By

Julio Vangel Prez

Assessment is another fundamental aspect of

teaching.
Assessment can help you determine a student's

proficiency in a language.
Using assessment can help to identify the
strengths and weaknesses a learner has.
Teachers also need to use constant assessment to
determine how well students are comprehending
the material that has been covered or how much
information they picked up from a specific course.

Assessment and evaluation are not the same yet

they are closely related.
Assessment relates to individual student learning. It
is the act of collecting information and making
judgments on a language learners knowledge of
language and ability to use it (Chapelle and
Brindley, 2002, p.267).
Evaluation refers to a broader term concerning a
collection and interpretation of information relating
to the value of an entire course or program for the
reach of specific functions or goals.

Reasons to assess:
Diagnosing students strengths and

weaknesses.
Deciding what to and what not to teach next.
Giving students feedback.
Seeing students progress.
Handing students a final grade.

Formative assessment and Summative assessment

Formative assessment occurs anytime during the
course of teaching, when it is intended or
necessary with the purpose of improving the
learners outcome. Formative assessment is
usually informal.
Summative assessment happens at the end of a
teaching process and is carried out in order to
judge what students have achieved during the
course. Summative assessment is often formally
designed and administered.

Classroom tests
Elicitation
Observation
Student Journals
Portfolios
Error analysis
Checklists
Questionnaires

We have two types of grammar tests:

Discrete point which assess individual grammar

items, these contrast with integrative tests
that attempt to evaluate a range of skills and
abilities.