Secondary Sources

Brown, H.D., & ​Abeywickrama, P. (2010). ​Language assessment: Principles and classroom
practices​ (2nd ed.). White Plains, NY: Pearson, Education.

In addition to utilizing standardized testing and more traditional forms of assessment, educators
also benefit from incorporating alternative forms of assessment to inform their instruction. Such
alternatives typically hold the benefit of increasing washback for students by offering
opportunities for feedback that guides learning and highlights areas in need of support. As such,
teachers might consider introducing the following into their classroom: self- and
peer-assessments, observations, conferences, interviews, journaling, language-learning logs,
portfolios, rubrics, and performance-based tasks. Such alternative forms of assessment tend to
exhibit higher degrees of meaningfulness and authenticity for students while also encouraging
problem-solving in addition to higher-order thinking.

Peregoy, S. F., & Boyle, O. (2005). ​Reading, writing, and learning in ESL: A resource book for
K-12 teachers​ (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson, Allyn and Bacon.

In assessing the vocabulary of English learners, particularly at the intermediate level, teachers
can utilize mapping as a way for student to express their understanding of a word or concept.
This form of assessment can occur individually or within groups, as students discuss a familiar
topic before brainstorming words relating to the word. For example, for the word ​soap​, students
might come up with a group of words linked to soap such as kitchen, showers, and liquid. These
words can further be grouped around the word soap to express semantic relationships stemming
from this word (e.g., places soap can be used, different types of soap, and the uses of soap). As
an assessment, this strategy utilizes visual supports and semantic associations in order to
represent a student’s current understanding of a word. As such, this strategy might serve as both
formative and summative, as a student continuously adds to their word map as their
understanding of the vocabulary item grows.