With the United States’ adoption of a standards-based approach to education, most attention has focused on the large-scale, high-stakes assessments intended to measure students’ mastery of standards for accountability purposes. Less attention has been paid to the role of standards-based assessments in the classroom. The purpose of this paper is to discuss key issues and challenges related to the use of standards-based classroom assessments to assess English language learners’ English proficiency. First, the paper describes a study of a standards-based classroom assessment of English proficiency in a large urban school district in California. Second, using this study as an example and drawing from the literature in language testing on classroom assessment, this paper highlights the major issues and challenges involved in using English proficiency standards as the basis for classroom assessment. Finally, the article outlines a research agenda for the field given current developments in the areas of English proficiency standards and classroom assessment.
Arkoudis, S., & O’Loughlin, K. (2004). Tensions between validity and outcomes: Teacher assessment of written work of recently arrived immigrant ESL students. Language Testing, 21, 284-304.
2.
Bachman, L.F., & Palmer, A.S. ( 1996). Language testing in practice. Oxford : Oxford University Press.
3.
Breen, M.P., Barrat-Pugh, C., Derewianka, B., House, H., Hudson, C., Lumley, T., & Rohl, M. ( 1997). Profiling ESL Children: How teachers interpret and use national and state assessment frameworks. Canberra: Department of Employment, Education, Training, and Youth Affairs, Commonwealth of Australia.
4.
Black, P., & Wiliam, D. ( 1998). Assessment and classroom learning. Assessment in Education, 5(1), 7-74.
5.
Brindley, G. ( 1998). Outcomes-based assessment and reporting in language learning programmes: A review of the issues. Language Testing, 15, 45-85.
6.
Brindley, G. ( 2001). Outcomes-based assessment in practice: Some examples and emerging insights. Language Testing, 18(4), 393-407.
7.
Brookhart, S.M. ( 2007). Expanding views about formative classroom assessment: A review of the literature. In J. H. McMillan (Ed.), Formative classroom assessment: Theory into practice (pp. 43-62). New York: Teachers College Press.
8.
Brookhart, S.M. ( 2009). Special issue on the validity of formative and interim assessment. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 28(3).
9.
California Department of Education. (1999). English language development standards for California public schools: Kindergarten through Grade12. Retrieved from www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/documents/englangdevstnd.pdf .
10.
Cizek, G.J. ( 2007). Formative classroom and large-scale assessment. In J. H. McMillan (Ed.), Formative classroom assessment: Theory into practice (pp. 99-115). New York: Teachers College Press.
11.
Davison, C. ( 2004) The contradictory culture of teacher-based assessment: ESL teacher assessment practices in Australian and Hong Kong secondary schools . Language Testing, 21, 305-334.
12.
Davison, C. ( 2007). Views from the chalkface: English language school-based assessment in Hong-Kong. Language Assessment Quarterly, 4(1), 37-68.
13.
Davison, C., & Leung, C. ( 2009). Current issues in English language teacher-based assessment . Tesol Quarterly, 43(3), 393-415.
14.
Dutro, E., & Valencia. S. ( 2004). The relationship between state and district content standards: Issues of alignment, influence and utility. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 12(45). Retrieved from http://epaa.asu.edu/epaa/v12n45/ .
15.
Gándara, P., Maxwell-Jolly, J., & Driscoll, A. ( 2005). Listening to teachers of English language learners: A survey of California teachers’ challenges, experiences, and professional development needs. Santa Cruz, CA: Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning.
16.
Gatullo, F. ( 2000). Formative assessment in ELT primary (elementary) classrooms: An Italian case study. Language Testing, 17, 278-288.
17.
Gottlieb, M., Cranley, E.M., & Cammilleri, A. (2007). Understanding the WIDA English language proficiency standards: A resource guide. Retrieved June 4, 2009 from www.wida.us/standards/Resource_Guide_web.pdf .
18.
Heritage, M. ( 2010). Formative assessment and next-generation assessment systems: Are we losing an opportunity. Washington, DC: Council of Chief State School Officers. Retrieved from www.ccsso.org/Documents/2010/Formative_Assessment_Next_Generation_2010.pdf .
19.
Leung, C. ( 2005). Classroom teacher assessment of second language development: Construct as practice. In E. Hinkel (Ed.), Handbook of research in second language learning and teaching. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
20.
Leung, C., & Mohan, B. ( 2004). Teacher formative assessment and talk in classroom contexts: Assessments as discourse and assessment of discourse. Language Testing, 21, 335-359.
21.
Leung, C., & Rea-Dickins, P. (2007). Teacher assessment as policy instrument: Contradictions and capacities. Language Assessment Quarterly, 4(1), 6-36.
22.
Llosa, L. ( 2005). Assessing English learners’ language proficiency: A qualitative investigation of teachers’ interpretations of the California ELD Standards. The CATESOL Journal, 17(1), 7-18.
23.
Llosa, L. ( 2007). Validating a standards-based classroom assessment of English proficiency: A multitrait-multimethod approach. Language Testing, 24(4), 489-515.
24.
Llosa, L. ( 2008). Building and supporting a validity argument for a standards-based classroom assessment of English proficiency based on teacher judgments. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 27(3), 32-42.
25.
McKay, P. ( 2007). The standards movement and ELT for school-aged learners: Cross-national perspectives. In J. Cummins & C. Davison (Eds.), International Handbook of English Language Teaching (pp. 439-456). Springer.
26.
McMillan, J.H. ( 2007). Formative classroom assessment: Theory into practice . New York: Teachers College Press .
27.
Nichols, P.D., Meyers, J.L., & Burling, K.S. ( 2009). A framework for evaluating and planning assessments intended to improve student achievement. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 28(3), 14-23.
28.
Pearson Inc. (2005). Comparing standards-based item banks and pre-built tests for classroom assessment. Retrieved June 4, 2009 from http://pearsonassess.com/NR/rdonlyres/E4A8B6C76A62-4F52-9B68-B0498E5CC0B1/0/ItemBanks.pdf .
29.
Perie, M., Marion, S., & Gong, B. ( 2009). Moving toward a comprehensive assessment system: A framework for considering interim assessments. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 28(3), 5-13.
30.
Popham, W.J. ( 2003). The trouble with testing: Why standards-based assessment doesn’t measure up. American School Board Journal, 190, 14-17.
31.
Rea-Dickins, P. ( 2001). Mirror, mirror on the wall: Identifying processes of classroom assessment. Language Testing, 18, 429-462.
32.
Rea-Dickins, P. ( 2007). Classroom-based assessment: Possibilities and pitfalls . In J. Cummins & C. Davison (Eds.), International handbook of English language teaching (pp. 505-520). New York: Springer.
33.
Rea-Dickins, P. ( 2008). Classroom-based language assessment. In E. Shohamy & N. Hornberger (Eds.), Encyclopaedia of language and education (pp. 257-272). New York: Springer Science.
34.
Rea-Dickins, P. & Gardner, S. ( 2000). Snares and silver bullets: Disentangling the construct of formative assessment. Language Testing, 17, 215-243.
35.
Ross, J.A. ( 2004). Effects of running records assessment on early literacy achievement. The Journal of Educational Research, 97(4), pp. 186-194.
36.
Ross, S.J. ( 2005). The impact of assessment method on foreign language proficiency growth. Applied Linguistics, 26(3), 317-342.
37.
Shepard, L.A. ( 2008). Formative assessment: Caveat emptor. In C. A. Dwyer (Ed.), The future of assessment: Shaping teaching and learning. New York: Lawrence Erlbaum.
38.
Shepard, L.A. ( 2009). Commentary: Evaluating the validity of formative and interim assessment. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice , 28(3), 32-37.
39.
Taylor, C.S. ( 2002). Incorporating classroom-based assessments into large-scale assessment programs. In G. Tindal & T. M. Haladyna (Eds.), Large scale assessment: Programs for all students (pp. 233-259). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
40.
Teasdale, A., & Leung, C. ( 2000). Teacher assessment and psychometric theory: A case of paradigm crossing? Language Testing, 17, 165-186.
41.
Xu, Y., & Liu, Y. ( 2009). Teacher assessment knowledge and practice: A narrative inquiry of a Chinese college EFL Teacher. TESOL Quarterly , 43(3), 493-513.
