Assessment

Designing our project assessment

As a summary we can say that in order to design an effective evaluation we need to answer these three questions:

Evaluation
What to assess	Unit objectives by means of assessment criteria
When to assess	At the beginning – initial evaluation Meanwhile – formative evaluation At the end – summative evaluation
How to assess	Several assessment instruments

Here follows a list of criteria to assess the assessment in a unit or project. A totally effective, reliable, valid and with a positive washback effect in the student learning process will fulfill all the requirements.

Assessment Content
The assessment reflects the unit objectives
Actions / Tasks (know how to do it) rather than knowledge (know) are assessed.
Oral and written comprehension and expresion are assessed.
Class and assessment activities are integrated (positive backwash).
Ativities on English use –grammar and vocabulary- are contextualized.
Assessment Instruments
There are initial, formative and summative assessment activities.
There are informal, formal and self-assessment activities.
Authentic tasks that could be carried out in the real world (out of the classroom) are used in the project.
Assessment is based on more than one sort of evidence. It is not based on just one instrument.
Assessment characteristics
It promotes reflection, self-esteem and responsibility.
It provides a global vision of the students’ progress.
It is an integral assessment system (formative + summative; students + teachers).
It is an evidence repository that is used to discuss the students’ progress with their parents, other teachers and the students themselves, enhancing its formative component.
Assessment is practical and flexible.
Assessment criteria
Assessment criteria are clear and explicit.
Students know assessment criteria beforehand.
If there is an exam, this includes formats which students are familiar with. The criteria –time, use of dictionaries, number of times of the listening text, etc.- are public and are written down. Marking criteria are also included.
All the assessment instruments correspond to one or several assessment criteria and to one or several objectives and they are clear.