State Exams in Spain: New perspectives for fairer language tests through the OPENPAU project Current Research: OPENPAU
Languages in Spain and Europe New educational reform in Spain: Towards testing
Spain
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OPENPAU: Two stage mediated high-stakes assessment
Speaking at B1(5,0 pass)
Scores
ORGANIC LAW FOR EDUCATION QUALITY IMPROVEMENT
Good enough?
NO
Mediation
Current
Potential
Design
Testing
B1 Can-do statements * Can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc. • Can deal with most situations likely to arise while travelling in an area where the language is spoken. • Can produce simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest. • Can describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes and ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans.
Goal1
Task1
Construct demands Goal2
Task2
Goaln
Taskn
Expected effect:
Summary
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Have an individual (micro-level) impact social (macro-level) impact Involve both actions and perceptions Influence learners and Influence programs (including teachers) Participants Processes Products
Retest
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Implications
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Rating
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The percentage of population between 20 and 24 who have completed at least upper secondary education has grown in Europe between 2000 and 2010, but in Spain, besides being smaller, it has decreased (Eurydice / Eurostat Key data on education in Europe 2012) In 24 of the 34 OECD countries analyzed there is an external, standardized test (PISA, 2010). According to the Eurydice study "National testing of student assessment in Europe: Objectives, Organization and Use of Results" (2009), 17 countries in Europe have national tests for certification. The test external, standardized improve the academic performance of students between 20% and 40% of the standard deviation as much as if each student had studied middle school At arrival at 4 º ESO ("The Economics of International Differences in Educational Achievement, "National Bureau of Economic Research, USA, 2010). In 14 European countries, the first foreign language in Spain is ranked # 10 in the European Study of Language Competence (2012). Spain will not get the expected results in English if you consider that the teaching of this language begins at a younger age than in most countries. The worst results were found in oral comprehension. The 28% is at least B1 level (advanced, independent user). But the European Commission proposes to set in the Millennium Education 2020 a new indicator would be that Member States have at least 50% of students at level B1 or higher in the first foreign language.
Delivery
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High Stakes Washback Test Design
To define the basis for multilingual education Methodology: L2 as main tool Priority will be given understanding and speaking. Expert: Joining expert centers with foreign language skills, foreign or domestic. Autonomy centers: Specialization of the center, in the context of quality activities.
Spain has a remarkable deficit of foreign language knowledge as proved by the European Survey of Language Competence. Most students, who may have studied up to 12 years of foreign language, hardly achieve a lower intermediate competence level in reading and writing and elementary in Speaking. This situation can hardly be bearded by any government. In times of educational policies based on statistical excellence rather on the achievement of education for all, it is hard to support a system in which so many years of language education seem wasted. Based on these premises plus the expected benefits of positive washback on language education in 2012 began the OPENPAU project in Spain which intends to support standardized tests as a positive asset in language education. The only standardized language test in Spain is the Foreign Language section in the University Entrance Examination (PAU) . The paper has a traditional reading-writing-grammar construct that needs to be renewed in order to improve its impact, reduce the delivery costs, and improve its accountability. This presentation introduces such topics which are currently also key issues in American State Assessments especially in light of the latest applications of NCLB but moreover after the Race To The Top program such as the use of computer and alternative delivery means (such as ubiquitous language testing, mobile based language testing and so). Apart from these, the Spanish OPENPAU project is actually researching of the effect of the Zone of Proximal Development and its application in high stakes testing through Dynamic Assessment and Interactional Competence. This paper intends to show the effects and proposals of the OPENPAU project in light of current developments done in the USA. To do so, the paper has three main sections: 1) the testing situation in Spain in high stakes language testing, 2) technology based developments and 3) the benefits and current pilot studies in Dynamic Assessment. The paper concludes that cognitivist approaches to language testing may not be adequate neither in and EFL situation ( like in Spain) nor in an ESL /ELL one (as in the US).
Dr. Jesus Garcia Laborda, Universidad de Alcala & Dr. Miguel Fernandez Alvarez, Chicago State University
[email protected];
[email protected]
The authors would like to thank the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness for funding the research project (with co-finance by ERDF) within the framework of the National R + D + I (2011-2014) "Guidance, proposals and teaching for English section in the entrance examination to the University" (Reference FFI2011-22442). The researchers would also thank the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports because without the grant for the Senior Researchers Mobility this paper would probably have not been possible.
