Evaluation

Introduction

Evaluation is an integral component of the teaching-learning process that should facilitate student learning and improve instruction. Teachers make judgements about student progress based on information gathered through a variety of assessment techniques. This information assists teachers in planning and modifying their instructional programs, which in turn helps students learn more effectively. Evaluation is also used for reporting progress to students and parents and for making decisions related to such things as student promotion and awards.

Evaluation must be considered during the planning stage of instruction when learning objectives and appropriately related teaching strategies and methods are chosen. Too often in the past evaluation has been treated as an add-on, something to be dealt with at the end of a unit of study.

Phases of the Evaluation Process

The evaluation process is cyclical in nature. Each phase is linked to and dependent on the others. It is a continuous process that takes careful planning and systematic implementation not to mention constant review and modification to guide student learning.

In the preparation phase, decisions are made which identify what is to be evaluated, the type of evaluation to be used, the criteria against which student learning outcomes will be judged, and the most appropriate assessment strategies with which to gather information on student progress.

The assessment phase is action-oriented. The teacher identifies appropriate information-gathering strategies, constructs or selects assessment techniques in collaboration with the student, continues to make decisions such as identification and elimination of bias from assessment instruments, and determines where, when and how assessments will be conducted. The teacher collects, organizes and interprets the student information gathered.

During the evaluation phase, the teacher examines the collected student information carefully taking into consideration pertinent points such as the student's particular situation, the curriculum, the time of the year, the variety of resources, etc. to make a judgment on the progress of the student or the level of achievement of student learnings.

The reflection phase allows the teacher to consider possible actions and to make decisions necessary to carry out improvements ormodifications to subsequent teaching and evaluation.

Types of evaluation

Diagnostic evaluation is a type of formative evaluation that usually occurs at the beginning of the school year or before a unit of instruction. It is used to assess interests, abilities (strengths), difficulties (weaknesses) or the level at which a student or group of students is achieving. Diagnostic evaluation provides information essential to teachers when making decisions about program or instruction modifications necessary for a student or group of students. It is helpful in ascertaining what your students know or don't know about the topic to be studied. Examples include reading inventories, oral tests for second language students, tests for identifying learning difficulties, etc.

Formative evaluation is an on-going process, an integral part of the learning process that keeps students and teachers informed of student progress towards program learning objectives. The main purpose of formative evaluation is to improve instruction and student learning. By providing immediate feedback to students, corrective action can be taken to ensure the student achieves the desired learning outcome. This type of evaluation helps teachers understand the degree to which students are learning the course material and the extent to which their knowledge, understandings, skills and attitudes are developing. Students are provided direction for future learning and are encouraged to take responsibility for their own progress. The evaluation can be a teacher evaluation, self-evaluation or peer evaluation. Examples for organizing the data include checklists, anecdotal records, etc.

Summative evaluation occurs most often at the end of a unit of study. Its primary purpose is to determine what has been learned over a period of time, to summarize student progress, and to report on progress relative to curriculum foundational objectives to students, parents and educators. It is a judgement of the student's global competence; the evaluation of each student is based on the same requirements. Examples include selection, promotion, certification, etc.

Teachers should take into consideration both formative and summative evaluation when assigning students' final marks on the report card. Diagnostic evaluation should never be a part of a student's mark.

Guiding principles of evaluation in Core French

Within the framework of the Core French curriculum there are a number of principles which should guide the evaluation practices.

• Evaluation should be an integral part of the teaching-learning process. Evaluation provides students with evidence of what they have learned and it provides teachers with the necessary feedback indicating whether or not instructional objectives are being met.

• Evaluation should take place in the context of meaningful activities which are congruent with the way in which students are taught. In other words, a written evaluation would not be given to test vocabulary and structures that have only been practised orally.

• The percentage of the mark allotted to each of the four skill areas should correspond to the amount of time that the students spend on the respective areas. For example, students spending 70% of their time doing listening comprehension and oral production activities should be evaluated accordingly.

• When choosing learning objectives and evaluation strategies the teacher should take into consideration the individual needs of the student.

• Evaluation should focus on the development of communicative and linguistic competence. Evaluation should also reflect the cultural and general language education components of the Core French curriculum. If CELs are developed in a unit, they should also be evaluated.

• Tests should relate to real-life situations. If the program is based on a communicative/ experiential approach, then this should be reflected in the tests.

• Tests should measure what they say they are measuring. If students are doing a listening comprehension exercise and have to write down specific information, they should bemarked on whether or not they understood and found the information rather than on whether or not the information was spelled correctly.

• The teacher should use a variety of assessment techniques that clearly reflect this communicative, learner-centred and activity-based approach to second language acquisition as put forth in the multidimensional curriculum model proposed in the National Core French Study. There is a wide range of assessment techniques to choose from including observation checklists, rating scales, self and peer evaluation, anecdotal reports, communicative tests, etc.

• Evaluation should be based on the Core French curriculum objectives; in general, the teacher will use foundational objectives for summative evaluation and learning objectives for formative evaluation.

• Evaluation should be fair and equitable. It should be sensitive to family, classroom, school, and community situations; it should be free of bias. Students should be given opportunities to demonstrate the extent of their knowledge, understandings, skills and attitudes.

• Evaluation should provide positive and effective feedback for students. If students are to become life-long second language learners, they will need to be able to evaluate feedback and use it to improve their language development.

• Students should have a clear understanding of the types of evaluation procedures that will take place throughout the unit.

• The criteria involved in the evaluation of the experiential goal should be determined by both students and teacher. Students should comprehend early in the unit the elements that will be required to complete the experiential goal.

• See Unit 8.2 for a detailed example of how student evaluation can be organized.

Commonly asked questions

• How is it possible to do oral evaluation in a class of thirty students?
  The evaluation of oral/aural skills has always been a challenge for second language teachers. The use of observation checklists, rating scales, anecdotal reports, peer and self evaluation during regular classroom activities will assist with formative evaluation. It is important to note that not all students need be evaluated daily. For example, as students are working in pairs and the teacher is circulating throughout the classroom, the focus may be on four pairs of students. An observation checklist may be used to determine whether or not they are on task and are following directions. When the whole class is called together at the end of the activity to verify their responses, a rating scale may be used to evaluate another set of students for something specific such as their ability to form complete sentences in the negative.

• How should the marks be weighted in the experiential goal?
  The weighting of marks should be a joint decision between students and teacher and be based on what and on how the students are being taught. A strong oral/aural component in the class should be reflected in the mark. As students progress, their grades will likely reflect an increase in the allotment of marks given to written production and written comprehension.

• Is some type of evaluation to be done on a daily basis?
  Some type of evaluation could be done on a daily basis. Observation checklists, rating scales and anecdotal reports can be used daily. It is important to remember that not all students have to be evaluated at the same time for the same thing. Daily observation of students is a practice that will become a habit over time.

• How can students know what it is they have done wrong?
  In order for formative evaluation to be more effective, students should receive immediate feedback regarding their work. If short quizzes are given they should be corrected whenever possible by the students. Knowing the correct responses immediately after doing the quiz helps the students to retain and understand the information and also to know where they went wrong.

• How can students take some of the responsibility for their evaluation?
  There are a number of ways that students can become involved in the evaluation process. Students can help in setting the criteria for the unit project. They can also be responsible for periodic self-evaluation and reflection on how they have done during class. It takes practice for students to look at themselves objectively and reflect on their attitude, behaviour, motivation, and learning.

• How much emphasis should be put on correct spelling?
  If students are doing a listening comprehension exercise and are to write down some specific information, it is the message which would be evaluated rather than the correct spelling of the words. However, if the unit project includes a written component, sufficient time and energy should be put into proper editing: self, peer and teacher. In this case, spelling would be a factor. If students are being evaluated in writing on a discrete grammar point such as the imperative, correct spelling would again be a factor.

• Should students be allowed to look at reference materials and grammar or vocabulary charts when doing a quiz.
  This would depend on the objectives. If the students understand how the grammatical structure works and understand how to use the reference materials, this would indicate that although not all material has been memorized, the students are independently able to find the answers. This is crucial in second language learning and is indicative of independent language learners. Rather than have students memorize material for a test and forget it shortly after, it would be preferable to have them know how to manipulate and use the language, and in so doing, internalize the language beyond short term recall.

• What is a communicative test?
  A communicative test reflects a student's real-life situation. There must be a communicative purpose or function such as exchanging information. There must be a clearly specified social context such as a conversation between a student and a storekeeper. (Ullman, p. 5). The criteria used to judge the student's response must be consistent with the communicative task.

Student Assessment Techniques

What to evaluate

The objectives of the Core French program reflect the various elements that are important for language learning using a communicative/ experiential approach.

• The attitudes and values of the child play an important role in language acquisition. How can this be included in the evaluation of the unit?
• The skills and the abilities of the students must also be evaluated. How can this be done within a communicative context?
• The experiential goal acts as a summary of what the students have learned throughout the unit. What kind of an evaluation tool is necessary to properly evaluate the experiential goal?

Each of these elements plays an important role in the development of a well-rounded evaluation plan.

Attitudes and Values

An essential part of second language evaluation deals with the affective domaine of the child. Participation, attitude, motivation, flexibility, etc. are all examples of the affective aspects of second language learning. For example, student participation is crucial in language development and should definitely be included as part of the overall evaluation. Examples of affective aspects are given on the chart on the following page that shows how the evaluation in a unit could be organized. Additional examples of these aspects can be found in the foundational and learning objectives of the units.

Skills, Abilities and Knowledge

Evaluation at the intermediate level should reflect the development of oral/aural skills with increasing emphasis on reading and writing skills. There are a number of ways that the evaluation of these skills can be achieved.

Short, frequent communicative quizzes and tests can give a clear picture of what students have learned and what they need to review. A number of communicative tests that focus on the four skill areas have been included within this section. Teachers should be reminded thatalthough it may be easier to assess written production skills, all of the language skills should be addressed and in the case of middle years students, much of the focus will be on the oral/aural.

Daily observations of language development in communicative, interactive situations recorded in anecdotal records or on checklists and rating scales with specific and objective criteria is a systematic way to monitor student progress and make this type of informal evaluation as valid as a formal evaluation such as a test. Student self-evaluation is also important. Providing time in class for self-evaluation helps students to develop this very important language learning skill.

The Experiential Goal

The students take what they have learned throughout the unit and use it to prepare and present the final project. The criteria involved in evaluating the projects will have been set at the beginning of the unit by both the teacher and the students. It is important that the evaluation of the project focus not only on the presentation itself but on the planning and developement of the project. An example of how the experiential goal can be evaluated is included in this section as well as in Units 7.1, 8.1, 8.2 and 9.3.

Examples of assessment techniques
(How to evaluate)

The examples of assessment techniques that follow are merely suggestions for teachers. They include:

• Organization of unit evaluation
• Overview of Observation Checklists, Rating Scales and Anecdotal Reports
• Examples of Observation Checklists, Rating Scales and Anecdotal Records
• Communicative Tests

Some of the checklists and rating scales include criteria with some blank spaces left so that teachers may add additional information. Blank evaluation forms have also been included. Teachers may reorganize any of the examples to better suit their particular needs.

For more information on the various student assessment techniques, see Student Evaluation: A Teacher Handbook, Saskatchewan Education, Training and Employment. (1991)

Overview of Unit Evaluation

The following is an example of how evaluation may be organized within the unit. The percentages for the different grade levels are not complusory but do reflect the difference in where the focus of language development should lie. Teachers should feel free to adapt the chart to meet their personal needs.

What to evaluate	How to evaluate	Grade 6	Grade 9
Attitudes and values examples of criteria: participates willingly in all activities listens attentively to directions uses French in pair and small group activities tries new vocabulary at the first opportunity asks for explanations of errors made	Observation Checklists Rating Scales Student Self-Evaluation Anecdotal Records	40%	25%
Skills, abilities, knowledge examples of criteria: uses a variety of comprehension strategies for understanding unknown vocabulary (written comprehension) uses grammar terminology in class discussions makes feminine agreement of adjectives in oral activities is aware of some foods associated with Christmas in French Canada understands some reasons why words are borrowed from other languages	Communicative Quizzes, Oral Production, Oral Comprehension, Written Production, Written Comprehension Class work, Oral Production, Oral Comprehension, Written Production, Written Comprehension Homework Written Production Written Comprehension	30%	40%
Unit Project examples of criteria: prepared a personal reference sheet of useful structures and vocabulary worked cooperatively with a partner completed project on time used reference material to correct written portion of project incorporated personal view into oral presentation accepted constructive criticism from partner correctly pronounced 3rd person plural verb endings in oral presentation.	Unit Project Sheet: criteria developed jointly by teachers and students. For examples, see Unités 7.1, 8.1, 8.2	30%	35%

Observation Checklists (Grille d'observation) and Rating Scales (Échelle d'appréciation)

When?

• Observation checklists and rating scales can both be used during class time when students are actively engaged in learning activities.

With whom?

• The checklists and rating scales can be used with all students either individually, in pairs or in groups.

Why?

• Checklists and rating scales can be used to assess the students' abilities, attitudes, or performance in process areas such as communication skills, linguistic skills, extent of participation or interest in the topic.
• They may be used to assess the extent or degree to which specific concepts, skills, processes, or attitudes exist in student learning.
• The main difference between an observation checklist and a rating scale is that the checklist observes whether the criteria is met or not usually by means of an X or a check. In the case of rating scales a number is often given to ascertain the level to which the student has achieved the aim of the activity.

What?

Different criteria may be set such as:

• works in groups or pairs
• completes work
• follows directions
• stays on task
• communicates in French
• accepts correction as a means to improving
• takes risks
• asks for repetition or explanation
• makes connections with other known languages

How?

Select two to five students to observe each day. If the class is working in groups, evaluate one group per day. Set the criteria ahead of time and then collect the data throughout the class.

• Annex A, B, C are all variations of the same chart and can be used as observation checklists or rating scales. Determine the program objectives to be evaluated and enter these on the chart. If the chart is to be used as a checklist, enter (has achieved the objective) or X (has not achieved the objective. If it is to be used as a rating scale, an example of the levels would be 3 (has achieved the objective), 2 (shows understanding but needs more time/assistance, etc.) 1 (has not achieved the objective).
  
• Annex D may also be used as an observation checklist or as a rating scale. The difference is in the steps of the activity to be evaluated. The procedure for using this chart is the same as described in Annex A, B, and C.
  
• Annexes E, F, G, and H are student self-evaluations. Annexes E and F are in the form of observation checklists. Some examples of criteria are given. Annex G could be used either as a checklist or as a rating scale. For a rating scale, students would need to be familiar with the criteria in order to rate themselves. Annex H is a self-evaluation that gives students a chance to see how many times they speak French under certain circumstances such as in their small groups or pairs, when the class is all together, etc.
  
• Annex I is a grid given to each student. As the teacher circulates throughout the classroom and observes students at work, a self-stamper is used to indicate that the student is speaking French, using specific vocabulary and expressions, etc.
  
• Annex J can be used as an observation checklist for individual work or for group work. Examples of criteria that could be evaluated could include "follows directions, completes the work, gives best effort, is well organized, collaborates with partner, etc."
  
• Annex K can be used as an observation checklist or as a rating scale to evaluate group work. In this example, students are evaluated three different times during the unit. Examples of criteria are given. The chart would have to be adapted depending on the number of students in the group.
  
• Annex L is an example of student self-evaluation. The students are familiar with the criteria and based on this criteria must reflect on the number of points that they believe they have earned. At the end of class the students give this information to the teacher and it is recorded on the chart. Some students may then need to be reminded about what constitutes 1, 2, or 3 points.

Anecdotal Records

(Fiche Anecdotique)

When?

• Anecdotal records can be collected at any time of the day, in any situation, and in the context of any activity.

With whom?

• Anecdotal records can be collected with all students, either individuals, pairs or groups.

Why?

• Using this method of gathering information on student attitudes, interests, abilities and values is one way of collecting data which may not be part of the planned evaluation.
• Recording observations may signify something in student behaviour or in student learning that can not be collected in other ways.

What?

Different types of observations may be included such as:

• classroom behaviours and attitudes
• participation
• difficulties/abilities on any given task

How?

• Always note the date so as to be able to demonstrate progress.
  
• Each time you notice an attitude, an answer or a particularly revealing event about the interests, communicative or linguistic competence relating to student progress, make remarks about it on an anecdotal sheet or notebook or on small adhesive notes.
  
• The remarks must be brief and to the point.
  
• Transfer this information into student portfolios for periodic reference and analysis.
  
• Remarks should be objective observations, not judgements.
  
• Two different examples of organizing anecdotal records are included. Annex M may be used to keep notes on the entire class. Student names are indicated in small squares and data is recorded on the sheet. Data may also be written on adhesive notes and then removed and placed in a student portfolio. Annex N provides the opportunity to collect data on individual students.

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Annexe A

Période de l'évaluation:_____________________________

Annexe B

Période de l'évaluation:__________________________________

Objectifs du   programme d'études (Grille d'observation)

Objectifs du   programme d'études (Échelle d'appréciation)

Nom des élèves

Annexe C

Période de l'évaluation:____________________________________

Objectifs du   programme d'études (Échelle d'appréciation)

Objectifs du   programme d'études (Examens communicatifs) (Devoirs)

Nom des élèves

---

Annexe D

Période de l'évaluation:______________________________________

Activité:	Étapes de l'activité					Commentaires
Nom des élèves

Annexe E

L'auto-évaluation

But de l'unité:____________________________________________

Nom de l'élève:___________________________________________

Étapes (steps)		Date	Commentaires de l'enseignant.e  (teacher comments)
1. I can ask permission to leave the classroom.
2. I can greet a person.
3. I can ask a person how he or she feels.
4. I can talk about my favorite sport/pastime.
5. I can discuss my likes and dislikes.

Teaching Notes This particular example can be used as a diagnostic tool for oral communication at the beginning of a unit of study. It can also be used as a synoptic tool for oral communication to be filled in as the student progresses through the unit. (The student checks each step and indicates the date each step was accomplished. The teacher verifies the student learning.) The steps of the checklist (grille d'observation) would vary from unit to unit.

Annexe F

Auto-évaluation

Teachers may wish to evaluate students' cooperative skills. One way would be for the teacher to ask specific questions and have the students circle the appropriate picture.

= oui

= non

Travail coopératif Auto-évaluation des habiletés Nom de l'élève: Date: 1. J'ai encouragé les autres membres de mon groupe.           2. J'ai partagé les idées et les informations.           3. Les autres membres de mon groupe m'ont encouragé.e.

Travail coopératif Auto-évaluation des habiletés Nom de l'élève: Date: 1. _______________________________________________________           2._______________________________________________________           3._______________________________________________________

Annexe G

Auto-évaluation

Nom de l'élève: Date:

1. J'ai appris de nouvelles choses.
Date
2. J'ai fait un effort pour travailler proprement.
Date
3. J'ai terminé l'activité.
Date
4. J'ai écouté quand les autres parlaient.
Date
5. J'aimerais faire une autre activité semblable.
Date

Annexe H

Auto-évaluation

Combien de fois est-ce que j'ai parlé?
(posé une question, répondu à une question,...)

Nom de l'élève:

Teaching Notes It is the student's responsibility to record the number of times that he/she gives an answer in class. The students may record the number of times that their answers are given to the whole class or they may want to record the number of times that they speak with a partner. By looking at this self evaluation, students will become more aware of how often they are practising the language. Students must realize that their oral skills will only improve if an effort is made to practise the language. This checklist could also be used by students keeping track of other students or a partners keeping track of each other.

Annexe I

Nom de l'élève:________________________

Teaching Notes This checklist is given to each of the students and records their participation while working in their pairs and small groups. As the teacher circulates throughout the classroom and observes the students at work, a self-stamper is used to indicate that students are participating, are on task, are speaking French during the activity, etc. A checkmark, teacher initials, or other significant mark could be used instead of the self-stamper. It would be up to the students and teacher to determine the criteria for receiving the stamp.

Annexe J

Date:_________________

	Critères à observer
Nom des élèves:	suit les directives etc.

Annexe K

Grille d'observation pour le travail de groupe

Groupe:________________________

Nom des élèves

Critères

Observations

1re

2e

3e

1re

2e

3e

1re

2e

3e

1re

2e

3e

Offre des idées (offers ideas)

Réagit de façon positive aux idées des autres (reacts positively to other group members' ideas)

Essaie d'utiliser quelques mots en français avec les membres du groupe (tries to use French when speaking to other group members)

Utilise les mots présentés dans le cadre de l'unité pour parler aux autres membres du groupe (uses words presented in the unit when speaking to other group members)

Annexe L

Auto-évaluation

Période de l'évaluation:  1  2  3  4  Classe: _________________________________ (Reporting period)

Nom des élèves:

D a t e

T o t a l

Échelle:

3 points: participe, reste à la tâche, donne le bon exemple à la classe
2 points: reste plus ou moins à la tâche, participe de temps en temps
1 point: dérange la classe et ne participe pas

Annexe M

Fiche anecdotique - aperçu global

Annexe N