MEANINGFUL ASSESSMENT FOR THE LANGUAGE

CLASSROOM: ADVANCES AND CHALLENGES IN THE MODERN

ERA

John M. Norris
Educational Testing Service, Japan

Abstract: Language testing has evolved rapidly in the modern era, due to advances in
technology and in response to new educational challenges, including the COVID-19
pandemic and the rise of virtual learning. Language teachers today are faced with a wide
variety of possibilities for assessing the language knowledge and abilities of their students,
in the face-to-face classroom as well as the online teaching environment. In order for
assessments to contribute meaningfully to language teaching and learning, it is important for
teachers to understand the different uses for assessment in the classroom and to select
language tests that meet their needs and are appropriate for their students. In this presentation
I will discuss how teachers can evaluate language tests based on the ways in which they are
designed, the uses for which they are intended, and the impacts they have on learners and
learning. In particular, I will focus on diverse tests of communicative language ability in
order to highlight how different tests are designed to meet distinct purposes and resolve
different challenges. From efficient assessments, like C-tests and Elicited Imitation, to task-
based performance assessments, to AI-driven automated assessments, I will show how
teachers can make sure that tests contribute meaningfully to classroom foreign language
learning.

BIO STATEMENT

John Norris is a Principal Research Scientist at ETS Japan, where he conducts research and
outreach related to language teaching, learning, and assessment. From 2016-2022 he was
Senior Research Director of the Center for Language Education and Assessment Research
at Educational Testing Service in the US. Prior to joining ETS, he was a professor at
Georgetown University and the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, and assessment specialist
at Northern Arizona University. He began his career as an English teacher in Brazil, and he
completed his Ph.D. in Second Language Acquisition at the University of Hawai‘i. John’s
research focuses on language education (task-based language teaching), assessment,
program evaluation, and research methods. His most recent book publication is “Assessing
academic English for higher education admissions”, winner of the Sage/ILTA best book on
language testing in 2022. John speaks and conducts research on German, Portuguese, and
Spanish, and he is currently acquiring Japanese.

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