17 research outputs found
An Interview with APPLE Lecture Speaker Professor Alister Cumming
No full textOn April 11, 2014, the TESOL/AL Web Journal (represented by Rongchan Lin, Yuna Seong, and Catherine Box) had the opportunity to sit down with Professor Alister Cumming, guest speaker for the 2014 Applied Linguistics & Language Education (APPLE) Lecture Series, hosted annually by the TESOL/Applied Linguistics Programs at Teachers College, Columbia University. Professor Cumming was kind enough to take the time, during a very busy day, to speak about his research, his work on assessing writing, his thoughts on dynamic assessment, and his advice for new scholars working in the TESOL/AL fields
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An Interview with APPLE Lecture Speaker Professor Alister Cumming
No full textOn April 11, 2014, the TESOL/AL Web Journal (represented by Rongchan Lin, Yuna Seong, and Catherine Box) had the opportunity to sit down with Professor Alister Cumming, guest speaker for the 2014 Applied Linguistics & Language Education (APPLE) Lecture Series, hosted annually by the TESOL/Applied Linguistics Programs at Teachers College, Columbia University. Professor Cumming was kind enough to take the time, during a very busy day, to speak about his research, his work on assessing writing, his thoughts on dynamic assessment, and his advice for new scholars working in the TESOL/AL fields
An Interview with APPLE Lecture Speaker Professor Alister Cumming
No full textOn April 11, 2014, the TESOL/AL Web Journal (represented by Rongchan Lin, Yuna Seong, and Catherine Box) had the opportunity to sit down with Professor Alister Cumming, guest speaker for the 2014 Applied Linguistics & Language Education (APPLE) Lecture Series, hosted annually by the TESOL/Applied Linguistics Programs at Teachers College, Columbia University. Professor Cumming was kind enough to take the time, during a very busy day, to speak about his research, his work on assessing writing, his thoughts on dynamic assessment, and his advice for new scholars working in the TESOL/AL fields. Professor Cumming is professor in the Centre for Educational Research on Languages and Literacies (CERLL) at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto. His research and teaching focus on writing in second languages, language assessment, language program evaluation and policies, and research methods. His most recent books include Adolescent Literacies in a Multicultural Context (2012, Routledge), A Synthesis of Research on Second Language Writing in English (with Ilona Leki & Tony Silva, 2008, Routledge), and Goals for Academic Writing (2006, John Bejamins). Professor Cumming is currently the Executive Director of Language Learning, a journal he edited in the 1990s. For the past five years he has chaired the TOEFL Committee of Examiners at Educational Testing Service in Princeton. He received his PhD from the University of Toronto in 1988, MA and BA from the University of British Columbia in 1979 and 1975 respectively, and an honorary doctorate from the University of Copenhagen in 2009. From 2014 to 2017 he will hold a Changjiang Scholarship at Beijing Foreign Studies University. We thank Professor Cumming for his participation in a lively interview. We also thank Fred Tsutagawa for videotaping and Dr. Kirby Grabowski for coordinating the APPLE Lecture Series Interview
Recommended from our members
An Interview with APPLE Lecture Speaker Professor Alister Cumming
No full textOn April 11, 2014, the TESOL/AL Web Journal (represented by Rongchan Lin, Yuna Seong, and Catherine Box) had the opportunity to sit down with Professor Alister Cumming, guest speaker for the 2014 Applied Linguistics & Language Education (APPLE) Lecture Series, hosted annually by the TESOL/Applied Linguistics Programs at Teachers College, Columbia University. Professor Cumming was kind enough to take the time, during a very busy day, to speak about his research, his work on assessing writing, his thoughts on dynamic assessment, and his advice for new scholars working in the TESOL/AL fields. Professor Cumming is professor in the Centre for Educational Research on Languages and Literacies (CERLL) at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto. His research and teaching focus on writing in second languages, language assessment, language program evaluation and policies, and research methods. His most recent books include Adolescent Literacies in a Multicultural Context (2012, Routledge), A Synthesis of Research on Second Language Writing in English (with Ilona Leki & Tony Silva, 2008, Routledge), and Goals for Academic Writing (2006, John Bejamins). Professor Cumming is currently the Executive Director of Language Learning, a journal he edited in the 1990s. For the past five years he has chaired the TOEFL Committee of Examiners at Educational Testing Service in Princeton. He received his PhD from the University of Toronto in 1988, MA and BA from the University of British Columbia in 1979 and 1975 respectively, and an honorary doctorate from the University of Copenhagen in 2009. From 2014 to 2017 he will hold a Changjiang Scholarship at Beijing Foreign Studies University. We thank Professor Cumming for his participation in a lively interview. We also thank Fred Tsutagawa for videotaping and Dr. Kirby Grabowski for coordinating the APPLE Lecture Series Interview
Rubrics for Scoring, Interpretations and Decision-Making
No full textThis chapter focuses on the concepts of reliability and validity in the context of rubric design and use. It comprises four sections. This first section explains the concept of reliability and emphasizes its role in quality scoring. The second section discusses the notion of validity and foregrounds the importance of appropriate test-score interpretations and responsible decision-making. The third section explores the relationship between reliability, validity and other assessment qualities (i.e., fairness and practically). The last section introduces qualitative and quantitative methods commonly used to examine the functioning of rubrics. Through explication of the relevant concepts, it is hoped that this chapter is useful to the relevant stakeholders (e.g., test developers, test users and decision makers) in their implementation and investigation of rubric-based assessments
让汉语走入生活: 从交际视角探讨第二语言说话技能测试 (Giving Chinese language a new lease of life: A communicative perspective to testing second language speaking)
No full text本论文从交际视角探讨汉语作为第二语言的说话技能测试问题，全文分为六章。第一章结合汉语作为第二语言学习者的地域分布，描述学习者背景的复杂性，进而阐明本论文的研究问题、设计、方法和意义，并界定相关概念。第二章总结了说话技能的特点，并描述第二语言学习者在说话时所面对的问题。同时，笔者也分析了五种第二语言说话考试的内容，综述其优缺点，从而强调第二语言说话技能测试演变的必要。第三章则探讨交际法语言测试的本质，即阐述所包含的关键概念，以此作为本文的理论基础。笔者在第四章阐明测试目的、对象与说话构念，并为不同程度（初、中、高）的学习者建构说话技能测试框架，具体说明相关测试任务。第五章描述了测试框架的评估事宜，包括评改程序、评估量表和成绩单的设计。最后一章除了突出说话技能框架的创新之处，也分析了其局限和指出未来的研究方向，以期为日后有关第二语言说话技能测试的研究提供新的思路。This study aims to construct an assessment framework for second language speaking in the Chinese language via adopting a communicative perspective. The thesis comprises a total of six chapters.The first chapter introduces the research background and describes the research problems, research design and research methods. Key concepts are also defined. Besides analyzing the characteristics of second language speaking, the second chapter also comprises an internal and external scan whereby the author analyzes five different second language speaking tests in both local and overseas context. The third chapter presents a theoretical framework for communicative testing. Key components are defined for the subsequent construction of the speaking assessment framework. In the fourth chapter, a second language speaking assessment framework is proposed to cater to the needs of different learners. A comprehensive set of sample papers are also designed. The fifth chapter introduces the evaluating procedures, as well as the design of the scoring guidelines and the report card. In the closing chapter, besides highlighting the significance of the assessment framework constructed, its limitations are also being identified. Future research directions are also suggested
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Exploring the Possibilities of Scenario-based Assessment: An Introduction
No full textThe field of language assessment has steadily been evolving over the years, with new approaches to construct definition and test design emerging as developments in research and technology arise. Different fields have helped inform theory and practice, and one approach, which began as part of K-12 assessment, seems particularly promising–the approach of Scenario-based Assessment (SBA). SBA was initially developed as part of the Cognitively Based Assessment of, for and as Learning (CBAL), an initiative that aimed to use findings from cognitive and behavioral sciences to inform the development of innovative assessments, such as those to be designed in alignment to the Common Core State Standards (Sabatini, Bennet, & Deane, 2011). In this way, SBA has been used to explore the assessment of mathematical skills (Bennet, 2011; Harris & Bauer, 2009), reading proficiency (O’Reily & Sheehan, 2009; Sabatini & O’Reily, 2013), and writing skills (Deane, Sabatini, & Fowles, 2012)
Exploring the Possibilities of Scenario-based Assessment: An Introduction
No full textThe field of language assessment has steadily been evolving over the years, with new approaches to construct definition and test design emerging as developments in research and technology arise. Different fields have helped inform theory and practice, and one approach, which began as part of K-12 assessment, seems particularly promising–the approach of Scenario-based Assessment (SBA). SBA was initially developed as part of the Cognitively Based Assessment of, for and as Learning (CBAL), an initiative that aimed to use findings from cognitive and behavioral sciences to inform the development of innovative assessments, such as those to be designed in alignment to the Common Core State Standards (Sabatini, Bennet, & Deane, 2011). In this way, SBA has been used to explore the assessment of mathematical skills (Bennet, 2011; Harris & Bauer, 2009), reading proficiency (O’Reily & Sheehan, 2009; Sabatini & O’Reily, 2013), and writing skills (Deane, Sabatini, & Fowles, 2012)
Recommended from our members
Exploring the Possibilities of Scenario-based Assessment: An Introduction
No full textThe field of language assessment has steadily been evolving over the years, with new approaches to construct definition and test design emerging as developments in research and technology arise. Different fields have helped inform theory and practice, and one approach, which began as part of K-12 assessment, seems particularly promising–the approach of Scenario-based Assessment (SBA). SBA was initially developed as part of the Cognitively Based Assessment of, for and as Learning (CBAL), an initiative that aimed to use findings from cognitive and behavioral sciences to inform the development of innovative assessments, such as those to be designed in alignment to the Common Core State Standards (Sabatini, Bennet, & Deane, 2011). In this way, SBA has been used to explore the assessment of mathematical skills (Bennet, 2011; Harris & Bauer, 2009), reading proficiency (O’Reily & Sheehan, 2009; Sabatini & O’Reily, 2013), and writing skills (Deane, Sabatini, & Fowles, 2012).
Researchers have placed an increasing emphasis on SBA in the field of second language (L2) assessment over the years. Here at Teachers College (TC), Professor James Purpura has led students in spearheading research on SBA. In 2015, the Applied Linguistics & TESOL Program at TC, together with the Educational Testing Service, organized the first TC/ETS Forum on Teaching, Learning, and Assessment of English Language Learners on the topic of scenario-based language assessment in large-scale and local contexts. Students enrolled in Applied Linguistics internship classes at TC also developed a scenario-based placement exam for the Community Language Program.
As an extension of our efforts to explore the possibilities of SBA, for this issue’s forum we invited two doctoral students in the Applied Linguistics Second Language Assessment Track at TC to discuss the opportunities that SBA affords for L2 assessment. Brian Carroll adopted a learning-oriented assessment perspective in examining SBA while Yuna Seong highlighted SBA’s potential in designing academic speaking assessments that are aligned to contemporary views of L2 proficiency. We hope that you will enjoy reading the forum
