Chet tillarini o'qitishning integrallashgan kursi (III & IV) Qarshi- 2018 Module: Language Testing and Assessment Lesson Basic principles of language assessment

Lesson 9. How to test/ assess reading

Assessment is an essential element of education used to inform instruction. The first step in implementing good reading instruction is to determine student baseline performance. Students enter the classroom with diverse backgrounds and skills in literacy. Some students may enter the classroom with special needs that require review of basic skills in reading, while other students may have mastered the content a teacher intends to cover. Due to these various student levels, it is necessary to design literacy instruction to meet the individual needs of each student. Individual needs can be determined by initial and ongoing reading assessments. These assessments provide teachers with the information needed to develop appropriate lessons and improve instruction for all students, including students with disabilities. The information gained from appropriate assessment enables teachers to provide exceptional students with improved access to the general education curriculum.

There are a variety of measures that can be used to gather data for each area of early reading. Assessment is a central element for any teacher and should be implemented regularly. Through its implementation, teachers will be able to help students access the skills and content they need from the general education curriculum. This will allow all students to achieve to their highest potential.
The purpose and benefits of assessment
Research provides evidence that specific early literacy concepts can predict young students' later reading achievement. These reading concepts include letter knowledge, phonemic awareness, decoding, fluency, and comprehension. An effective reading program includes assessments of all of these concepts for several purposes.
One purpose is to identify skills that need review. Assessment provides teachers with information on what skills students have and have not mastered. It is needed to help teachers know the skill levels of their students, since students have varying experiences and knowledge.
A second purpose is to monitor student progress. A teacher can learn which students need review before covering additional content and which students are ready to move forward.
A third purpose is to guide teacher instruction. Through consistent assessment, a teacher can make informed decisions about what instruction is appropriate for each student.
A fourth purpose is to demonstrate the effectiveness of instruction. The information gained from assessment allows teachers to know if all students are mastering the content covered. It is important for teachers to use instructional time effectively, and this can be done when teachers are knowledgeable about what their students are ready to learn and what they already know. Therefore, the information gained from assessment allows a teacher to create appropriate instruction for their students.
Additionally, a fifth purpose of assessment is to provide teachers with information on how instruction can be improved.
Assessment examples for specific areas of reading
There are various ways to gather assessment data. Teachers can test students, analyze student work samples, observe students performing literacy tasks, or interview students on their reading skills. Teachers can gain the most information by administering all of these methods to collect data. The following information describes various types of assessments for different areas of early reading. Each assessment identified is described in the resources section of this brief.
Letter knowledge: the ability to associate sounds with letters
One example of an assessment for letter knowledge is to present a student with a list of letters and ask the student to name each letter. Another example is to have a student separate the letters from a pile of letters, numbers, and symbols. Students can also be asked to separate and categorize letters by uppercase and lowercase (Torgesen, 1998; Wren, 2004).
Phonemic awareness: the ability to hear and manipulate sounds in words
These assessments examine a student's knowledge of how sounds make words. A student can be asked to break spoken words into parts, or to blend spoken parts of a word into one word. Additionally, a student can count the number of phonemes in a word to demonstrate understanding, or a student can delete or add a phoneme to make a new word (Torgesen, 1998; Wren, 2004).
Reading comprehension: the process of understanding the meaning of text
There are many types of reading comprehension assessments. One type involves a student reading a passage that is at an appropriate level for the student, and then having the student answer factual questions about the text. A second type involves a student answering inferential questions about implied information in the text. A third type involves a student filling in missing words from a passage. A fourth type is to have a student retell the story in their own words
The assessment tasks prepared for assessing reading skills only serve the pre-decided purposes of assessment. The variety in the texts and tasks used add to the validity of the assessment. Students are expected to only scan, skim, infer and understand the structure and meaning of the texts. They are not asked to and may have to use very little of other language-skills to complete the tasks. Writing has been minimized in every possible way; vocabulary-based questions have been kept to minimum; and there is almost no demand for displaying explicit grammatical ability.
The assessment is expected to have positive washback on teaching, learning, teacher and learner. Such an assessment will help the teacher and student do away with memory-based tests. The teacher may find it easy to identify the problem areas (in relation to reading) of students. If used wisely, the tasks may promote learner autonomy. The teacher can also collect information about the assessment from students and make further improvements.

Activity 1. There are six texts (A, B, C, D, E and F) below. Each text contains a paragraph. Arrange the texts in order so that you create a nice story.

A
Naduk related the whole story. Everyone in the courtroom burst out laughing. The magistrate then ordered Lakshman to return the iron beam to Naduk and that Naduk return Lakshman's son to him.
B
For many years, Naduk traveled far and wide, building his fortune. Luck was with him, for he became rich once again. He returned home and bought a new house and started his business again. He went to visit his friend Lakshman who greeted him warmly. After a while, Naduk asked him to return his beam. Lakshman knew that the beam would fetch him good money so he was loath to return it. So he told Naduk that he had kept his beam in the store-room and the mice ate it.
C
Naduk locked up Ramu in a cellar in his house. By nightfall, Lakshamn was worried and came to ask about the whereabouts of his son. Naduk replied that on the way to his house, a hawk swooped down and carried the boy off. Lakshman accused Naduk of lying. He insisted that a hawk could not carry off a fifteen-year-old boy.
D
Naduk did not seem to mind. He asked Lakshman to send his son home with him so that he could hand over a gift that he had bought for him. So Lakshman sent his son Ramu with Naduk.
E
Once upon a time, there was a rich merchant called Naduk. But times were bad and his business was suffering. He decided to leave the city and find his fortune in a new place. He sold off all his possessions and paid off his debts. All that he had left was a heavy iron beam. Naduk went to say goodbye to his friend Lakshman, and requested him to keep the beam for him till he returned. Lakshman promised to look after it for him.
F
A big fight ensued and the matter was taken to court. When the magistrate heard Lakshman's side of the story, he ordered Naduk to return the boy to his father. But Naduk insisted that a hawk carried off the boy. The magistrate asked him how it was possible. He replied,that if a huge iron beam can be eaten by mice, then a boy could definitely be carried off by a hawk.
First paragraph of the story: [E] (Paragraph ‘E’ is the first paragraph of the story.)
Second paragraph of the story: [ ]
Third paragraph of the story: [ ]
Fourth paragraph of the story: [ ]
Fifth paragraph of the story: [ ]
Final paragraph of the story: [ ]
Answers: E (already given), B, D, C, F, A