Make your language proficiency tests relevant to your students' goals.
Learning a foreign language is an inherently challenging task. Teaching and assessing foreign language students can be equally challenging task for you as a teacher. Each student learns his own way and at his own pace. Testing the level of proficiency of your students is important so you can help them progress. Your students also need to understand their language level so they have realistic expectations on what they need to improve to reach their language goals.
Instructions
1. Create tests with the students' language goals and the class focus in mind. If you are teaching a specialized language course, apply the tests to the objective of the class. For example, if you are teaching a class for English conversation, have most of the tests be centered on conversational skills and pronunciation. If you are teaching a Chinese language newspaper-reading class, use mostly written materials that use newspaper vocabulary and phrases. Your students may need your class only for a specific reason or be supplementing your class with another class for a specific skills set. Try to deliver the type of lesson and assessment that they expect from you.
2. Test every aspect of language acquisition. If you are teaching a language class for general fluency and communication, you will need to test your students' abilities in reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Tests are are an excellent way to assess how each individual performs. Students who speak often in class and have little problem with grammar or pronunciation may need extra help in writing skills. Shy students who don't engage in class discussions can use oral exams as an opportunity to demonstrate their level of conversation. Finding your students' weak areas will help you plan future lessons more effectively.
3. Use authentic materials to test your students. If you are teaching from a book, try to avoid "teaching to the test." Memorizing workbook exercises without truly understanding and contextualizing the usage will not benefit your students, whether they need the language for travel, business negotiations, communication with in-laws, or adapting to life in a new country. In oral exams, focus on assessing their ability to understand you and communicate what they want to say rather than just parroting perfect grammar structures. When testing for reading comprehension, have your test questions directly relate to the content of the passage, rather than particular grammar or structure rules.
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