assessment and evaluations policies

References
Cambourne, Brian (1994). Responsive Evaluation. Making valid judgments about student literacy.
Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Brown, H. Douglas (2004). Language Assessment. Principles and Classroom Practices. White Plains,
NY: Pearson Education.
Council of Europe (2001). Modern Languages Division. Common European Framework of Reference
for Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment. Cambridge University Press: United Kingdom
Brown James D. and Hudson, T. (1998). The Alternatives in Language Assessment. TESOL Quarterly,
vol. 32, No. 4, 653-675.
Halliday, M. (1980). “Three aspects of children’s language development: Learning language, learning
through language, learning about language.” Myna M. Haussler & Dorothy S. Strickland Yetta M.
Goodman (eds.), Oral and Written Language Development: impact on schools. (International Reading
Association & National Council of Teachers of English: Proceedings from the 1979/1980 IMPACT
Conferences.) 7-19.
Teacher Vision. The Advantages of Rubrics
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/ (May 2009)
The Essentials of Language Teaching
www.nclrc.org/essentials/assessing/peereval.htm (May 2009)
Assessment and Rubrics
http://www.rubrician.com/general.htm (May 2009)
http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/intech/rubrics.htm (May 2009)
The Centro Colombo Americano has designed a model for assessment which aims to provide its
teachers with more effective and meaningful strategies and tools for rigorous observation and
assessment of students’ achievements and performance throughout their learning experience at the
institution. It suggests an integrated approach which is based on the assumption that learning a language involves the development of general and communicative competences. Learning about real themes,
developing thinking, building self-identity and learning about other cultures through meaningful interactions with others are some of the processes involved in our approach to language teaching and learning.
In this document you will find information on the institutional view of assessment, types of assessment,
its stages, and the procedures for its implementation.
At the CCA, assessment is an ongoing process in which both teachers and students are actively
involved and which consists of carefully observing, analyzing, and making decisions about the learners’
language development in order to improve teaching and learning practices. This implies that during
each course, the teacher will guide and pay close attention to students’ performance during classroom
tasks and activities, their study habits and learning strategies, among others, and will give advice on
aspects to improve and make progress in the learning process.
What teachers assess depends on what has to be taught and how it is taught. The CCA methodology
emphasizes the development of communicative competences in English through the study of theme
connections allowing teachers and students to contextualize and make the teaching and learning
processes more meaningful and connected to real life situations. During the courses, students explore
and learn about themes (e.g. life circles, the media, etc.), learn how the language works (grammar,
vocabulary, pronunciation), and learn the language (using the language in its oral and written forms).
Through the exploration of themes students
make more sense of what they are learning because they can connect topics discussed to their
own lives, interests, and perspectives;
value independent and collaborative work, have more realistic opportunities to use English for
different purposes;
interact with their peers and teachers in a non-threatening learning environment.
Students are exposed to and interact with a great variety of written and audiovisual texts and are invited
to use the language for a wide range of purposes.
At the CCA, teachers can say that we assess students’ development of communicative competences
which involves assessing the following items:
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The way students use the language in diverse ways for different purposes and in different contexts
to satisfy concrete needs.
The way they apply their knowledge about the language to face specific situations (grammar,
pronunciation, vocabulary, orthography, etc.)
The way they understand, interact with, and use information from diverse oral and written texts.
The way they use the language to show what they learned about themes and cultures and to
reflect on their own lives, realities, and cultures.
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Teacher Assessment
Among the most common classification, teachers can consider the following types of assessment
categories:
Formal and Informal Assessment
Assessment is an ongoing process which can be formal or informal. Informal assessment takes place
whenever teachers observe what students do on specific tasks (e.g., when they try to build up sentences, make comments, ask questions, interact in group activities, etc.) and its purpose is to help students
in the learning process by giving them explanations, responding to their production, making comments
on their work, and so on. Informal assessment doesn’t intend to measure students’ level of achievement
of a goal or a competence. On the other hand, formal assessment happens when teachers intentionally
assign a specific task to students in order to determine the level of achievement of an intended competence (e.g., compositions, tests, oral presentations, role plays, oral and written reports, etc.).
Quantitative and Qualitative Assessment
The way we approach assessment depends on the purpose we have to implement it. When we intend
to measure the achievement of competences and give it a value, percentage, letter, or score,
assessment has a quantitative approach. On the other hand, when assessment aims at helping the
design and selection of strategies for a better performance of all people involved in the teaching and
learning process, then it has a qualitative approach (Ceballos, 2003). Along these lines, both approaches are necessary and complementary in the CCA academic programs.
Formative and summative assessment
Formative assessment is continuous and refers to all those activities in which teachers and learners are
involved during a course and which provide information to better meet the learners’ needs and to improve teacher practices. Teacher-student conferences, classroom observations, self-assessment, class
discussions, the analysis of students’ work or tests can be part of formative assessment. On the other
hand, summative assessment happens periodically and is used to assess students’ learning at a specific
point in time, for example, in the middle or at the end of a course. Final or mid-term course exams, all
standardized tests, and placement tests are also types of input for summative assessment.
Student assessment
As to further enhance the information that students receive about their performance during the course,
several additional aspects must be implemented into Feedback Day.
FEEDBACK TOOLS
Student Matrix Checklist
Included in every Student Matrix is a checklist of the different sub-competences that the student is
expected to achieve at the end of a course. These sub-competences are listed as “can do” statements
and the students should self-evaluate their performance during the course using this tool. This should
also be used for peer feedback, where other students can provide their comments and suggestions to
students in the class. Doing self- and peer feedback can be a daunting task for students, especially if
they are not used to performing this particular task. It’s important that teachers provide support in this
process and inform students how to carry it out so that this tool can truly enhance their learning process
and give them more responsibilities as learners.
Feedback Report
The teacher must complete a Feedback Report for each student. This report contains a general description of the competences for each skill and a space for the teacher to mark the performance of each
student. There is also a space for the teacher to write suggestions and additional aspects that the
student should work on to further enhance his/her learning process. These comments can be recommendations of what students should improve upon, strategies that students should apply in a more
effective way or general comments about the student in the classroom. For students in advanced
courses, the recommendations can also include the next advanced course that the student should take.
Additional to this, there is a space for the student to write what personal aspects s/he would like to focus
on in future courses, what aspects s/he wants to improve, and how these improvements can be met. This
Feedback Report will provide important information for the teacher of the next course. Therefore, it is
imperative that all teachers complete it in a timely manner, providing as many details as possible
regarding the student’s process. It is also important that students keep this document so that it can be
handed to their next teacher on the first day of class.
Self-Assessment
Self-assessment happens when students make judgements about their own proficiency and learning. It
can be part of formative and summative assessment. During self-assessment students reflect on their
role as learners and on what and how they are learning. They value their strengths, recognize their
weaknesses, and determine actions for improvement. This type of assessment not only encourages
students’ engagement and motivation but also provides them with tools to become more independent
learners. Self-assessment can be an effective complement to teacher assessment if the goals or criteria
to implement it are clear for both the teachers and the students.
Peer assessment
Peer assessment takes place when students make judgements about their peers’ work and can be
implemented for formative and summative assessment purposes. For it to be effective, students need
to understand the criteria under which they are to assess their peers' work. They can use rubrics, grids,
or checklists to guide their assessments. A positive learning environment in which students feel comfor
table and trust one another is necessary in order to provide honest and constructive peer feedback.
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GRADING
Considering all the aforementioned aspects, the assessment and evaluation process that will be used is
based on the assessment of sub-competences per skill (reading, writing, speaking and listening). Each
student will have a minimum of one assessed task that will cover each of the skills and two project marks
that will cover several skills; this means a minimum of 6 grades per student. The assessment process to
be undertaken with each assessed task must include aspects that cover the entirety of the task, not just
the final outcome or completion of the aim of the task. Therefore, constant observation and note-taking
are important to be able to make an informed evaluation.
The assessed tasks per skill must cover different sub-competences related to that specific skill which are
outlined in the Matrix for each course. Teachers must take note of the sub-competences evaluated and
the evaluation criteria that was used to assess this specific task and keep records on their evaluation
roster sheet. For each of the assessed tasks, the teacher can choose from the suggested activities
outlined in the Matrix or include additional activities of their choice taking into account that these must
correspond to the Program’s principles.
For the project marks, the assessed tasks must cover a minimum of 2 skills and assess
sub-competences related to those skills; this will be some type of project work that is undertaken during
the length of the course and decided upon by the teacher and the group, depending on students’ needs.
The sum of all of these assessed tasks will make up 70% of the final grade.
FINAL EXAM
The additional 30% of the final grade will be the final exam grade. The final exam has also been aligned
with the Program’s principles and therefore evaluates competences related to the different skills. The
exam includes an oral and written evaluation – the oral evaluation is worth 10 points and the written
component is worth 40 points giving a total of 50. Due to the logistic issues involved in undertaking the
speaking part of the exam on exam day, the speaking section is to be undertaken during the last week
of the course. This is to be scheduled into the programming of the course from the beginning and done
at the teachers’ discretion. Teachers will have access to the speaking task and the respective evaluation
rubrics during this last week of the course.
Considering the components of the final exam and the fact that it includes an additional writing section,
the time allocated for students to take the test is 70 minutes. It is of utmost importance that the teachers
keep good track of time and ensure that the testing conditions are the same for all students, as this
guarantees standardization and equality in the exams.
The minimum passing grade for students has been established at 34 (out of a total of 50). Work study
students (or canjes) need 37 for their passing grade.
ADVANCED COURSES
The evaluation process for advanced courses is based on the assessment of sub-competences per skill
(reading, writing, speaking and listening), but with there being a specific focus on a certain skill and its
sub-competences depending on the type of advanced course. Each student will have a minimum of one
assessed task that will cover each of the skills and two additional assessed tasks that will cover the focus
skill of the course (listening, speaking, reading or writing – this depends on the advanced course being
taught). This means a minimum of 6 grades per student. The sum of these assessed tasks will make up
70% of the final grade. The other 30% of the final grade will be a final project that students will develop
during the course, as there are no final exams established for advanced courses.
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Tasks
The CCA assessment proposal is based on the use of strategies that facilitate the integrated development of communicative competences in a foreign language. Therefore, the implementation of long or
short-term classroom learning tasks (including projects) that involve small or whole-group work is promoted. Project development, for example, involves the use of teaching strategies such as theme-based
teaching and task-based learning; the latter is understood as tasks that require a series of steps or
stages that culminate in a final product or outcome (e.g. a text bearer) or the solution to a problem.
Brochures, academic presentations, class debates, interviews, dramatizations, writing samples, listening
workshops and video reports are some examples of tasks that can also be conceived as part of project
development.
These are the characteristics of tasks according to the CCA assessment model:
Purposefulness. Tasks should have a clear purpose that is set according to pre-established
course competences. Tasks should require students to come to a consensus or a solution to solve
a problem or face a situation based on their knowledge, beliefs, background, etc.
Variety. Tasks should be diverse in nature in order to require students to use the language creatively for different purposes (e.g., to inform, to report, to discuss, to act out, to find out, to convince,
to retell, etc.)
Skills Involved. Tasks should involve and integrate the different language skills. While working
with reading or listening, for example, as input for later use of other skills, teachers can make sure
they model the use of different learning strategies (e.g., prediction, guessing meaning from context,
etc.). Also, teachers can invite students to focus on specific language features they want to emphasize: stress, rhythm, intonation, grammar structures, lexical items, etc.). Make sure you consider
each student’s skills, pace, and learning styles in order to support him/her towards better performance in the different skills.
4 Theme Connections. Tasks should reflect the themes being explored with students in each
specific course. Thus, students will take the concepts, vocabulary and grammar structures in order
to build their own discourse around these themes. Likewise, students will approach the different
themes from a personal or local perspective in order to enrich their own viewpoints.
5 Meaningfulness. Tasks should promote students’ interest and motivation to learn. Therefore, they
should be adapted to students’ interests, characteristics, needs, and realities.
6 Development of Thinking. Tasks should encourage students to analyze, reflect, and think critically in order to act as problem solvers when facing similar–to-real-life situations. During tasks,
teachers ought to promote opportunities to take discussions to a higher level of reflection on cultural
and sub-cultural beliefs and value systems, for example.
7 Anticipation. When planning a task, consider:
What learners need to acquire and the kind of support they will need to develop and complete
the task.
The kind of linguistic, cultural, political, academic knowledge they will need to understand the
task and its contents.
Attitudes, beliefs, and values you want to highlight or make students realize.
How to take advantage of students’ background, prior knowledge, experiences, personalities,
etc. to develop the task and expand its contents to other aspects of their lives.
8 Interaction. Assessment tasks should promote meaningful and varied interaction among learners
and teachers encouraging communication in the classroom.
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Material selection. Use authentic materials such as newspapers, magazines, Internet websites
and activities, T.V. shows, etc. Also consider how to take advantage of textbook activities and the
specific text types with which the course needs to cover. In order to motivate students and have
them engaged in course development, ask learners to suggest different materials to work in class.
10 Sense of reality. Tasks should reflect or incorporate real-life situations or promote the solution to
problems affecting daily life.
11 Students’ responses. Tasks require students to critically respond to the problem or situation they
were faced with by using the language in diverse ways (e.g., writing a letter or e-mail, an essay,
etc.). Therefore, they may need to use additional resources.
12 Reflection. After implementing a task, reflect upon how it worked, revise and improve different
aspects of the task, and reuse it when deemed necessary.
Project work
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Project work is considered an effective teaching and learning strategy that can be seen as a task that
involves a series of steps or stages (sub-tasks). Some of its characteristics include the fact that students
need to work cooperatively to develop a product. It promotes theme exploration and its connection to real
life happenings. Therefore, language can be learned and used in meaningful contexts. Project work also
fosters the development of communicative and general competences since students are dealing with
academic, cultural, and socio-cultural knowledge along the process. Projects can be developed in
courses over a period of time and require the completion of different stages which may include negotiation, decision-making about the kind of product or result (text bearer, outcomes), finding out, processing,
interacting with, and writing information, preparation for demonstrations, presentations and so on. Over
the stages, learners face the development of different tasks that require them to use the language in its
different forms and in more realistic ways. The complete project is made up of those different products
or outcomes of tasks. Some examples of projects include putting on a play, an academic presentation,
a debate, a teen fair, a talent show, a class magazine, a biography, a picture book, a story-telling session,
and many others.
Parent-teacher Meetings
Parent-teacher meetings are held periodically in all courses of the English Program for Children and
Youth.
New courses in each academic cycle (Preparatory I, True Beginners, Kids 1, Youth 1, for example)
meet at the beginning (first or second class), in the middle and at the end of each bimestrial or
semestrial course.
P- T meetings in six-month courses are scheduled to happen in the middle and at the end of each
course.
P-T meetings in bimestrial courses have to be held at the end of the course. The mid-term meeting
is optional although recommendable. Teachers should call parents for these mid-term meetings if
there are difficulties with a group of students or if there are disciplinary or behavioural aspects that
have to be discussed with parents. In these situations, the most recommendable action is to
schedule the mid-term meeting and keep parents informed about the development of the situation.
In mid-term meetings, teachers do not have to hand in written reports to parents. Meetings can be
informative and the teacher has to explain details related to the CCA methodology, course development,
activities carried out by students, their performance as a group and individually, services provided by the
institution to support the student’s learning process, suggestions to improve course performance, and
distribute copies of publications produced by the Program Coordination.
In all cases, teachers have to maintain constant communication with parents in order to provide opportune feedback of the students and to prevent uncomfortable situations at the end of the academic cycle.
Gathering and analyzing information
This process involves the use of different tools or strategies that allow teachers to carefully observe,
follow up, and assess students’ learning process. Teachers will then be able to verify students’ progress
regarding the achievement of the course competences and sub-competences. Based on the information
collected, teachers will define trends and draw conclusions about the relevance and effectiveness of the
strategies and activities implemented, the number of students successfully achieving the competences,
problems observed during the teaching process, and the advantages and disadvantages of the approaches and methodological strategies used, among others. These data will facilitate decision-making and
adjustments to the process and informing academic coordinators in order to evaluate and improve the
curricula of the CCA academic programs.
Using as a basis the model for assessment that has been developed and which aims to provide teachers
with the pertinent tools to be able to assess and make asserted and well-founded decisions on their
students’ learning process--relating these to the achievement of the competences that have been
established for each course--the following policies on assessment and evaluation have been set for the
Adult Program. These policies were created so that there is homogeneity among the types of
assessment tasks done in each course and by all teachers and that the methodological beliefs and
principles are exemplified in the type of tasks that are being undertaken.
Different tools can be used to gather and analyze information in a more reliable way. For example
teacher portfolios, teacher notes, grids, rubrics, check lists and rating scales can be implemented,
among others. Course booklets have been designed in both academic programs for these purposes.
ROSTER SHEET
Teacher Portfolio. Teachers can keep records through descriptive notes or comments of all aspects
involved in the teaching of a course, a particular lesson, a student or a group of students in general,
activities and strategies implemented the assessment process, etc.
Teacher Notes. Teachers can write down all kinds of descriptive information during or after assessment
tasks ―formal assessment: e.g. while listening to students’ oral presentations, after interviewing
students, etc.― and also during or after informal assessment. Notes can be taken about the whole class
and/or about students individually. Teachers can also find practical ways to take notes by using their own
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All records from the assessment process that is undertaken in a specific course must be kept updated
and clearly written in the evaluation roster sheet. There is important information that must be included in
the format such as students’ names, skills and competences to be assessed, assessment tasks
implemented, assessed competences according to the course matrix and calculations of all the final
grades. It must be clearly established in the information provided in the evaluation roster sheet which
students pass or fail the course. It is imperative that there is no ambiguous information that could lead to
misunderstandings, either from the student or the Academic Department.
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Follow-up
Based on the sub-competences defined for each specific course, the teacher will implement a minimum
of two assessment tasks per skill (reading, writing, listening, and speaking). This doesn’t imply that each
assessment task should be implemented independently. On the contrary, the more connected tasks are,
the better the opportunities are for assessment offered to students. For example, if a task involves the
reading of an article and different comprehension activities, this can be used as input for a speaking task
such as a class discussion, an oral report or an interview, among others. Likewise, at least two tasks that
are part of a course project will also make part of the follow-up. For example, if the project involves the
writing of a tourist guide and a presentation, then these two tasks will be clearly assessed and given a
grade in writing and speaking, respectively. In total, the follow-up will be composed of a minimum of
eight grades (12 would be preferable).
Roster Sheet
Records from the assessment process in a course will be kept in the evaluation roster sheet. This grid
contains important data such as course information, students’ names, class attendance, skills and
competences to be assessed, assessment tasks implemented, and a summary on the overall student
performance in the course competences.
Grading
Based on the assessment of the sub-competences established for each language skill, the teacher will
average the results obtained and provide a final grade for each skill. This grade will be represented
either as a percentage from 1% to 100% or with a numbers from 0 to 50. See the following scoring table:
PERFORMANCE
Percentage
Numbers
Excellent
90% - 100%
45 - 50
Good
80% - 89%
40 - 44
Average
70% - 79%
35 - 39
Below Average
40% - 69%
20 - 34
Insufficient
10% - 39%
0 - 15
Evaluation
codes or symbols. “This type of observation is particularly important because we need to document what
students can do and build on existing areas of strength in addition to noting their response to various
curriculum or instructional approaches.” (O’Malley & Valdez 1996). Teacher notes can be used to give
feedback to students and to inform parents (if working with children or teenagers) and other teachers.
Checklists. The descriptors of a competence in a course can be expressed in terms of its implicit
components through a checklist. For example, one of the competences in the CCA A1 courses states:
“The student writes tourist guides describing and making suggestions about the countries or places
he/she likes”. Some components of this competence that need to be assessed can be part of the
following checklist:
The student can write clear descriptions of places.
He/she includes complete information about the city or country researched.
He/she writes coherent suggestions for tourists by using should, shouldn’t miss, can
He/she uses a varied vocabulary to describe places.
He/she uses basic punctuation marks appropriately.
Grids. Assessment grids can include the criteria that have been set for a specific assessment task and
the score mark or symbol used represents the level of achievement of each item. Assessment grids can
also contain comments on students’ fulfilling criteria. The following is a sample of a grid to assess the
above-mentioned competence in an A1 course at the CCA. The assessment task was to write a tourist
guide for a city or country students like or would like to visit.
Writing a Tourist Guide
Passing scores
Needs
improvement
Based on the assessment of the sub-competences established for each language skill, the teacher will
average the results obtained and provide a final grade for each skill. This grade will be represented
either as a percentage from 1% to 100% or with a numbers from 0 to 50. See the following scoring table:
Student Feedback Reports
The feedback report is a tool adopted by the English Program for Children and Youth to provide timely
and thorough information to students, parents or students’ caretakers about their learning process. It
aims at providing details about their academic performance and disciplinary or behavioural aspects that
could affect the former. Aspects such as attendance, attitudes towards learning, motivation, study skills,
class participation are among the most relevant ones taken into account here. This report includes the
level and the course competences, the course sub-competences per skill, a section for student
self-evaluation, peer evaluation and a space for the teachers’ comments. According to the assessment
process undertaken throughout the course, the teacher will write the level of achievement reached by the
student in each sub-competence and will represent it with a number or a percentage (see section on
grading). In addition, the teacher will write precise and clear comments concerning the student’s performance, taking into consideration the following: the progress made and his/her strengths, aspects to
improve and corresponding suggestions, as well as different notes related to students interaction,
motivation, study habits, and so on.
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Criteria
Possible Assessment
Points/
Score Self Teacher
Includes complete information based on research about the city
or country.
10
Writes coherent ideas about the topic.
10
Applies general previous knowledge about the language
(sentence structure, plurals, pronouns, simple present, etc.).
10
Applies new concepts about the language (sentences with there
is… there are, etc.)
10
Uses a varied vocabulary on the topic (adjectives to describe
places, types of places, sightseeing activities, food, people, etc.).
5
Uses basic punctuation marks appropriately (capital letters,
periods, commas, question marks).
5
Teacher
Comments
Total:
Rubrics: A rubric is a scoring guide used to assess student work (performance or outcomes) based on
a full range of criteria rather than on an individual score. Rubrics should be shared with students before
the assessment task takes place. Let’s suppose the same students developing the previous task made
short presentations about the city or country they selected. A rubric to assess that task would look like this:
5
Score
5
Excellent
4
Really good
3
Average
2
Needs
improvement
1
Needs
improvement
Criteria
Pronunciation
Grammar
Vocabulary
Expresses most
ideas clearly in his
her own words
Pronounces
appropriately
words and
structures that are
familiar to him/her,
making occasional
errors.
Connects simple
ideas to describe
the country or city
(sentences with
there is…, there
are, etc.).
Uses a varied
vocabulary to
describe places
(adjectives to
describe places,
sightseeing
activities, food,
people)
Presents
complete
information about
the city or country
selected.
Expresses most
ideas clearly in his
her own words,
although some
parts may not be
understandable.
Pronounces
appropriately
words and
structures that are
familiar to him/her
with few errors
that don’t affect
meaning.
Presents the most
relevant
information about
the city or country
selected.
His/her ideas are
generally clear,
but some of them
seem to be
memorized or are
difficult to
understand.
Pronounces
words and
structures that are
familiar to him/her
by applying some
pronunciation
patterns.
His/her ideas are
not clear due to
interference with
pronunciation or
vocabulary
problems.
His/her ideas are
difficult to follow
due to
pronunciation
and/or vocabulary
problems.
Contents
Presents very
complete
information about
the city or country
selected.
Presents short
information about
the city or country
selected.
Information about
the city or country
selected is not
enough.
Coherence
Builds up simple
ideas to describe the
country or city
selected with familiar
structures
(sentences with
there is…, there are,
etc.). Structural
errors do not
interfere with
meaning.
Uses a good
vocabulary to
describe places
(adjectives,
sightseeing
activities, food,
people)
Builds up simple
sentences to
describe the country
or city selected with
familiar structures
(sentences with
there is…, there are,
etc.). Structural
errors sometimes
interfere with
meaning.
Uses a good
vocabulary to
describe places
(adjectives,
sightseeing
activities, food,
people)
Shows lack of
familiarity with the
pronunciation of
words and
sentences related
to the topic
Builds up very short
ideas to describe the
country or city
selected (sentences
with there is…, there
are, etc.). Meaning
is frequently affected
by structural errors.
Uses a limited
vocabulary to
describe places
(adjectives,
sightseeing
Shows difficulty to
pronounce
appropriately
words and
sentences related
to the topic.
Shows difficulty to
build up simple
sentences to
describe the
country or city
selected.
From a traditional perspective, giving feedback has consisted in informing learners about their errors or
mistakes, telling them how to correct them, and giving them a quantitative grade that represents their
level of achievement. This kind of feedback has proven to have no effect at all on the improvement of the
learning process. At the CCA, giving feedback means providing learners with quality detailed information about both their performance in the processes they have been involved in and the outcomes
achieved, based on the specific competences established for each course in our programs. Feedback
aims to help learners improve on specific aspects of the language or better manage their learning
process in general.
Feedback should be positive in the sense that it should motivate students to improve. When students are
informed about their performance with helpful comments and suggestions rather than just numbers,
feedback becomes indeed more meaningful and effective. Oral and written comments, correction codes,
facial expression, body language, gestures, intonation, among others may, as part of feedback, convey
a positive or negative message to learners.
Feedback should be clear and timely. Learners need to receive clear and precise information on their
level of achievement of specific goals or competences, aspects they need to improve concerning the
outcomes (i.e. the results) and the process (i.e. the strategies used to reach those results). They also
need to know which possible actions they can take to improve. When this kind of feedback is provided
on time during the course, students are given opportunities to take action and thus show improvement.
Rigorous feedback may also include information about students’ effort, attitude, behaviour and other
aspects which affect their performance. However, they should not affect the teacher’s decision on
promoting a student to the following course, since teachers have to focus and support that decision on
the level of competences achieved by the student through a particular course. This involves, of course,
students’ performance along the whole period of classes in each academic cycle and respective
program.
Promoting students
The procedure for promoting students to a higher course has been standardized to guarantee quality in
our assessment and evaluation.
1
Uses a very
limited vocabulary
to describe places
(adjectives,
sightseeing
2
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In the CCA, feedback is seen as an important part of the assessment process and as such it should also
be ongoing. Feedback can be done after formal or informal assessment. As a result of informal
assessment, it can be given during or immediately after a class activity at any moment of the course; as
a result of formal assessment, feedback can be provided both after a specific assessment task has been
implemented and at the end of the course.
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The teacher who believes a student can “skip a course” once they finish any course must inform the
respective Program Coordinator of this and justify their decision by presenting the student’s grades
and a small report informing us what competences from the following course the student already
knows/can do.
Then, once the Program Coordinator has reviewed the information provided, the student will undergo an additional evaluation. Only with the information from this additional evaluation can the
student be promoted or “skip a course”.
If the student entered through placement and his/her competences are vastly superior or inferior to
the course level, then the teacher must inform the Program Coordinator so that a second evaluation
can be done and the student can be better placed. This can only be done during the first three
classes (intensive or semi intensive courses), after the first day of weekend courses in the Adult
Program or second day in the Children and Youth Program.
Based on the CCA approach for teaching and learning, the English Program for Children and Youth has
established a series of policies and procedures that intend to offer clear guidelines for teachers to under
take and make decisions related to the assessment process of students’ learning.
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