A. Assessing Language Development
Assessing Language Development is a website for language educators, especially those new to the profession, that provides some general information about what to consider when assessing language development in the classroom and that introduces teachers to many forms of alternative assessments.
Visit the website.
B. Computerized Dynamic Assessment of Language Proficiency (CODA)
Description:
The Computerized Dynamic Assessment of Language Proficiency (CODA) is currently available for Chinese, French, and Russian.
CODA is an online formative assessment tool designed to provide more fine-grained profiles of listening and reading comprehension abilities than possible with traditional tests by offering graduated assistance to student test-takers. This allows teachers not only to observe how many test questions learners answered correctly and incorrectly on the first try but also to document how much support was required by the student test-taker to complete the assessment.
Test results are provided as unweighted and weighted scores for a group (class, course) as well as for individual students.
The tests are based on existing and recognized multiple-choice assessments of listening and reading comprehension.
CODA Features:
| Graduated assistance | The tests include prescripted prompts for each test question (item) aimed to assist, or mediate, students’ performance. No assistance is provided on the first attempt. If the learner does not successfully answer the question, up to three prompts, arranged from least explicit to most explicit are provided before the correct answer is displayed. Students also have the option to view an explanation of the answer once a question has been completed. |
| Actual and mediated scores | Student results are displayed as two scores, with each test question being worth a maximum of four points. The actual score refers to independent performance—in other words, how many questions were answered correctly on the first attempt—as is done in traditional assessment contexts. The mediated score takes into account the number of prompts required to answer items correctly, with a one-point reduction for each attempt beyond the first. |
| Group and individual results | Teacher can access results for a class as a whole as well as for individual students. Group results indicate the distribution of points for each item on the test so that teachers can see how many students received four, three, two, one, or no points for each question. Individual results are displayed as actual and mediated scores for each student as well as an item-by-item breakdown of student responses, points earned, and for which item(s) a learner requested an explanation. |
| Item constructs | Teachers are also able to view group and individual results according to test-item constructs—for example, vocabulary or grammar. This allows teachers to identify specific areas that proved difficult for learners and which may be in need of further instruction. |
Request Access: Language educators may request access to CODA. Please note that access to the tests is not provided automatically. Please go to Access CODA Webform and fill in the required information.
C. Dynamic Assessment Resources
If you are interested in learning more about Dynamic Assessment, we compiled some resources on the DA page, where you will also see a link to a video introducing DA.
D. Graphic Online Language Diagnostic (GOLD)
The Graphic Online Language Diagnostic (GOLD) is a web-based easy-to use assessment instrument. It enables language teachers to create their own corpora from their students’ spoken and written performance and to analyze and benchmark student performance. It also allows teachers to trace the development of individual students or groups of students over time.
If you want to use GOLD, you need to request access. At the moment, we only grant access to language educators with a verifiable institutional address. That is, we must be able to find you in the staff directory of your institution; therefore please provide the full name of your institution, when you fill in the reuest access form. Here is the registration page.