Well, this is the first time that we have done an electronic portfolio so we found it interesting for being a different way to see our performance through the whole course. As future teachers, we noticed that we can use this technique in online courses. Through this electronic portfolio we can go back to the most important points of the course. So we think the portfolio looks clear, complete and easy to organize.
We think the reflections are good for us because we can reinforce our knowledge about what we have seen in each unit.
We really enjoyed our teamwork activities because we could work together and we could share our thoughts without having problems.
We think we did not miss anything because a portfolio is a collection of what we did through the entire course.
Everything worked well as individual and team activities and the interaction that we had through the discussion board with all our classmates was interactive and well done.
martes, 23 de noviembre de 2010
unit 6
PROGRESS QUESTIONNAIRE
We chose the progress questionnaire because it gives students the opportunity to review their own learning progress over the last few months or weeks. They can look to their written work like notebooks and work sheets or even portfolio, as well as their results in the activities and tests.
With this progress questionnaire they can assess themselves in the four skills that we are focusing on and also in other important aspects such as their pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary. This will help them to determine where do they need more effort to work on and will give a different point of view for the teacher.
We think this is the one that we should use because it gives students a global picture of their progress.
Questionnaire
Give a number from 1 to 10 depending on your progress through the course.
Speaking ___
Listening ___
Reading ___
Writing ___
Pronunciation ___
Grammar ___
Vocabulary ___
PLASCENCIA PARRA RAQUEL
Student Self Assessment of the Course
Name: _Plascencia Parra Raquel / 00281002_
Directions: Read the descriptions of tasks that you can do as a result of having coursed this subject and mark the appropriate areas that indicate how you rate yourself.
Description
You can do the following: Yes
No Comments
1. Explain in your own words how evaluation, assessment, testing and teaching relate in a classroom situation.
2. Design informal assessment techniques, an assessment plan and assessment instruments and forms to keep records.
3. Explain what a test is, analyze the different types of tests, and analyze a language test used in a school.
4. Identify the techniques used to assess the four skills and grammar and vocabulary as well in order to design a good language test.
5. Design an English exam using the appropriate techniques.
6. Handle some self-assessment techniques that allow students to assess their own performance in order to recognize that there is another source of information when assessing language students.
7. Develop a portfolio during the course that allows your performance and provides enough evidence to assess you fairly at the end of this course.
8. Be active and participatory when needed. This means that you read the material sent by the teacher, you looked for more information, and you participated in the discussion board and commented on your classmates’ postings.
9. Be aware of the activities for each unit, so you did on time your activities, they were concrete, clear and understood, no spelling mistakes, and your explanations reflected understanding.
10. Course again other subject without problems on the use of blackboard, for example to look for the material, to have a discussion board, to send the activities, to view your grades, etc.
1. This activity was very important for me because I didn’t notice the difference between those concepts till I made the exercise.
2. This activity wasn’t difficult to realize.
3. It was hard to understand the difference between the different types of tests but when I analyzed them in a real test, I could understand them better.
4. Since I had a part of this activity before, I didn’t have any problem while developing this activity.
5. I noticed the importance to design a test according to what we want to evaluate from our students.
6. I liked this activity because I noticed that we as future teachers need to have other instruments to evaluate our students, also it is very important to know their own opinion, and this will be done by a self-assessment.
7. This was my first time to develop an electronic portfolio and it wasn’t difficult, I found it interesting and funny, it’s a different way to demonstrate our performance throughout the course.
8. I always read the material and if I didn’t understand it, I looked for more information in order to clarify my doubts. Also, I always commented on my classmates postings in order to have a discussion to reflect our understanding.
9. I think I didn’t have any problem in this point. I always organized the dates when the activities had to be sent.
10. This wasn’t my first time coursing a blackboard subject. Even though I prefer presential classes I don’t have any problem coursing again any subject though Blackboard.
Total = 10 Points
SELF-ASSESSMENT OF THE COURSE
Group Performance Rating Scale
Directions: Use this form to give feedback about the performance in your group. Circle the appropriate number after each statement.
0 = Major Difficulty, 1 = Needs Improvement, 2 = Okay, 3 = Very Good, 4 = Excellent
1. All members participated in the group activities. 0 1 2 3 4
2. Members listened to others in the group. 0 1 2 3
4
3. Members helped and encouraged others in the group. 0 1 2 3
4
4. Group members stayed on the task assigned. 0 1 2 3 4
5. Group members worked well together. 0 1 2 3
4
6. No one dominated the group discussions. 0 1 2 3 4
7. Group members practiced the cooperative skills. 0 1 2 3 4
8. Group members did not use put-downs. 0 1 2 3
4
9. Group members were able to accept criticism. 0 1 2 3
4
10. Trust developed among group members. 0 1 2 3
4
Add all circled numbers for Total Score __34__ (out of 40)
RATING SCALE:
30 – 40 (out of 40) = 10 (Total)
21 – 30 (out of 40) = 7.5
11 – 20 (out of 40) = 5
1 – 10 (out of 40) = 2.5
Edgar Cárdenas
Self-assessment of the course
Regarding Assignments
3- Did all the assignments.
2- Did between 75 & 50 % of all the assignments.
1- Did less than half of the assignments.
Regarding Team working
2- Always there.
1- Only missed one or two teamwork sessions.
0- Missed more than two teamwork sessions.
Regarding Classmates Comments
2- Did you respond to your classmates when ask to?
1- Did you respond most of the times when ask to?
0- Did you respond very little or none at all?
2- Did you respond cordially?
1- Did you respond in a not so cordial manner?
0- Did you respond in a rude way?
1- Did you respond by giving good comments, defending your/the classmate point of view, or by giving insight?
0- Did you respond just because you needed to respond something?
Total: 8 points
We chose the progress questionnaire because it gives students the opportunity to review their own learning progress over the last few months or weeks. They can look to their written work like notebooks and work sheets or even portfolio, as well as their results in the activities and tests.
With this progress questionnaire they can assess themselves in the four skills that we are focusing on and also in other important aspects such as their pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary. This will help them to determine where do they need more effort to work on and will give a different point of view for the teacher.
We think this is the one that we should use because it gives students a global picture of their progress.
Questionnaire
Give a number from 1 to 10 depending on your progress through the course.
Speaking ___
Listening ___
Reading ___
Writing ___
Pronunciation ___
Grammar ___
Vocabulary ___
PLASCENCIA PARRA RAQUEL
Student Self Assessment of the Course
Name: _Plascencia Parra Raquel / 00281002_
Directions: Read the descriptions of tasks that you can do as a result of having coursed this subject and mark the appropriate areas that indicate how you rate yourself.
Description
You can do the following: Yes
No Comments
1. Explain in your own words how evaluation, assessment, testing and teaching relate in a classroom situation.
2. Design informal assessment techniques, an assessment plan and assessment instruments and forms to keep records.
3. Explain what a test is, analyze the different types of tests, and analyze a language test used in a school.
4. Identify the techniques used to assess the four skills and grammar and vocabulary as well in order to design a good language test.
5. Design an English exam using the appropriate techniques.
6. Handle some self-assessment techniques that allow students to assess their own performance in order to recognize that there is another source of information when assessing language students.
7. Develop a portfolio during the course that allows your performance and provides enough evidence to assess you fairly at the end of this course.
8. Be active and participatory when needed. This means that you read the material sent by the teacher, you looked for more information, and you participated in the discussion board and commented on your classmates’ postings.
9. Be aware of the activities for each unit, so you did on time your activities, they were concrete, clear and understood, no spelling mistakes, and your explanations reflected understanding.
10. Course again other subject without problems on the use of blackboard, for example to look for the material, to have a discussion board, to send the activities, to view your grades, etc.
1. This activity was very important for me because I didn’t notice the difference between those concepts till I made the exercise.
2. This activity wasn’t difficult to realize.
3. It was hard to understand the difference between the different types of tests but when I analyzed them in a real test, I could understand them better.
4. Since I had a part of this activity before, I didn’t have any problem while developing this activity.
5. I noticed the importance to design a test according to what we want to evaluate from our students.
6. I liked this activity because I noticed that we as future teachers need to have other instruments to evaluate our students, also it is very important to know their own opinion, and this will be done by a self-assessment.
7. This was my first time to develop an electronic portfolio and it wasn’t difficult, I found it interesting and funny, it’s a different way to demonstrate our performance throughout the course.
8. I always read the material and if I didn’t understand it, I looked for more information in order to clarify my doubts. Also, I always commented on my classmates postings in order to have a discussion to reflect our understanding.
9. I think I didn’t have any problem in this point. I always organized the dates when the activities had to be sent.
10. This wasn’t my first time coursing a blackboard subject. Even though I prefer presential classes I don’t have any problem coursing again any subject though Blackboard.
Total = 10 Points
SELF-ASSESSMENT OF THE COURSE
Group Performance Rating Scale
Directions: Use this form to give feedback about the performance in your group. Circle the appropriate number after each statement.
0 = Major Difficulty, 1 = Needs Improvement, 2 = Okay, 3 = Very Good, 4 = Excellent
1. All members participated in the group activities. 0 1 2 3 4
2. Members listened to others in the group. 0 1 2 3
4
3. Members helped and encouraged others in the group. 0 1 2 3
4
4. Group members stayed on the task assigned. 0 1 2 3 4
5. Group members worked well together. 0 1 2 3
4
6. No one dominated the group discussions. 0 1 2 3 4
7. Group members practiced the cooperative skills. 0 1 2 3 4
8. Group members did not use put-downs. 0 1 2 3
4
9. Group members were able to accept criticism. 0 1 2 3
4
10. Trust developed among group members. 0 1 2 3
4
Add all circled numbers for Total Score __34__ (out of 40)
RATING SCALE:
30 – 40 (out of 40) = 10 (Total)
21 – 30 (out of 40) = 7.5
11 – 20 (out of 40) = 5
1 – 10 (out of 40) = 2.5
Edgar Cárdenas
Self-assessment of the course
Regarding Assignments
3- Did all the assignments.
2- Did between 75 & 50 % of all the assignments.
1- Did less than half of the assignments.
Regarding Team working
2- Always there.
1- Only missed one or two teamwork sessions.
0- Missed more than two teamwork sessions.
Regarding Classmates Comments
2- Did you respond to your classmates when ask to?
1- Did you respond most of the times when ask to?
0- Did you respond very little or none at all?
2- Did you respond cordially?
1- Did you respond in a not so cordial manner?
0- Did you respond in a rude way?
1- Did you respond by giving good comments, defending your/the classmate point of view, or by giving insight?
0- Did you respond just because you needed to respond something?
Total: 8 points
Unit 6 reflection
Unit 6
This unit was very interesting for us because we could design an instrument that helped students self-assess themselves. It was good for us to be exposed to different methods and techniques because we as teachers need to know what students think about their own progress through the course. Also we learned to create a method, based on the existing ones, that help us to know how and what it need to be include in the self-assessment.
This unit was very interesting for us because we could design an instrument that helped students self-assess themselves. It was good for us to be exposed to different methods and techniques because we as teachers need to know what students think about their own progress through the course. Also we learned to create a method, based on the existing ones, that help us to know how and what it need to be include in the self-assessment.
lunes, 8 de noviembre de 2010
Unit 5 reflection
We liked this activity because when we were developing the test, we noticed that it is not as easy as we thought. While we were describing the process of the test, the evaluation and the specifications, it was very different of the notion we had. We learned that by testing our students, is very important to take into consideration the skills we are focusing on, the time to apply the test, the number of points that has each part of the test, but also in selecting the appropriate activities in order to evaluate our students. Even though we made a progress achievement test for first level of English, it is hard to design it, especially when it is applied after the unit is seen in classroom, so we looked for other activities that are different to the ones just seen but that are very similar to the topic, without giving tests to our students that hasn’t anything according to the unit and exercises seen.
unit 5
A Progress Achievement Test for 1st Level
Introduction
In this course we had to create a test for the 1st level of the UABC Language School Program. This test was destined to cover the skills and the knowledge that students had acquired during the course. This was a project where 3 teachers have contributed with decisions, designs, and revisions. And also the 3 teachers have contributed in the elaboration of the different parts of the test.
In this written we are going to describe first, the objectives of the program. Then, the specification of the test will be stated. Following this, we will present the test items with their answer. Also, we will discuss the scoring, and the revision from two moderators will be presented as a narration. Then, we will describe the process of the development of the test. And finally, we will include a section to analyse two individual items.
Objectives and analysis for testing purposes
This is a course where the skills are integrated, and it is focus on grammar, vocabulary, reading and writing as tools to develop the four skills. This is a low level course where different objectives for each skill have to be covered by the students.
For grammar, students have to be able to identify and use the verb tenses, auxiliaries and prepositions in written and oral form. For vocabulary, students have to be able to recognize and understand the use of nouns, verbs, prepositions and adjectives related to different topic such as food, trips, times of day, and vacations in written and oral form. For reading, students have to comprehend a text in order to infer the main ideas, and they have to look for specific information. For writing, students have to be able to write short paragraphs following a pattern of structure (title, introduction, body, and conclusion) using the correct form of grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
It was difficult to decide what to assess. First we had to make a list of what had been seen in the course in order to be able to choose the items that were include in the test. Then, we made a revision of text to see what items were already evaluated in order to avoid testing the same exercise again. In the next part of this written will be present the objectives and the specifications of the items.
Test Specifications
Grammar
Objective: To identify questions in the present and past tense with do/does and did, using the infinitive and the gerund.
Format: Find and correct the mistakes and write the correct form of the verb
Task: Find and correct the mistakes
Write the correct form of the verb
Time: 15 minutes
(2 exercises)
Vocabulary:
Objective: To use common nouns appropriately in written form.
Format: Fill in the blanks
Task: Use the appropriate nouns in the given text
Time: 10 minutes
(1 exercise)
Reading
Objective: To understand and look for specific information from common text of around 106 words.
Format: A narrative
Task: Multiple choice
Time: 15 minutes
(1 exercise)
Writing
Objective: To write a descriptive paragraph including the 4 main elements (title, introduction, body and conclusion).
Format: Prompts for a paragraph
Task: Write a descriptive paragraph
Time: 20 minutes
(1 exercise)
Description of Test Items
To test grammar, we decide to use two different exercises that cover the most relevant grammar structures from the unit. Students would have to know how to make basic questions in English, in present, past and future tenses. This section would be 40 points, giving 4 points for correct answer. They all have one possible answer.
To test vocabulary, we chose a fill in the blanks exercise where students have to select a noun given in a table. Students would prove the adequate use of nouns and understanding of time notion. . This section would be 20 points, giving 2 points for correct answer. They all have one possible answer.
To test reading, we decide to use a comprehension activity, a short and simple reading followed by five questions. This section would be 20 points, giving 4 points for correct answer.
To test writing, we opted for asking students to write a letter to their friends containing at least a small paragraph about a well know place in Mexico, a picture is provided so students that don’t really know the place can imagine and create a story.
This type of text was chosen for being representative of the type of texts students were exposed and were asked to write.
Answer Key and scoring
Answer key and scores
I. Grammar (40 points)
A) Find and correct the mistakes in these questions
1) Work 2) Study 3) Meet 4) Does 5) None
B) Complete each question with the correct form of the verb in parenthesis
1) To walk 2) To learn 3) Doing 4) To live 5) Sleeping
Score: 4 points each item with a total of 40 points
II. Vocabulary (20 points)
Complete the text “What I Regularly Eat” with the words from the chart below. Each word is used only once.
1) Breakfast 2) Eggs 3) Juice 4) Salad 5) Sandwich 6) Lunch 7) Dinner 8) Soup
9) Beans 10) Drumsticks
Score: 2 points each item with a total of 20 points
III. Reading (20 points)
Instructions: Read the text “Going on a picnic”. Circle the option that best responds the questions.
1) Answer a 2) Answer d 3) Answer b 4) Answer d 5) Answer c
Score: 4 points each item with a total of 20 points
IV. Instructions: Imagine that you went to the Teotihuacan ruins in Mexico, write a short letter (1 paragraph) to your best friend describing your experience. (The paragraph should contain: title, introduction, body and conclusion)
Rubrics for writing
Grammar Vocabulary Punctuation Paragraph Organization
Always uses correct grammatical patterns (5 pts.) Always shows appropriate use of vocabulary. (5 pts.) Shows full control of punctuation (5 pts.) Contains 4 of the 4 elements of the paragraph (Title, introduction, body and conclusion) (5 pts.)
Most of the time uses correct grammatical patterns (3-4 pts.) Frequently shows appropriate use of vocabulary. (3-4 pts.) Shows strong control of punctuation (3-4 pts.) Contains 3 of the 4 elements of the paragraph (Title, introduction, body and conclusion) (3-4)
Sometimes uses correct grammatical patterns. (1-2 pts.) Sometimes shows appropriate use of vocabulary. (1-2 pts.) Shows weak control of punctuation (1-2) Contains 1 or 2 of the 4 elements of the paragraph (Title, introduction, body and conclusion) (1-2)
Seldom uses correct grammatical patterns (0 pts.)
Seldom shows appropriate use of vocabulary. (0 pts.) Shows no control of punctuation (0 pts.) Contains none of the 4 elements of the paragraph (Title, introduction, body and conclusion) (0 pts.)
Score: Grammar: from 0 to 5/ Vocabulary: from 0-5/ Punctuation: from 0-5/ Paragraph Organization: from 0-5
Scoring from 0 to 20
Comments by moderators
This test was moderated by Marlene. She helped us to improve the test in the vocabulary section, we were using nouns and adjectives, but she told us to only use nouns so students don’t get confused, she took a look on the unit plan, and she agreed that our test covers the units, she also helped us to improve the last activity, by adding a parenthesis in the instructions, that way making the instructions more clear and also delimitating the exercise, because of the time limit.
Developing the Test: Describing the Process
To develop the test we had to make several steps in order to select the appropriate activities. First, we went back to our contents and objectives of the course we are designing. We decided to limit them more because there were too many and the students are graded since the beginning of the course. For our test, it was hard because we wanted to evaluate our students in everything but after discussing the pros and cons about it, we decided to have only four sections for the test, which are grammar, vocabulary, reading and writing. We decided not to include listening and speaking because in a test is very difficult to evaluate them in certain time, but those two skills are being evaluated in all activities since they started the course. Then, we discussed what kind of test we should use, but our decision was to use a progress achievement test because we want to see how our students are progressing in completing the course objectives.
Next, we worked on the specifications of the items. To assess reading, we decided to use a short text with some comprehension questions, so students will have to read it carefully and answer the questions in order to prove their understanding. For grammar, we included activities where students have to find the mistakes in the verbs and correct them, also fill in the blanks to complete with the correct form of the verb. To assess vocabulary, we also chose a fill in the blanks activity where students could prove that they use the appropriate nouns in the text given. For writing, a prompt to develop the task were given in order to set a context and to provide our students with some information about the requirements of the task and the scoring. To score this skill some rubrics were developed and make it more reliable when scoring.
After that, we made decisions regarding different things such as time and scores for each area covered in the test and the layout of the test. This test was given 60 minutes, and each section was divided as follows: grammar was giving 15 minutes, vocabulary with 10 minutes, reading 15 minutes and writing 20 minutes. The total exam will be 100 points which will be divided as follows: grammar with 40 points, and vocabulary, reading and writing with 20 points. As we already said before, we preferred not to include the speaking and listening activities in our test because we wouldn’t have enough time to finish the whole test, also because some students do their tests so fast that they want to finish with all the assignments, but the other students that hasn’t finish will have to skip that part in order to start the listening activity or the speaking one. These two skills are evaluated trough the progress of the activities done in class.
The evaluation of the test
This test is certainly almost the same as the activities seen on class, so students didn’t have to worry about different things that weren’t practiced on class. We decided to include just grammar, vocabulary, reading and writing because since it is a first level, students have to be able to understand the grammatical patterns of the language, they have to learn to read in order to learn more new vocabulary and also writing, to express their thoughts and ideas by writing them in a correct and organize way. We are not saying that listening and speaking are not as important as the ones mentioned but in this case, those skills are primarily practiced during class, not for the test, even though each unit has several dialogues to practice.
Items Analysis
We also had some difficulties to find the reading text. We had to look for texts for lower level with the possibilities to be exploited. We have to be very careful when choosing the text in order to have a successful exercise. We had to be sure there was only one correct answer possible. In item 5 we have an example.
Item 5 in the reading section is a multiple choice item with one correct answer and three distracters. It has been found in Literature that a good multiple choice item must have only one possible answer.
In was difficult too to design the writing item because we needed to create a situation where students feel self confidents and allow them to write a short paragraph of a letter. After seeing different options of written items we found out that the best for assess students was a letter. Other problem that we had was the rubrics because we had to consider that students are low level so we were not sure what areas would be include in the rubric. We had to go back and see the objectives of the course, so we could find what would be include in the rubric.
Universidad Autónoma de Baja California
Level #1
Progress Achievement Test
Name ________________________________________ Group__________ Date__/__/__
I- Grammar (40 points)
A) Instructions: Find and correct the mistakes in these questions. (Some questions may be correct)
1) How many hours a week does your teacher works?
2) When did you first studies English?
3) When did you met your best friend?
4) Why do it always rain on the weekend?
5) Did you have breakfast this morning?
B) Instructions: Complete each question with the correct form of the verb in parenthesis.
1) How old were you when you learned __________? (walk)
2) What do you want __________ in your English class? (learn)
3) What do you feel like __________ this weekend? (do)
4) Would you mind _________ on a boat? (live)
5) How much time do you usually spend _________? (sleep)
II- Vocabulary. (20 points)
Instructions: Complete the following text with the words from the chart below. Each word is used only once.
breakfast beans juice salad dinner
drumsticks lunch eggs sandwich soup
What I regularly eat.
I like to wake up early in the morning around 7:00am and have a complete __________ with pancakes, bacon, scrambled __________ and orange _________.
Then I go to work and around noon (12:00pm) I have my lunch break so I go to the cafeteria and get tuna __________ with salted crackers or a roast beef __________ with chips and a soda for __________.
Finally I get home around 6:00pm and meet my family for __________; we usually have chicken noodle __________, baked __________ and chicken __________.
III- Reading (20 points)
Instructions: Read the text “Going on a Picnic”. Circle the option that best responds the questions.
“Going on a Picnic”
Raquel and Claudia worked real hard all summer to prepare for the end of summer picnic. Raquel grew tomatoes and green peppers in her garden. Claudia lives on a farm and since the spring has been growing corn, lettuce, and grapes.
A week before the picnic both girls harvested and packed their produce. They decided that all of their hard work deserved a reward. They charged others for their produce. Savannah charged one dollar for one tomato or green pepper. Claudia charged one dollar for a head of lettuce, fifty cents for an ear of corn, and five cents for a grape.
1. Raquel grew ________ for the end of summer picnic.
a. tomatoes b. corn c. lettuce d. apples
2. Claudia grew ________ for the end of summer picnic.
a. tomatoes b. corn c. lettuce d. both b & c
3. Where does Claudia live?
a. Mattydale b. on a farm c. in the circus d. on a boat
4. If you were to go to the picnic and purchase 3 tomatoes and 3 ears of corn from the girls, how much would it cost?
a. $1.50 b. $3.50 c. $4.00 d. $4.50
5. If you were to go to the picnic and purchase 1 tomato, 1 pepper, 2 ears of corn, and 4 grapes from the girls, how much would it cost?
a. $2.20 b. $2.50 c. $3.20 d. $3.50
IV. Writing (20 points)
Instructions: Imagine that you went to the Teotihuacan ruins in Mexico. Write a short letter (1 paragraph) to your best friend describing your experience. (The paragraph should contain: title, introduction, body and conclusion)
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
ANSWER KEY
I. Grammar (40 points)
A) Instructions: Find and correct the mistakes in these questions (Some questions may be correct):
1) Work
2) Study
3) Meet
4) Does
5) None
B) Instructions: Complete each question with the correct form of the verb in parenthesis:
1) To walk
2) To learn
3) Doing
4) To live
5) Sleeping
II. Vocabulary (20 points)
Instructions: Complete the text “What I Regularly Eat” with the words from the chart below. Each word is used only once.
1) Breakfast
2) Eggs
3) Juice
4) Salad
5) Sandwich
6) Lunch
7) Dinner
8) Soup
9) Beans
10) Drumsticks
III. Reading (20 points)
Instructions: Read the text “Going on a picnic”. Circle the option that best responds the questions.
1) Answer a
2) Answer d
3) Answer b
4) Answer d
5) Answer c
IV. Writing (20 points)
Instructions: Imagine that you went to the Teotihuacan ruins in Mexico, write a short letter (1 paragraph) to your best friend describing your experience. (The paragraph should contain: title, introduction, body and conclusion)
Writing Rating Sheet
20 Points
Grammar Vocabulary Punctuation Paragraph Organization
Always uses correct grammatical patterns (5 pts.) Always shows appropriate use of vocabulary. (5 pts.) Shows full control of punctuation (5 pts.) Contains 4 of the 4 elements of the paragraph (Title, introduction, body and conclusion) (5 pts.)
Most of the time uses correct grammatical patterns (3-4 pts.) Frequently shows appropriate use of vocabulary. (3-4 pts.) Shows strong control of punctuation (3-4 pts.) Contains 3 of the 4 elements of the paragraph (Title, introduction, body and conclusion) (3-4)
Sometimes uses correct grammatical patterns. (1-2 pts.) Sometimes shows appropriate use of vocabulary. (1-2 pts.) Shows weak control of punctuation (1-2) Contains 1 or 2 of the 4 elements of the paragraph (Title, introduction, body and conclusion) (1-2)
Seldom uses correct grammatical patterns (0 pts.)
Seldom shows appropriate use of vocabulary. (0 pts.) Shows no control of punctuation (0 pts.) Contains none of the 4 elements of the paragraph (Title, introduction, body and conclusion) (0 pts.)
Introduction
In this course we had to create a test for the 1st level of the UABC Language School Program. This test was destined to cover the skills and the knowledge that students had acquired during the course. This was a project where 3 teachers have contributed with decisions, designs, and revisions. And also the 3 teachers have contributed in the elaboration of the different parts of the test.
In this written we are going to describe first, the objectives of the program. Then, the specification of the test will be stated. Following this, we will present the test items with their answer. Also, we will discuss the scoring, and the revision from two moderators will be presented as a narration. Then, we will describe the process of the development of the test. And finally, we will include a section to analyse two individual items.
Objectives and analysis for testing purposes
This is a course where the skills are integrated, and it is focus on grammar, vocabulary, reading and writing as tools to develop the four skills. This is a low level course where different objectives for each skill have to be covered by the students.
For grammar, students have to be able to identify and use the verb tenses, auxiliaries and prepositions in written and oral form. For vocabulary, students have to be able to recognize and understand the use of nouns, verbs, prepositions and adjectives related to different topic such as food, trips, times of day, and vacations in written and oral form. For reading, students have to comprehend a text in order to infer the main ideas, and they have to look for specific information. For writing, students have to be able to write short paragraphs following a pattern of structure (title, introduction, body, and conclusion) using the correct form of grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
It was difficult to decide what to assess. First we had to make a list of what had been seen in the course in order to be able to choose the items that were include in the test. Then, we made a revision of text to see what items were already evaluated in order to avoid testing the same exercise again. In the next part of this written will be present the objectives and the specifications of the items.
Test Specifications
Grammar
Objective: To identify questions in the present and past tense with do/does and did, using the infinitive and the gerund.
Format: Find and correct the mistakes and write the correct form of the verb
Task: Find and correct the mistakes
Write the correct form of the verb
Time: 15 minutes
(2 exercises)
Vocabulary:
Objective: To use common nouns appropriately in written form.
Format: Fill in the blanks
Task: Use the appropriate nouns in the given text
Time: 10 minutes
(1 exercise)
Reading
Objective: To understand and look for specific information from common text of around 106 words.
Format: A narrative
Task: Multiple choice
Time: 15 minutes
(1 exercise)
Writing
Objective: To write a descriptive paragraph including the 4 main elements (title, introduction, body and conclusion).
Format: Prompts for a paragraph
Task: Write a descriptive paragraph
Time: 20 minutes
(1 exercise)
Description of Test Items
To test grammar, we decide to use two different exercises that cover the most relevant grammar structures from the unit. Students would have to know how to make basic questions in English, in present, past and future tenses. This section would be 40 points, giving 4 points for correct answer. They all have one possible answer.
To test vocabulary, we chose a fill in the blanks exercise where students have to select a noun given in a table. Students would prove the adequate use of nouns and understanding of time notion. . This section would be 20 points, giving 2 points for correct answer. They all have one possible answer.
To test reading, we decide to use a comprehension activity, a short and simple reading followed by five questions. This section would be 20 points, giving 4 points for correct answer.
To test writing, we opted for asking students to write a letter to their friends containing at least a small paragraph about a well know place in Mexico, a picture is provided so students that don’t really know the place can imagine and create a story.
This type of text was chosen for being representative of the type of texts students were exposed and were asked to write.
Answer Key and scoring
Answer key and scores
I. Grammar (40 points)
A) Find and correct the mistakes in these questions
1) Work 2) Study 3) Meet 4) Does 5) None
B) Complete each question with the correct form of the verb in parenthesis
1) To walk 2) To learn 3) Doing 4) To live 5) Sleeping
Score: 4 points each item with a total of 40 points
II. Vocabulary (20 points)
Complete the text “What I Regularly Eat” with the words from the chart below. Each word is used only once.
1) Breakfast 2) Eggs 3) Juice 4) Salad 5) Sandwich 6) Lunch 7) Dinner 8) Soup
9) Beans 10) Drumsticks
Score: 2 points each item with a total of 20 points
III. Reading (20 points)
Instructions: Read the text “Going on a picnic”. Circle the option that best responds the questions.
1) Answer a 2) Answer d 3) Answer b 4) Answer d 5) Answer c
Score: 4 points each item with a total of 20 points
IV. Instructions: Imagine that you went to the Teotihuacan ruins in Mexico, write a short letter (1 paragraph) to your best friend describing your experience. (The paragraph should contain: title, introduction, body and conclusion)
Rubrics for writing
Grammar Vocabulary Punctuation Paragraph Organization
Always uses correct grammatical patterns (5 pts.) Always shows appropriate use of vocabulary. (5 pts.) Shows full control of punctuation (5 pts.) Contains 4 of the 4 elements of the paragraph (Title, introduction, body and conclusion) (5 pts.)
Most of the time uses correct grammatical patterns (3-4 pts.) Frequently shows appropriate use of vocabulary. (3-4 pts.) Shows strong control of punctuation (3-4 pts.) Contains 3 of the 4 elements of the paragraph (Title, introduction, body and conclusion) (3-4)
Sometimes uses correct grammatical patterns. (1-2 pts.) Sometimes shows appropriate use of vocabulary. (1-2 pts.) Shows weak control of punctuation (1-2) Contains 1 or 2 of the 4 elements of the paragraph (Title, introduction, body and conclusion) (1-2)
Seldom uses correct grammatical patterns (0 pts.)
Seldom shows appropriate use of vocabulary. (0 pts.) Shows no control of punctuation (0 pts.) Contains none of the 4 elements of the paragraph (Title, introduction, body and conclusion) (0 pts.)
Score: Grammar: from 0 to 5/ Vocabulary: from 0-5/ Punctuation: from 0-5/ Paragraph Organization: from 0-5
Scoring from 0 to 20
Comments by moderators
This test was moderated by Marlene. She helped us to improve the test in the vocabulary section, we were using nouns and adjectives, but she told us to only use nouns so students don’t get confused, she took a look on the unit plan, and she agreed that our test covers the units, she also helped us to improve the last activity, by adding a parenthesis in the instructions, that way making the instructions more clear and also delimitating the exercise, because of the time limit.
Developing the Test: Describing the Process
To develop the test we had to make several steps in order to select the appropriate activities. First, we went back to our contents and objectives of the course we are designing. We decided to limit them more because there were too many and the students are graded since the beginning of the course. For our test, it was hard because we wanted to evaluate our students in everything but after discussing the pros and cons about it, we decided to have only four sections for the test, which are grammar, vocabulary, reading and writing. We decided not to include listening and speaking because in a test is very difficult to evaluate them in certain time, but those two skills are being evaluated in all activities since they started the course. Then, we discussed what kind of test we should use, but our decision was to use a progress achievement test because we want to see how our students are progressing in completing the course objectives.
Next, we worked on the specifications of the items. To assess reading, we decided to use a short text with some comprehension questions, so students will have to read it carefully and answer the questions in order to prove their understanding. For grammar, we included activities where students have to find the mistakes in the verbs and correct them, also fill in the blanks to complete with the correct form of the verb. To assess vocabulary, we also chose a fill in the blanks activity where students could prove that they use the appropriate nouns in the text given. For writing, a prompt to develop the task were given in order to set a context and to provide our students with some information about the requirements of the task and the scoring. To score this skill some rubrics were developed and make it more reliable when scoring.
After that, we made decisions regarding different things such as time and scores for each area covered in the test and the layout of the test. This test was given 60 minutes, and each section was divided as follows: grammar was giving 15 minutes, vocabulary with 10 minutes, reading 15 minutes and writing 20 minutes. The total exam will be 100 points which will be divided as follows: grammar with 40 points, and vocabulary, reading and writing with 20 points. As we already said before, we preferred not to include the speaking and listening activities in our test because we wouldn’t have enough time to finish the whole test, also because some students do their tests so fast that they want to finish with all the assignments, but the other students that hasn’t finish will have to skip that part in order to start the listening activity or the speaking one. These two skills are evaluated trough the progress of the activities done in class.
The evaluation of the test
This test is certainly almost the same as the activities seen on class, so students didn’t have to worry about different things that weren’t practiced on class. We decided to include just grammar, vocabulary, reading and writing because since it is a first level, students have to be able to understand the grammatical patterns of the language, they have to learn to read in order to learn more new vocabulary and also writing, to express their thoughts and ideas by writing them in a correct and organize way. We are not saying that listening and speaking are not as important as the ones mentioned but in this case, those skills are primarily practiced during class, not for the test, even though each unit has several dialogues to practice.
Items Analysis
We also had some difficulties to find the reading text. We had to look for texts for lower level with the possibilities to be exploited. We have to be very careful when choosing the text in order to have a successful exercise. We had to be sure there was only one correct answer possible. In item 5 we have an example.
Item 5 in the reading section is a multiple choice item with one correct answer and three distracters. It has been found in Literature that a good multiple choice item must have only one possible answer.
In was difficult too to design the writing item because we needed to create a situation where students feel self confidents and allow them to write a short paragraph of a letter. After seeing different options of written items we found out that the best for assess students was a letter. Other problem that we had was the rubrics because we had to consider that students are low level so we were not sure what areas would be include in the rubric. We had to go back and see the objectives of the course, so we could find what would be include in the rubric.
Universidad Autónoma de Baja California
Level #1
Progress Achievement Test
Name ________________________________________ Group__________ Date__/__/__
I- Grammar (40 points)
A) Instructions: Find and correct the mistakes in these questions. (Some questions may be correct)
1) How many hours a week does your teacher works?
2) When did you first studies English?
3) When did you met your best friend?
4) Why do it always rain on the weekend?
5) Did you have breakfast this morning?
B) Instructions: Complete each question with the correct form of the verb in parenthesis.
1) How old were you when you learned __________? (walk)
2) What do you want __________ in your English class? (learn)
3) What do you feel like __________ this weekend? (do)
4) Would you mind _________ on a boat? (live)
5) How much time do you usually spend _________? (sleep)
II- Vocabulary. (20 points)
Instructions: Complete the following text with the words from the chart below. Each word is used only once.
breakfast beans juice salad dinner
drumsticks lunch eggs sandwich soup
What I regularly eat.
I like to wake up early in the morning around 7:00am and have a complete __________ with pancakes, bacon, scrambled __________ and orange _________.
Then I go to work and around noon (12:00pm) I have my lunch break so I go to the cafeteria and get tuna __________ with salted crackers or a roast beef __________ with chips and a soda for __________.
Finally I get home around 6:00pm and meet my family for __________; we usually have chicken noodle __________, baked __________ and chicken __________.
III- Reading (20 points)
Instructions: Read the text “Going on a Picnic”. Circle the option that best responds the questions.
“Going on a Picnic”
Raquel and Claudia worked real hard all summer to prepare for the end of summer picnic. Raquel grew tomatoes and green peppers in her garden. Claudia lives on a farm and since the spring has been growing corn, lettuce, and grapes.
A week before the picnic both girls harvested and packed their produce. They decided that all of their hard work deserved a reward. They charged others for their produce. Savannah charged one dollar for one tomato or green pepper. Claudia charged one dollar for a head of lettuce, fifty cents for an ear of corn, and five cents for a grape.
1. Raquel grew ________ for the end of summer picnic.
a. tomatoes b. corn c. lettuce d. apples
2. Claudia grew ________ for the end of summer picnic.
a. tomatoes b. corn c. lettuce d. both b & c
3. Where does Claudia live?
a. Mattydale b. on a farm c. in the circus d. on a boat
4. If you were to go to the picnic and purchase 3 tomatoes and 3 ears of corn from the girls, how much would it cost?
a. $1.50 b. $3.50 c. $4.00 d. $4.50
5. If you were to go to the picnic and purchase 1 tomato, 1 pepper, 2 ears of corn, and 4 grapes from the girls, how much would it cost?
a. $2.20 b. $2.50 c. $3.20 d. $3.50
IV. Writing (20 points)
Instructions: Imagine that you went to the Teotihuacan ruins in Mexico. Write a short letter (1 paragraph) to your best friend describing your experience. (The paragraph should contain: title, introduction, body and conclusion)
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
ANSWER KEY
I. Grammar (40 points)
A) Instructions: Find and correct the mistakes in these questions (Some questions may be correct):
1) Work
2) Study
3) Meet
4) Does
5) None
B) Instructions: Complete each question with the correct form of the verb in parenthesis:
1) To walk
2) To learn
3) Doing
4) To live
5) Sleeping
II. Vocabulary (20 points)
Instructions: Complete the text “What I Regularly Eat” with the words from the chart below. Each word is used only once.
1) Breakfast
2) Eggs
3) Juice
4) Salad
5) Sandwich
6) Lunch
7) Dinner
8) Soup
9) Beans
10) Drumsticks
III. Reading (20 points)
Instructions: Read the text “Going on a picnic”. Circle the option that best responds the questions.
1) Answer a
2) Answer d
3) Answer b
4) Answer d
5) Answer c
IV. Writing (20 points)
Instructions: Imagine that you went to the Teotihuacan ruins in Mexico, write a short letter (1 paragraph) to your best friend describing your experience. (The paragraph should contain: title, introduction, body and conclusion)
Writing Rating Sheet
20 Points
Grammar Vocabulary Punctuation Paragraph Organization
Always uses correct grammatical patterns (5 pts.) Always shows appropriate use of vocabulary. (5 pts.) Shows full control of punctuation (5 pts.) Contains 4 of the 4 elements of the paragraph (Title, introduction, body and conclusion) (5 pts.)
Most of the time uses correct grammatical patterns (3-4 pts.) Frequently shows appropriate use of vocabulary. (3-4 pts.) Shows strong control of punctuation (3-4 pts.) Contains 3 of the 4 elements of the paragraph (Title, introduction, body and conclusion) (3-4)
Sometimes uses correct grammatical patterns. (1-2 pts.) Sometimes shows appropriate use of vocabulary. (1-2 pts.) Shows weak control of punctuation (1-2) Contains 1 or 2 of the 4 elements of the paragraph (Title, introduction, body and conclusion) (1-2)
Seldom uses correct grammatical patterns (0 pts.)
Seldom shows appropriate use of vocabulary. (0 pts.) Shows no control of punctuation (0 pts.) Contains none of the 4 elements of the paragraph (Title, introduction, body and conclusion) (0 pts.)
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