Charting Classroom Growth: How Often Should We Assess the English Performance of 11 and 12-Year-Old Children?

Autor/in	Buttiler, Maria Belen
Titel	Charting Classroom Growth: How Often Should We Assess the English Performance of 11 and 12-Year-Old Children?
Quelle	In: TESL-EJ, 25 (2021) 3, (19 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1072-4303
Schlagwörter	Elementary School Students; Language Tests; Second Language Learning; Second Language Instruction; English (Second Language); Foreign Countries; Scores; Longitudinal Studies; Teaching Methods; Achievement Gains; Language Proficiency; Middle School Students; Listening Comprehension Tests; Reading Tests; Writing Tests; Argentina + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Language test; Sprachtest; Zweitsprachenerwerb; Fremdsprachenunterricht; English as second language; English; Second Language; Englisch als Zweitsprache; Ausland; Longitudinal study; Longitudinal method; Longitudinal methods; Längsschnittuntersuchung; Teaching method; Lehrmethode; Unterrichtsmethode; Achievement gain; Leistungssteigerung; Language skill; Language skills; Sprachkompetenz; Middle school; Middle schools; Student; Students; Mittelschule; Mittelstufenschule; Schüler; Schülerin; Hörverstehensübung; Lesetest; Writing test; Schreibtest; Argentinien
Abstract	In this study, I investigate whether three A2 Key for Schools practice tests from Cambridge Assessment English for 6th-graders (11-12 years old) in Argentina measure growth and produce scores that are meaningful. Drawing data from three consecutive years, I analyze the scores of 80 children over a school year and consider whether the tests are beneficial for both students and teachers in terms of time and instructional impact. In this English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context, the results show no significant differences among the students' average performances across the Reading and Writing section of the practice tests and some significant differences across the Listening practice tests. I discuss the affective, pedagogical, and curricular implications and argue that because the tests are administered in tight succession, growth may be too small to measure. It is important for teachers and language program coordinators to ensure that the testing they do benefits instruction and positively impacts students in language classes. This is because testing should serve and inform instruction. In this study, I suggest how other teachers in charge of their elementary and middle school assessment programs can do similar analyses to ensure their students' language evaluation programming is maximally beneficial. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	TESL-EJ. e-mail: editor@tesl-ej.org; Web site: http://tesl-ej.org
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01