Online course

Language Assessment in the Classroom

Assessment is becoming increasingly important in language education. Understand it better with this course for language teachers.

Language Assessment in the Classroom

Overview
Topics
Start dates
Requirements
Educators
Overview
Topics
Start dates
Requirements
Educators
  • Duration 4 weeks
  • Weekly study 3 hours

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Improve your knowledge of and skills in language assessment

In the last 15 years, assessment has had an increasingly significant impact on education policy globally. Consequently, there is a growing need among teachers to understand how assessment works.

In this course, you will learn about the principles of sound language assessment. You will develop an understanding of the ideas in developing different types of test and how they can be applied. With guidance from experienced test developers and international assessment experts, you will explore practical ways of assessing language and skills which you can use in your classroom.

What topics will you cover?

  • Principles of language assessment
    Formative and summative assessment
    Positive washback
    Assessment and testing

  • Assessing speaking
    Formats, tasks and settings
    Rating scales

  • Assessing writing
    Assessment tasks
    Marking criteria
    Feedback

  • Assessing reading
    Meaningfulness and authenticity
    Developing reading tests
    Scoring reading tests

  • Assessing listening
    Task types for listening assessment
    Scoring listening tests

  • Assessing grammar and vocabulary
    Principles of testing grammar and vocabulary

  • Test development
    Assessment and course planning
    Approaches to testing
    The test development cycle
    Evaluating the effectiveness of a test

When would you like to start?

  • Date to be announced
Add to Wishlist to be emailed when new dates are announced

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you'll be able to...

  • Identify the basic principles involved in reliable and valid test design
  • Demonstrate an understanding of different types of tests and how they can be used
  • Evaluate assessment needs of students within a given context
  • Explain some practical techniques for assessing different language skills and knowledge

Who is the course for?

This course is aimed at language teachers in secondary or high schools around the world, and anyone interested in understanding how language assessment works.

You will need to have English language proficiency at a minimum CEFR B1 level to get most benefit from the course.

The course does not presume or require any previous knowledge of assessment issues.

Who will you learn with?

Gordon Allan

Gordon Allan

Teacher trainer with the British Council in Tokyo. Part of the Leaders of English Education Project (LEEP) team. Recently completed an MA in Language Testing with Lancaster University.

Daniel Waller

Daniel Waller

Hello. My name is Daniel and I work in the UK at UCLan. I have worked in TESOL for around 25 years and my areas of interest are language assessment, corpus linguistics and discourse.

Olena Rossi

Olena Rossi

A teacher, teacher trainer, and e-moderator with 20 years of experience. Completed an MA in Language Testing in 2015. Currently doing a PhD and working as an associate lecturer at Lancaster university

Colin Barnett

Colin Barnett

Hello! I'm Colin and I work as the Assessment Solutions Manager for the British Council. I started in language teaching and assessment since last century. I love the topic of formative assessment

Elena Gandini

Elena Gandini

Language teaching and assessment professional, currently working as a research assistant at the University of Central Lancashire. Graduated in Language Testing (MA) at Lancaster University in 2014.

Who developed the course?

The British Council is on the ground in six continents and over 100 countries connecting the best of UK culture with a global audience and providing high-quality English language courses.

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