The Keys to Assessing Language Performance, Second Edition - by Paul Sandrock (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Students continually ask, "Does this count?" "Is this on the test?" They want to know how they'll be evaluated. Discover how to answer these questions in ways that shape student learning and keep teaching focused on what really matters. Written by language expert Paul Sandrock, this superb manual clarifies precisely what language educators need to understand in order to successfully assess student performance. Relevant to new teachers and seasoned professionals alike, Sandrock provides step-by-step guidance on how to design assessments, illuminates the process of designing rubrics that focus on proficiency and helps educators create assessments that motivate students to offer language samples that accomplish authentic purposes. School administrators will also benefit from the section that focuses on the impact of performance assessment on instruction and program design.

About the Author

Paul Sandrock serves as ACTFL Senior Advisor for Language Learning Initiatives. While at ACTFL, Paul has facilitated the revision of the national World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages and the NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements, and before that was a member of the original Integrated Performance Assessment development team. Previously, Paul was Assistant Director of Content and Learning at the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI), coordinating the areas of English language arts, mathematics, international education, and world languages. He earlier served as the Wisconsin DPI statewide consultant for world languages. Paul taught Spanish for 16 years in middle school and high school and authored The Keys to Assessing Language Performance as well as Planning Curriculum for Learning World Languages. Paul previously served ACTFL as a board member and president and received ACTFL's Florence Steiner Award for Leadership in Foreign Language Education, K-12.