Helps teachers to assess children's progress in English, in a way that is appropriate for young learners.

This book offers a comprehensive framework for the assessment of young language learners.

This volume offers new insights into the assessment of the language of Young Learners (YLs). YLs are defined here as being from 5 to 17 years, and are treated as three distinct subgroups: younger children (5/6 to 8/9 years), older children (8/9 to 12/13 years) and teenagers (12/13 to 17 years). The first half addresses fundamental issues, beginning with the characteristics of YLs and how these are manifested in first language development. The authors consider the potential ability of each age group to perform in a second or foreign language, proposing a rough age-related correspondence with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) levels. Finally, principles of assessment, specifically formative assessment and testing, are presented in the light of linguistic, cognitive and social development. The second half focuses on testing a range of 'skills'. Theoretical models of performance are introduced, followed by a practical analysis of approaches to the testing of each skill for the three age groups, illustrated with examples. The authors conclude by summing up developmental characteristics of each age group, and their implications for language testing. The book is intended for a wide readership within the field of teaching and assessing the language of young learners. Researchers are offered scope for further investigation of what emerges from the discussion, while practitioners will hopefully find support in their day-to-day work with YLs.

English Language Proficiency Assessments for Young Learners provides both theoretical and empirical information about assessing the English language proficiency of young learners. Using large-scale standardized English language proficiency assessments developed for international or U.S. contexts as concrete examples, this volume illustrates rigorous processes of developing and validating assessments with considerations of young learners’ unique characteristics. In this volume, young learners are defined as school-age children from approximately 5 to 13 years old, learning English as a foreign language (EFL) or a second language (ESL). This volume also discusses innovative ways to assess young learners’ English language abilities based on empirical studies, with each chapter offering stimulating ideas for future research and development work to improve English language assessment practices with young learners. English Language Proficiency Assessments for Young Learners is a useful resource for students, test developers, educators, and researchers in the area of language testing and assessment.

Seminar paper from the year 2005 in the subject English - Pedagogy, Didactics, Literature Studies, grade: 2,0, University of Wuppertal, course: Teaching English to very young children, 10 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: In 1999, Rea-Dickens and Rixon conducted a survey about the relationship between assessment and learning. 120 European teachers and teacher trainers were asked if the main purpose of their assessment was to help their teaching, and 97% answered in the affirmative. Rea-Dickens and Rixon examined afterwards what the teachers really assessed and how they did so. They found a strong "mismatch between curricular aims, pedagogy and test content" (Cameron, Lynne.Teaching languages to very young learners. Cambridge University press.2001. page 217). The assessment focused mainly on the children's achievements but neglected on other curricular aims such as language and social awareness. The assessment of young learners should serve teaching by providing feedback on the children's learning progress, so that the content and the difficulty of subsequent teaching units can be effectively adjusted to the learners' needs. This paper offers the reader an overview about the theoretical ideas and principles which should be kept in mind when implementing an assessment. Furthermore the guidelines of lower Saxony are introduced. They illustrate the expectations of the German school system towards assessment in class. Afterwards the paper gives an overview about psycholinguistic tests such as "Blitztest" and "F-Test". Additionally, the paper answers the question of origin and purpose of the Cambridge Young Learners Test. Finally, material which should support the teacher in the efficiency assessment of the pupils is represented, considering the example of "Ginger".

This volume documents international, national, and small-scale testing and assessment projects of English language education for young learners, across a range of educational contexts. It covers three main areas: age-appropriate ‘can do statements’ and task types for teaching and testing learners between the ages of 6 to 13; innovative approaches to self-assessment, diagnostic testing, self- perception, and computer-based testing; and findings on how young learners perform on vocabulary, listening, speaking, pronunciation, and reading comprehension tests in European and Asian contexts. Early language learning has become a major trend in English language education around the globe. As a result of the spread of teaching English to a growing number of young children, assessment of and for learning have emerged as key issues. In line with this development, there is a clear and emerging need to make early language programs accountable and to assess both the progress children make over time and to quantify their achievement at various stages of development. This volume informs stakeholders about the realistic goals of early language learning, their efficiency, and how much progress children make over time.

This book is written for the teacher who wants to understand and deliver an effective educational program for all young children from birth through age 8. Accordingly, it reflects the knowledge base of early childhood and early childhood special education. It provides illustrations of appropriate practice for prospective teachers and discusses current trends for experienced teachers. It approaches assessment as an integral part of the teaching and learning process. Key components of the assessment system include cultural sensitivity,family collaboration, and a vision of inclusionary practice in all early childhood environments-child care and school. Relevant professional standards are addressed throughout. The text is written in nontechnical language with support from the most current research. All "hot topics" are included as well-standards-based and outcomes-based teaching, high-stakes testing, response to intervention (RTI), coping with legislative demands, as well as relevant technology in the assessment process. Features include: Terms to Know, Focus Questions, Reflection Questions, Technology Links, Out-of-Class Activities, Case Vignettes, Activities for Classroom Discussion, and Suggested Further Readings are provided for each chapter. New Voices from the Field feature, which are summaries of conversations between educators in schools/centers and the author. Checklists and rating sheets, portfolio templates, test review guideline, glossary, child development milestone guide, and practical examples throughout the text. New elements to this edition include: Increased attention to English Language Learners and the process of Response to Invervention (RTI). Updated research, websites, and recommended readings for each chapter. New Voices from the Field feature. Expanded discussion of assessment instruments such as, Classroom Assessment Scoring System CLASS(tm), The Ounce Scale(tm), and Work Sampling System(tm) and technology applied to assessment.