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Title
Teachers as Evaluators: Teacher-based Language Assessment
Presenter
Farzaneh Dehghan
Abstract
In today's educational and evaluative trends, there is a growing demand for less reliance on standardized tests. Admission decisions to colleges and universities are being made with less emphasis on using standardized test scores and more on other criteria such as Grade Point Averages (GPAs). GPAs are based in large measure on teacher-made assessment. If teacher-made tests are not valid, how can valid decisions and interpretations be made on their basis? Is the solution in returning to standardized tests or there are some ways by which the reliability and validity of teacher-made assessment can be increased?
Since the scores assigned by teachers to the students at the end or in the middle of the academic year are not usually a one shot process and comprise different test scores, ratings, group work activities, etc., then it is extremely important to have these types of assessment procedures constructed and performed with the highest standards of quality. This article explores issues related to teacher-made assessment. Contrary to what some scholars who regard teacher-made tests as low-stakes and not needing necessarily high indices of reliability and validity, the present article shows that such divisions are not always clear-cut and in some cases the results of teacher-made assessment and tests are highly effective. At the end some guidelines for improving the quality and accountability of teacher-made tests are provided.
Key Words: assessment, classroom-based assessment, teacher-made assessment, reliability, validity
References
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Bio:-
The author has got her degree in TEFL from Shiraz University in 2002 and from that time on has taught in many EFL situations including colleges, universities, pre-universities and private institutes. The main areas of interest are language learning strategies, strategy training, assessment, and teacher education and training.
contact asian_efl_journal@yahoo.com
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