259 / 2018-08-31 16:22:09

Building an assessment use argument for classroom-based formative assessment

Assessment Use Argument,Formative Assessment,assessment for learning

全体主题 > 面向教学的语言测试与评价

Classroom-based formative assessment (CBFA) refers to assessment events that happen within or beyond one class for the purposes of teaching and learning. One complete CBFA event includes 1) elicitation of evidence of students’ understanding or learning, 2) interpretation of the elicited information against the learning target or success criteria, 3) feedback based on this interpretation for the student in question, and 4) follow-up action taken by the student or teacher to improve learning. More often than not, learning only takes place after the completion of a series of these cyclical, and spiralling CBFA events.

The embedded and contingent nature of formative assessment means that validity in the norm-referenced, summative tradition cannot be understood in exactly the same way for formative assessment. In fact, some scholars (e.g., Gipps, 1994) have even contended for a entirely different paradigm with an independent set of criteria for its evaluation. Many others have conceptualised the validity of formative assessment in different ways (e.g., Nichols, Meyers, & Burling, 2009; Pellegrino, DiBello, & Goldman, 2016; Stobart, 2012).

This presentation outlines a framework for evaluating the argument-based validity of CBFA. In particular, Bachman’s (Bachman, 2005; Bachman & Palmer, 2010) assessment use argument (AUA) will be used to map out the types of inferences made in CBFA (assessment utilization argument) and the structure of arguments for the validity of the inferences (assessment validity argument). It will be argued that validity is still a core concept in CBFA and that AUA can provide a coherent and practical framework for its validation.