Page 34 - ELG1804 Apr Issue 456

REVIEWS . REVIEWS & RESOURCES

Put

yourself

to the

test

Wayne Trotman discovers how classroom LANGUAGE ASSESSMENT FOR CLASSROOM
TEACHERS, Lyle Bachman and Barbara
assessment, when properly designed, can help Damböck. Oxford University Press
ISBN: 978-0-19-421839-9
improve teaching and learning

his book may have quite a general- The authors then show how to adopt an encouraging environment. Another
sounding title, but as it explains in the new approach in the classroom. They valuable section here covers issuing
its opening chapter, it is proposing outline a possible ‘template’ or model for instructions for test-takers.
T‘an entirely new approach to producing assessment tasks, which involves This answers questions such as how
developing and using classroom-based selecting, describing and modifying test extensive they need to be in order to make
language assessments’. items. They also explain how to use the them understandable.
Instead of taking the traditional route model to create multiple assessment tasks. And a question for you: who among us
of using assessment solely to make major Chapter ten describes how to combine when writing test items has not pondered
decisions about large numbers of test- individual tasks to make a complete how many points to award for each? This
takers, it aims to provide useful information classroom-based assessment. issue and many others appear in chapter
to help improve teaching and learning. As twelve, which outlines how to score
such, it has valuable lessons for those who The title also students’ test performance and reporting
are possibly only involved in an institution’s focuses well on major results.
testing unit who wish to support colleagues This title is more likely to be appreciated
whose role is more classroom-focused. concerns for the general by those with a good deal of experience in
The second chapter of the book discusses teacher involved in assessment.
the role of assessment in teaching, At times it is perhaps over-technical for
providing an overview of the process assessment the average test-item writer or analyst,
of using classroom-based assessment. though thankfully a lengthy glossary
The book then goes on to describe the If you feel any, some, or all of the above explains tricky terminology such as a ‘non-
framework underlying its new approach, seem to be entering deeper waters, you’re compensatory composite
introducing at first the idea of an probably not completely wrong. However, score’.
‘assessment use argument’. the title also focuses well on major concerns
This looks at issues such as the for the general teacher involved in Wayne Trotman is a
consequences of assessing learners, assessment.
decisions on when and how to assess Chapter eleven, which looks at teacher educator at Izmir
them, plus the means of recording their administering tests, looks at how to prepare Katip Çelebi University,
performance. suitable physical conditions to provide Izmir, Turkey.
34 April 2018 editorial@elgazette.com 37