Conclusion

 Ten things to remember about assessment in learning English

As English teachers, the first step is to realize the importance of our role in all societies as facilitators in a teaching and learning process. Therefore and after taking this course, I would like to share the following thoughts about assessment.

a- Before assessing your students' learning performance, get to know them better and lean them a hand to  expres their emotions through language.

Educating is harder than teaching, because teaching requires knowledge, but educating requires humanistic principles that must be reflected on formative assessment instruments that enhance thinking rather than memorizing.

"What cannot be felt, cannot be understood, and what cannot be understood, does not matter at all."

 Simón Rodríguez

b- Give them a chance to share your grading instruments in advance. By doing so, students will increase their self-esteem and focus on the areas in which they need improvement.

It is important to mention that students should be aware of the rubrics in advance to know the different features included. Likewise, if learners are involved in the rubric construction "the assignment itself becomes more meaningful to students" (Fundamentals of Rubrics, 2003). Besides, students self-assessment promotes a greater construction of knowledge and a more effective performance.

c- Design tests and rubrics in which students use language for commmunicative purposes and based on real-life situations.

During this process, objectives and instructions must be based on the SMARTA concepts to make sure they meet the different cornerstones of teaching. Besides assessment must be focused on the students` performance as using language for communication.

d- Look for test items that facilitate cognitive development to avoid anxiety in students.

Assessment is closely related to both teaching and learning, so it is important to include a humanistic sense in order to make this process enjoyable and natural.Overwhelming students with non-balanced tests interfere with a clear interpretation of instructions and context involved.

e- Implement rubrics in which learners receive appropriate feedback for improvement. 

By providing feedback to students performance, the assessment process becomes a cooperative and growing experience for both teachers and learners. That feedback must reflect  qualitative and formative comments rather than summative and conductive ones, one that allows students to construct knowledge through the use of a target language.

f- Do formative or alternative activities and assessment to activate students' language acquisition.

The word "test" has always been related to anxiety and even punishment. It has representated a non-formative education that has avoided learners to develop a sense of creating, analyzing, questioning, debating, making decisions, and finding solutions for our society problems. Acquiring a second language would be a lot easier if it were related to life itself.

g- Be constantly improving and doing research on the most appropriate assessment techniques before test implementation.

Eventhough many approaches and strategies have attempted to find the "real" teaching and testing, teachers must be always willing to go beyond and experience new assessment possibilities to enrich this process. It is also a good idea to use elements from other approaches and adapt them to modern teaching concepts.

h- Take notes in a journal after class and analyze the results of the assessment instruments. Are they reflecting the course objectives? Are they reliable enough? Are they based on the cornerstones of testing?

According to Richards and Farrell (2005), “A teaching journal is an ongoing written account of observations, reflections, and other thoughts about teaching” (P. 68).  As a result, by keeping a teaching journal I expect to constantly explore my assessment practice, learn from my classroom experiences, and foster my student’s learning. 

i- Keep on struggling to validate changes on the way assessment is mostly conceived. 

Some teachers are stuck to certain assessment techniques and would not accept changes to their "comfort zone", supported by a structured pedagogical formation in which recycling tests is easier than a real reflection, analysis, and commitment as facilitators through the guidance path called Education.

j - A golden rule: there is always room for improvement on assessment.

I realize that patience and motivation are important educational tools to increase students' self-confidence. Besides, I can conclude that learners are so accustomed to be evaluated under summative instruments that they can barely express (memorize) their own idea, making it difficult for them to “link their thoughts”, what leads to lack of motivation and capability of learning the language.By giving my students the opportunity to express their feelings and inquiries at the beginning of the class, it leads to a relaxing classroom atmosphere and it also increases my assessment possibilities for the good of a real formative education.

References

Bargainnier, S. (2003). Fundamentals of Rubrics. Retrieved from

https://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/ele/scholars/practices/Evaluating_Projects/Re sources/Using_Rubrics.pdf

Richards, J.C. & Farrell, T.S. (2005). Professional development for language teachers: 

Strategies for teacher learning. New York: Cambridge University Press.