ERIC Number: EJ1182539
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2576-2907
EISSN: N/A
Defining, Conceptualizing, Problematizing, and Assessing Language Teacher Assessment Literacy
Stabler-Havener, Michelle L.
Working Papers in Applied Linguistics & TESOL, v18 n1 p1-22 2018
Assessment literacy (AL) empowers teachers (Grabowski & Dakin, 2014) by helping them make better decisions about the development, administration, and use of assessments (Harding & Kremmel, 2016; Popham, 2009). This is crucial because when teachers make erroneous interpretations, which lead to incorrect decisions, students can suffer unintended, negative consequences (Purpura, 2016; Purpura, Brown, & Schoonen, 2015). As essential as AL is to providing quality teaching and learning opportunities, assessment education remains inadequate (Lam, 2015; Mendoza & Arandia, 2009; Vogt & Tsagari, 2014). According to Cheng (2001), teachers spend up to a third of their time in assessment related activities; however, most "do so with little or no professional training" (Bachman, 2000, p. 19-20). In light of the demand for the development of instructor AL, this paper first defines and conceptualizes language assessment literacy (LAL). Then it problematizes LAL through an investigation of empirical studies conducted to explore pre- and in-service teacher education and resources that have been used to develop teachers' LAL. Finally, it examines how teachers' LAL levels are evaluated through assessments such as Cambridge University Press's Teaching Knowledge Test, the edTPA, and state teacher certification Praxis tests.
Descriptors: Language Teachers, Teacher Competencies, Student Evaluation, Testing, Language Tests, Evaluation Methods, Professional Development, Skill Development, Models, Barriers, Teacher Education, Foreign Countries, Praxis
Teachers College, Columbia University. 525 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027. e-mail: tcwebjournal@tc.columbia.edu; Web site: https://tesolal.columbia.edu/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United States; North America; United Kingdom
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A