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Evaluation in
TESOL
prepared by
Marwan Alalimi

How can evaluation be defined in
TESOL ?
 Evaluation in TESOL settings is a process of
collecting, analyzing and interpreting
information about teaching and learning in
order to make informed decisions that enhance
student achievement and the success of
educational programmes.

What’s the difference between
assessment and evaluation in TESOL ?
 Assessment of an individual student's progress or achievement
is an important component of evaluation: it is that part of
evaluation that includes the collection and analysis of
information about student learning. The primary focus of
assessment in TESOL has been language assessment and the
role of tests in assessing students' language skills.
 Evaluation goes beyond student achievement (and language
assessment) to consider all aspects of teaching and learning,
and to look at how educational decisions can be informed by
the results of alternative forms of assessment.

Evaluation can focus on different
aspects of teaching and learning :

 Textbooks and instructional materials.
 student achievement.
 whole programes of instruction.

Evaluation is a process that includes four
basic components:

basic components:

1) The purpose of the evaluation is first articulated: e.g. to decide
whether to continue using new materials; to decide which
students will be exempt from ESL/ EFL instruction.
2) Information relevant to the purpose of evaluation is identified
and collected:
 the teacher uses student scores on tests and his observations of
performance to make decisions;
 school officials use feedback from teachers and school
administrators .
 language test results in the new and regular programs to decide
where and how to revise the new program.

basic components:
3) Once collected, the information is analyzed and
interpreted: feedback from students, their employers and
teachers is interpreted impressionistically; test scores of
students in the new program are compared to those of
students in the regular program and responses to
interviews and questionnaires from principals and
students are interpreted qualitatively.
4) Finally, decisions are taken: the materials are kept, or
rejected; decisions are made about how to modify the
programme.

Evaluation must consider the
following issues:
 purposes of evaluation.
 Participants.
 kinds of information.
 information collection.
 and analysis and interpretation of information.

PURPOSES OF EVALUATION

 An important purpose of evaluation is
accountability: to demonstrate that students are
learning to the standards expected of them or that a
curriculum or programme of instruction is working
the way it should.
 To make placement, advancement/promotion or
related decisions about students' status in a
programme, course or unit within a course.
 To guide classroom instruction and enhance student
learning on a day-to-day basis.

PARTICIPANTS.
 Policy-makers and educational leaders.
 Researchers.
 Teachers.
 Students.
 Parents.

KINDS OF INFORMATION
Evaluation in TESOL calls for a great deal of information about
the factors influencing the processes of teaching and learning
in the classroom; e.g.
 Students’ achievement.
 information about students' interests.
 language learning needs.
 prior educational experiences.
 preferred learning styles and strategies.
 attitudes toward schooling and themselves as learners.
 and even medical and family histories.

INFORMATION COLLECTION.

 Tests.
 Dialogue journals shared with teachers.
 Portfolio conferences.
 Observation.
For tests and alternative forms of language assessment to be
useful for classroom-based evaluation, they should be:
 linked to instructional objectives and activities;
 designed to optimize student performance;
 developmentally appropriate,
 relevant and interesting to students;
 authentic; fair; and ongoing.

ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF
INFORMATION

 ESL/EFL educators increasingly utilize content and,
in some cases, performance standards established by
educational authorities (Brindley 1998a) and
professional associations (ACTFL1996; TESOL
1997) as benchmarks for evaluating student
performance and educational effectiveness.

Conclusion

 Evaluation is essential to successful education because it
forms the basis for appropriate and effective decision-
making.
 Evaluation in TESOL is the purposeful collection of
information to assist decision-making about teaching and
learning in ESL/EFL classrooms and programmes.
 It has evolved in recent years to include informal and
formal approaches, bottom-up and top-down perspectives,
and alternative forms of information collection and
interpretation to complement tests.

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TESOL evaluation

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