Reconceptualizing language teaching: an in-service teacher education course in uzbekistan

SECTION 3.3
Assessment of Learning: Principles
and Types of Assessment
“What is most essential about assessment is under-
standing fundamental principles that can be used to en-
hance student learning and teacher effectiveness” (McMil-
lan, 2000)
GOALS
This section focuses on the main principles of language assessment, 
and addresses challenges faced by teachers in the Uzbek context.
By the end of this section, you will be able to…
A) distinguish between Assessment for Learning and Assessment of 
Learning;
B) relate principles of language assessment to your own teaching con-
text;
C) apply key principles of assessment to the quality of assessment tools; 
and,
D) reflect on the challenges you face and identify ways to address them.
INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW
Assessment is an inseparable part of teaching because language 
teachers have a dual role of teaching and assessing, which ultimately will 
have an impact on students’ learning and motivation. They make decisions 
about who could pass or fail a quiz, test, or course of study; they deter-
mine whether the class is going well, and if the teaching they do is effective 
(Harding & Kremmel, 2016). Assessment of Learning measures these con-
cerns. However, it is often the case that assessment tools used by language 
teachers fail to provide the measurement of what is targeted. Such misuse 
causes unfair judgement of students’ knowledge and preparedness. 
Think about the following:
1. How do you think Assessment for Learning differs from Assessment 
of
Learning?
2. What do you know about assessment principles?

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RECONCEPTUALIZING LANGUAGE TEACHING
3. How can teachers make sure the way they assess students’ knowl-
edge is fair? 
4. How can you know whether your assessment is measuring what 
you want to measure?
UZBEK VIGNETTE
Case 1
I designed a test for the required level by state standards. Students 
showed very low results. I was blamed for designing poor quality assess-
ment tools but what if the students are simply not at the expected level? 
How can I know that? Another challenge I have been facing again and 
again is the connection between teaching and assessment. It is quite of-
ten that what I teach during the semester is not assessed at tests. The 
problem is that every teacher uses their own approach in teaching but in 
the end the final test is the same for all the students across the groups. As 
a result, students learn one thing but are assessed for another.
Case 2
“I have been responsible for designing tests in my department for 
several years. Every time I find it hard to make decisions and choices re-
garding what tasks to set in an assessment tool. I feel that I need to rely on 
some principles; however, what are they? Everything I do is usually based 
on my own intuitions as a teacher and the instructions by the head of the 
department. I collect tests from various sources, including the Internet 
and textbooks. I put all the parts together and the test is ready! But when 
my colleagues and I administer the test, it appears to be too easy or too 
hard, sometimes the designed test takes longer time than it was planned 
to”.
Case 3
A teacher in my department believes that test should not be de-
signed by teachers themselves as they do not possess sufficient skills to 
do it. She notes that there should be a special person responsible for this 
task in each department. Developing a test requires much preparation 
and time, therefore, teachers who are already overloaded cannot spend 
sufficient time for this. However, my other colleague, thinks that it is a 
responsibility of every teacher to be involved in and concerned with their 
students’ assessment. This process is part of teaching.

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CHAPTER THREE: LANGUAGE ASSESSMENT/TESTING
REFLECTION
Think about the cases above. Are the issues raised in them familiar 
to you in your own teaching context? What do you think can be possible 
solutions for each case?
KEY CONCEPTS
There are eighteen key concepts in this section: Assessment of Learn-
ing; norm-referenced tests; criteria-referenced tests; key principles of as-
sessment; validity; reliability; practicality; washback; construct validity; con-
tent validity; face validity; types of assessment; placement tests; diagnostic 
tests; progress tests; achievement tests; aptitude tests; proficiency tests; 
testing specifications; and, piloting. We will briefly explain each one below.