Current Uses for Task-Based Language Assessment

Abstract

Task-based language assessment (TBLA) has generated interest since the early 1990s, primarily in conjunction with the ongoing development of task-based language teaching (TBLT) and the pursuit of developing appropriate testing models for this approach to pedagogy (Norris, 2002, 2009). However, tasks also offer considerable advantages for language assessment, beyond their obvious relevance within TBLT classes and programs. In fact, major innovations in the general domain of language assessment over the past two decades have occurred in conjunction with the introduction of tasks into assessment design, largely in response to the need for tests that better represent examinees’ abilities to use the language (Mislevy, Steinberg, & Almond, 2002), but also because tasks offer a meaningful space for language teachers, testers, learners, and others to examine, understand, and improve language learning endeavors (Van Gorp & Deygers, 2013). This article reviews the considerable range of current uses for TBLA, illustrating different types of assessment with concrete examples and highlighting distinct roles for tasks as a basic unit of analysis in test design, interpretation, and intended consequence. Ultimately, it argues that tasks offer a fundamental, though not exclusive, foundation for useful language assessment, and that task-based assessment, though challenging, is probably worth the effort.

In-service teachers’ reaction to a training program of Task-based language teaching: A case study of English language teachers in Vietnam

“…Accordingly, recommendations for an effective teacher training program towards the implementation of TBLT will be suggested. using a variety of meaningful tasks, i.e., criterion-referenced tests (Long, 2015;Norris, 2016) in the post-task phase. Van den Branden (2016) highlights the concern that the TBLT teachers should also be involved in research-doing activity as (action) researchers and reflective practitioners, and as a result, the teachers can be considered as important change agents in innovations.…”

Teaching English through Task and Project-Based Learning to Embera Chamí Students

“…Finally, as educational implications, Norris (2016) asserts that tasks are also used for language educational assessment because they convey language abilities in engaging and individualized communication environments that were not practical for traditional settings. Norris (2016) suggests that "a primary motivation for incorporating TBLA into language education has to do with the need to align assessment, curriculum, and instruction such that they complement each other in supporting effective language learning" (p. 237). Tasks are used for summative and formal assessments that enhance the opportunity to provide feedback to students as well as to assess both curriculum and instruction.…”

Designing Complex LSP Tasks for Assessment Purposes

“…For example, assessments with isolated items may be easier to score, but they do not reflect the approach of the course. Assessments communicate to learners what is valued and what the ‗real' learning outcomes of the course are (Brown 2002;Chalhoub-Deville 2008;Norris 2016). For LSP courses with a TBLT approach, complex LSP tasks should therefore be used for the assessment.…”