Table of Contents
0. Introduction 2
1. Concepts 5
2. Qualities of Test Usefulness and the Assessment Use Argument 35
3. Test Design 57
4. Crafting Assessments 89
5. Tools of the Trade 134
6. Assessing Young Learners 156
7. PK-12 in the US & Canada: Assessment is Not a Dirty Word 169
8. Assessing Exceptional Language Learners 189
9. Assessing Listening, Viewing, Representing, Speaking, Pronunciation 207
10. Assessing Reading, Vocabulary, Grammar, Writing 238
11. Grading, Evaluation, Feedback 273
12. Ethics, Fairness, and Security 299
13. Technology for Language Assessment 310
14. Improving Assessments through Statistics 329
15. Conclusion 347
16. Appendixes 349
Appendix A: Diagnostic Test (Pre-Test) 349
Appendix B: Achievement Test (Post-Test) 355
Table of Contents
0. Introduction
1. Concepts
2. Qualities of Test Usefulness and the Assessment Use Argument
3. Test Design
4. Crafting Assessments
5. Tools of the Trade
6. Assessing Young Learners
7. PK-12 in the US & Canada: Assessment is Not a Dirty Word
8. Assessing Exceptional Language Learners
9. Assessing Listening, Viewing, Representing, Speaking, Pronunciation
10. Assessing Reading, Vocabulary, Grammar, Writing
11. Grading, Evaluation, Feedback
12. Ethics, Fairness, and Security
13. Technology for Language Assessment
14. Improving Assessments through Statistics
15. Conclusion
16. Appendixes
Appendix A: Diagnostic Test (Pre-Test)
Appendix B: Achievement Test (Post-Test)
Ildiko Porter-Szucs is Professor of ESL and TESOL at Eastern Michigan University, a K-12 certified ESL and German teacher, and co-founder of the Polish Language Center of Ann Arbor. She has extensive experience teaching Polish, Hungarian, German, and English to diverse age groups in public schools, language schools, corporate settings, refugee programs, and higher education. She spent four years working for a high-stakes standardized testing organization.
Cynthia J. Macknish is Professor of ESL and TESOL at Eastern Michigan University. She has taught at a range of levels in several countries, including Canada, the Bahamas, and Singapore, where she taught pedagogy and assessment courses to pre- and in-service teachers at the National Institute of Education. Cynthia was also a certified IELTS examiner for 14 years.
Suzanne Toohey is Supervisor of Instruction and Pedagogy at Oakland Schools. She has taught ELs for seventeen years, with her passion for second language acquisition ignited during her service as a Peace Corps volunteer. She has published work in the Detroit Free Press and MITESOL Messages as well as for TESOL Press and the National Association of English Language Program Administrators.