Evaluación del Aprendizaje en Inglés

Reviewed by Elisabet Sena-Martin, Assistant Provost for Non-Traditional Administration and Diversity Coordinator, Oakland City University on 12/20/19

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

The book covers major topics related to the assessment of students learning English. Coverage of topics is basic, but the book includes information about main statistical concepts related to assessment. Additional examples of types of assessment methods for each language domain (reading, listening, writing, speaking) would be a helpful addition. The book could be improved by increasing the number of references and additional sources cited throughout the text to connect to the existing larger body of research and literature on assessment of student learning.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

Concepts reviewed are accurate as discussed in the context of assessment of student learning.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

These topics are very relevant to current educators who work with English learners. Although the focus of the book is on evaluating learning of English, teachers in other subject areas can utilize processes described in the book to develop assessment measures for English learners in a variety of areas (math, science, etc.).

Clarity rating: 5

Concepts are presented simply and clearly. Tasks reinforce main concepts and provide opportunities for readers to interact further with topics and apply learning.

Consistency rating: 5

Units and sub-sections in the book follow a similar format across the book, including a summary of main ideas at the end of each unit. Units build on each other and refer to concepts previously discussed, showing consistency and clarity of ideas throughout.

Modularity rating: 5

Text is organized effectively by headers and sub-headers. Text features make the book easy to navigate. The two column format can made it cumbersome to read as a PDF, but overall pages are easy to read.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

Units progress in a logical manner, weaving topics in a way that helps readers connect background concepts with more applied topics. As an improvement, the discussion about statistical terms and processes could be separated into another unit to make it easier to find and reference.

Interface rating: 4

Display features help with understanding and interacting with text. Some images are small and easy to read (for example, see pages 24 and 25), but those are captioned with hyperlinks to the original source of the image where it can be read in greater detail.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

No grammatical errors were found in the text.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

Text does not seem culturally insensitive or offensive in any way. However, examples are only somewhat inclusive of a variety of races, ethnicities, and backgrounds.

Comments

I think this book addresses an important topic of relevance for teachers across the board, not just those who teach English.

Reviewed by Heidi Dyck Hilty, Adjunct Professor of French, Goshen College on 6/5/19

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

The text covered the subject appropriately with learning objectives beginning each module, definitions and a review at the end.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

One item to note is that the text is written with British spelling, such as ‘learnt’ and ‘anayse.’ This is provides diversity and allows for discussion about English language as well!

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The text is up to date, even including live links to TedTalks. (These will need to be monitored to ensure they do not expire). I found that the text draws the reader in; many tasks include work and reflection using personal experience. Additionally, the text talks about the importance of having students involved in the assessment process. Some of the book is more for new teachers/student teachers, and other parts are good for experienced teachers who are new to assessment being more than tests. It also relates assessment to the new Bloom’s Taxonomy. The text has a complete unit on statistics for assessments along with practice for the teacher.

Clarity rating: 5

I found the definitions to be clear and helpful. The authors spent time on the current definitions, especially with regards to differences in testing and assessment. There are many clear examples of "Analysis of exam questions relative to learning objectives."

Consistency rating: 5

No issues with consistency.

Modularity rating: 5

At the beginning of each unit, there are several Learning Outcomes. Additionally, there are tasks that incorporate small group activities and personal reflection. Throughout the unit there are activities, examples, and ‘use now’ rubrics and charts. There is also an end of chapter review.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

On page 12, the text moved to full page, rather than columns. I find it is much easier to read on a computer in full text so that there is not so much scrolling up and down on the same page. The text switches back and forth from full page to columns.

As it is built for a particular university, the courses listed for Task 5, page 14 are all specific to that university. It would be helpful to have more general courses listed, and examples given. However, this can be tailored as needed.

Interface rating: 4

The Bloom’s Taxonomy (page 21) and chart (page 24) chart were too small and blurry. However, there are links to these resources.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I did not find any errors. The writing and examples did not show any bias.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The writing and examples did not show any bias.

Comments

I found the book easy to read and useful.