Reading about Assessment Goals
This week we spent time thinking about how we can attain our assessment goals.
First we read Flint University’s overview and strategies for learning assessment. The overview cites seven questions to think about when designing assessment.
We also read Educause’s initiative for assessing collaborative projects
Finally, we read Carnegie Mellon’s guide for designing classroom assessment
Council of Europes Language Passport
We were also invited to look into the Council of Europe’s Language Passport, a concept developed to focus on self-assessment as a means of tracking learner goals and progress.
The Language Passport itself provides an overview of the individual’s proficiency in different languages at a given point in time. It is expected that the learner will update the language passport at regular intervals, to reflect progress in language learning and the acquisition of new intercultural experiences.
All ELP Language Passports should include the Self-assessment Grid from the Common European Framework in its entirety as a basic point of reference. The one exception to this general rule are ELPs for very young learners, but in such cases the self-assessment grid should be made available to teachers, parents and other stakeholders in a guide or information note.
The overview, based on the Self-assessment Grid is defined in terms of the skills (Listening, Reading, Spoken Production, Spoken Interaction, Writing) and the common reference levels (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2) in the Common European Framework of Reference. It allows the user to record information on partial and specific competences.
The Language Passport also records formal qualifications and describes language competences and significant language and intercultural learning experiences. The principle of learner ownership, empowers and motivates the learner, pushing the student forward toward their language learning goals.
The Self-Assessment grid lends itself to be broken down into small categories/simple tasks. For example, the ability to introduce yourself, or to talk briefly about your family.
It seems that this passport could be supplemented by certificates and portfolios. Indeed, one of the features of the Instreamia electronic assignment is that is creates a shareable workbook.
