. Ann Rider, "Not Your Parents' Language Class: Curriculum Revision to Support UniversityLanguage Requirements" (FLA 37.1: 26-36);

0319 Mandell, Paul B., "On the Background and Motivation of Students in a Beginning Spanish Program" (FLA 35.5: 530-42

0398 Mathews, Thomas J., et al, "Ongoing Assessment of a University Foreign Language Program" (FLA 37.4: 630-40)

0911a and 0911b Fischer, William B., and faculty/ administration of Eastern Washington University: external review of Language Department.

0002 Schulz, Renate, "Changing Perspectives in Foreign Language Education: Where Do We Come from? Where Are We Going?" (FLA 35.3: 284-292)

0070 Olsen, Solveig, "A Plea to Graduate Departments" (FLA 31.4: 501-04)

0284 Wilkerson, Carol, "College Faculty Perceptions About Foreign Language" (FLA 39.2:310-19)

0297 Wilbur, Marcia L.. "How Foreign Language Teachers Get Taught" (FLA 40.1:79-101

0371 Rava, Susan, "The Changing Face of the Intermediate Language Curriculum" (FLA 33.3:342-8)

0056 Bastiani, Mary, and William B. Fischer et al, "Reaching for PASS" document about what characterizes a well-prepared language teacher.

Week 10: Assessing textbooks & other resources, courses, curricula, programs (including details of research)??portfolio assessment

19 • 31 May


handout

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