How to Assess ESOL Students
Assessment is a critical part of the process when teaching English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) students. It helps reveal how much students have truly understood and retained. It also shows the teacher which students are confident enough in their language skills to use new grammar points or vocabulary words. Assessment is also crucial when placing students into an appropriate level for a course of study. Whenever possible, assess students in a well-rounded manner, covering their grammar, speaking, listening and writing skills.
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Instructions
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Give the students a grammar test. If the purpose of this test is to place students into levels on the first day of class, it should be comprehensive, covering all basic to advanced grammar. Tell students to answer the questions they can. If this is a test to assess how much they've retained from the last chapter or the last few lessons, just focus the test on the relevant material.
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Interview each student to assess their speaking skills. Ask them questions about a variety of topics. Their verbal proficiency should become clear immediately.
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Test their listening skills by playing a CD of a fairly fast conversation between two people. Ask students questions that evaluate their comprehension of the dialogue.
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Test their writing skills by giving each student a short essay topic, such as "my favorite food" or "the best trip I ever took," and encourage students to write one to two paragraphs on the topic. Students will exhibit their strengths and weaknesses in their writing.
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Compile the scores of each student in each of the four areas and place them in a suitable level or assign them a grade.
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References
- Photo Credit taking test image by Petro Feketa from Fotolia.com
