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[dudette]

I'm just finishing up my first term at a public middle school and this is also my first time teaching English "abroad". I've been given the very stressful task of improving the students' oral and listening skills I have about 400 students in all (I'm the only foreign teacher in the school), and am wondering if anybody has any suggestions on how to evaluate them on a final exam. Some of the Chinese English teachers in my school told me that previous teachers took the students aside one by one and just talked to them, or had 2 or 3 students at a time prepare and deliver a dialogue for an assigned topic. To me, these approaches seem highly subjective, or maybe it doesn't really matter since there's a good chance these marks won't carry much weight anyway?

Thanks for any ideas and help!

Stymied in Sichuan

[ESL Guru]

First Rule: No one fails
Rule #2 - No one flunks
Rule #3 - No one gets below a 60
Rule #4 - We grade 90 - 100 A
80 - 90 B
70 - 80 C and there is nothing else.
Rule #5 - Flunk someone and they will administratively change the grade to passing and you will no longer be welcome
Rule $6 - Final Exam - really, WHY? Are they still breathing? If not you can maybe consider failing them.
Rule #7 - Just talk to them. If they understand "What is your English name?" and answer correctly, they are "A" material.

Good luck!
Been there - done that

[Minhang Oz]

I use a mix of formative and summative assessment.
First, as I teach college kids who are just like me many years ago, attendance can be a problem. So there's a 50% attendance component [ie, if they come to all lessons, they get 50% credit], which "encourages" them to come to class, and gives me the chance to teach them. The FT next door doesn't keep attendance records, or give a rat's arse for that matter, so his attendance is 20% on a good day. But then he stops teaching and goes home after 30 minutes.

THAT off my chest, I'll give them a few short assessment tasks during the term; a mixture, maybe one short formal presentation. some situational role plays, etc. I'm looking at improvement here as some come from a high school where they NEVER spoke English- because their teacher couldn't. These tasks make up 25%.

Final assessment is based on the IELTS model; 3 parts in a 10-15 minute session, I wouldn't try it with 400 students though. You can find IELTS with an internet search. Its very easy and practical, and breaks the "there are three people in my family...." mould. It tests a range of skills.

OK, the office might upgrade everyone so they pass, but at least you've done an honest job....and your students know it.

Try the 50+25+25 model, with any modifications needed to suit your circumstances. Its fair to the honest battler and should reflect what you're actually teaching.

[dudette]

[wOZfromOZ]

Dudette

Wow - That is a huge ask isn't it?
This term I've had some 44 (mod.8's) - that's 3rd year uni and I FOUND THAT ENOUGH!!! 400 - christ, they've gotta be kidding!

What we did with these mod8's was to team them up in groups of 4,
10 days before the test date and they had to hold board meetings as senior managers of Chinese companies trying to enter the Australian market with their new products. One requirement was that they had to submit a hard copy of their presentation to me (to read) before their presentations.

In addition to this 10 minutes before their 'prepared meetings' they were each given a detailed role cards stating exactly the character personality they had to portray when their meeting oral test was conducted.

You could do something similar in a 'watered down form' for highschoolers.


AND.........

about pass and fail? - We fail them if they dont measure up! - PRUE AND SIMPLE! I've got 15 hours a week this coming Summer term with classes
of repeats.
It's hot in summer in those student dorms!!!
It's also an expensive thing for the parents too!
but the fact is it happens where I am!!!

As far as attendance goes, if they dont get 70% THEY AUTOMATICALLY FAIL! We all keep records and every term you get the pleaders and the whiners come scabbing a chance to sit the test but they DO NOT get that chance.

I usually get about 60% of my classes with 100% attendance and about 20%-30% with about 80% attandance. and about 10% - the slackers('Xiao/da huang di'....... big little emperors) who flout the riules.

You're probably best to get them to prepare on a topic or several topics and get them to come prepared to do interviews with you - 3-4 minutes
should be ok!

Anyway
happy days
wOZ formerly from OZ

[dudette]

wOZ:

[struelle]

[SallyMander]

This probably does not have immediate practical application but is worth a skim. If you can find it, this book provides clear, jargon free explanations of the types of informal and formal assessment procedures, washback effects, testing valdity and learner self-assessment.

Harris,M. and McCann P. Assessment. Heinemann

[oprah]

Thanks everyone.. Keep sending in the suggestions.. I have 800 primary students.. but I do not think there will be any exam or testing.. but you wonder what the fruits of your labour are ??

[arioch36]

Hi Dudette,

Actually your situation is not abnormal. One question...do you have 12 classes of 30 students, or 6 classes of 60 students.

first i would say, don't panic, do worry. In a way final grades mean very little. Either their English is getting better or not getting better. What their final grade is won't change it. But the school needs a piece of paper to put on record.

The only thing, ultimately, that matters, is how the grade two students do on the national exam. The national exam determines who can go to college, and those who do well enough to go to college; how good of a college will they go to. Final grades won't change this.

However good students want good grades, it is the correct reward (and some can get scholarships) Bad students should be admonished...with bad grades. But we are not talking about any scientific in depth assesment tool, which college grad students design, and are totally impractical in the field...but just your overall impression...how hard have they tried, and how good is their english.

What I have done in your situation (I have been there more then once). As a final , have all the students give a short speech. 1-2 minutes is fine. If you meet twice a week, one week can be sufficient, but plan to start a week early. Then if every one finishes their speches, the last class and just be a fun class, hugs, pictures, etc.

I disgree strongly that rehearsed speeches have little value. Students don't change their speech in two weeks. So a short speech will give the teacher a very clear idea of the level of english the student has, which is what a final test is all about. And it also will show how hard the student is willing to work. And especially at the high school level, it is very good practice for them to memorize a speech, because it means they will spend two hours practicing grammar, proununciation, etc. The students who are poor students will stand up and take one minute to say two words. They make no effort. Give them a 60. Let them be embarrassed. It is proper.

In college, my students are not allowed to give a prepared speech, but the high students i have taught are not at that level. They are at the level that preparing a speech is very good practice. And it is the only practical way that I know of to test high school oral english. As you sit, listening, mark the grades immediately. If you want to, have a sheet beforehand with everyone's name, and make a few comments. The week before, explain carefully want you want in the speech. Give an example. The more you explain, the better the motivated ones can do. For the unmotivated ones, it doesn't matter.

Pass / Fail

You can fail students. Yes, some schools will change a 50 to a 60. So what. If you think the student deserves a 50, say so. Leave it to the school to change it. Some schools will take it more seriously. Either way, you did what was right. Even in the US, language course are usually automatic passes for anyone who shows up most of the time, and puts in a good effort. Reward your top students with good marks, a piece of candy, whatever floats your boat.

My favourite topic

You must give them a topic. Don't give too many. I make every student (in high school) give a speech about the same topic: S
SOMETHING IMPORTANT THAT HAPPENED TO YOU

I pick a couple of good students to go first, I say why I liked or didn't like the speech, so the rest of the class would have a better idea. I enter their grades as I listen, and I write comments on a separate piece of paper. For everyone who gives any effort, I write at least one thing good, and one thing that needs improvement.

Good luck

PS, Unless their english is exceptional, if you try to have them speak impromptu, or in response to you asking a question, it will take them five minutes to give one short poor answer, and everyone, including you, will feel miserable. Letting them prepare the speech will give them more confidence in themselves, will still let you judge their english, and will make it easier and quicker for you.

Chris in henan

[ESL Guru]

This is my absolute last post. My bike is full of petrol, my bedroll packed and I am moving on.

I have 240 college freshman and sophmores for oral English. There are 18 Chinese English teachers. I prepare a written test with evaluation form. There are two questions on the test. Example: What was your most exciting experience in College? What was your biggest dissappointment at College?

All of the students are assembled and kept in an auditorium. They are let out ten at a time to be examined in separate rooms by ten Chinese English teachers who fill out the evaluation form while the student gives the answers. The students who have completed the exam are not allowed further contact with those who have not, thus eliminating any prepared answers. The whole process takes only a few hours.

I then review attendence records, classroom performance etc. and assign the final grade. Yes, I have failed students. As many as 10% at times.

They still pass and graduate.

And then there is the next year.

[xiaoyu]

Arioch36 as usual had great advice.... though i think i will add on some stuff that helped me when dealing with similar situation.

1) have them give the speech as suggested by chris. but also try to get some individual questions asked after the speech. simple ones, but it will give them a bit of a chance to speak impromptu, which is necessary especially the older they get.

2) prior to the oral, take about 2 wks (depending on how often you are meeting with them, say 3-4 classes when the class size is 40+) to review terms and pronounciation. often i have found that the student knew how to spell the word and what it meant but were so unsure about their pronounciation that they wouldn't say it. this is the time that i use some speech pathology adn audiology methods to get them to pronounce correctly. you can look online for information or read a book or talk to someone in the field. it really is a great help and goes beyond what you can learn in a ESL course on teaching oral english!

3) in the grading make it clear why the student got the grade they did.... this works well by separating it into a few parts for : flow, pronounciation, level of grammar, etc. give a possiblity of 10 points with each. this helped me when i had to give a failing grade to a student. it actually helped to influence the admin at the school to put the student into a summer course which he had to pass before advancing..... never would have thunk it huh?

so that is about it! good luck! if you are interested in the speech pathology and audiology methods for future classes feel free to PM me.

xiaoyu

[dudette]

Hey, Steve:

[dudette]

[dudette]

[quote="arioch36"]Hi Dudette,

Actually your situation is not abnormal. One question...do you have 12 classes of 30 students, or 6 classes of 60 students.

Hi, arioch36, I've got 8 classes ranging from 31 to 80.

You can fail students. Yes, some schools will change a 50 to a 60.

I'm not sure if this is the norm for Chinese schools, or if my school is just weird, but a perfect mark at my school is 150, not 100. Is this weird?

I'm starting to formulate a strategy from reading all these replies. You have no idea how grateful I am

Sorry about the colours - I couldn't get the quote thing working properly.