planning for teaching and learning in efl

R&E-SOURCEhttp://journal.ph-noe.ac.atOpenOnlineJournalforResearchandEducationAusgabe5,April2016,ISSN:2313-1640

PlanningforteachingandlearninginEFLEffectsofstandardisationandstandardisedtestingonthelearningandteachingofEFLatlowersecondarylevelClaudiaMewald*

AbstractThispaperdescribes thewashbackof competenceorientationandcompetenceoriented testingonplanningteachingandlearninginEnglishasaforeignlanguage(EFL)atAustrianlowersecondaryschools.ItanalysestheperceivedneedsofteachersworkinginEFLclassroomsingeneralsecondary,newmiddleschoolsandacademicsecondaryschoolsbasedonamixedmethodsstudy.Thestudyreliesondatafromon-linesurveys,interviews,non-participant observation and document research and this paper puts a focus on planning teaching andlearning.Findingspointtowardstheneedtoencouragelong-termplanningonthebasisofasetofdescriptorsfor eachof the four yearsof lower secondary foreign languageeducation. Thedescriptorspresented in thispaperareintendedtobuildabasisforassessingandtestingcommunicativecompetenceatbeginnerandlowerintermediatelevel.Moreover,theycanbeusedtoprovideformativefeedbackthatcaninformtheplanningofteachingandlearninginEFLclassrooms.

DasPlanenvonLehrenundLernenimUnterrichtsfachEnglischalsFremdspracheAuswirkungenderStandardisierungundstandardisierterÜberprüfungenaufdasLehrenundLerneninderSekundarstufeI

Zusammenfassung

Dieser Artikel beschreibt den Washback, also die Auswirkungen der Kompetenzorientierung und derstandardisierten Überprüfungen auf das Planen von Lehren und Lernen im Englischunterricht derSekundarstufe 1. Die akuten Bedürfnisse der Lehrkräfte, die das Fach Englisch in Hauptschulen, NeuenMittelschulen und in Allgemein bildenden höheren Schulen unterrichten,wurden in einer Mixed-Methods-Studie unter Heranziehung von Daten aus einer On-line Befragung, Interviews, nicht-teilnehmendenBeobachtungenundDokumentenanalysenerhobenundbeschrieben.DieserArtikelfokussiertdenTeilbereichdesPlanensvonLehrenundLernen imEnglischunterricht.DieErgebnissezeigtendendringendenBedarfderUnterstützung der Lehrkräfte bei der längerfristigen Planung von Unterricht durch die Entwicklung einerSammlung vonDeskriptoren für jeden Jahrgang.DieDeskriptoren solleneineBasis für dasÜberprüfenundBeurteilen von kommunikativer Kompetenz von Anfängern und leicht fortgeschrittenen Lernern undLernerinnendarstellen.AußerdemkönnensiebeiderFormulierungvonformativemFeedback,welchesbeimPlanenvonLehrenundLernenzumEinsatzkommt,dienlichsein.Keywords: Schlüsselwörter:BackwardDesign RückwärtigesLerndesignCommunicativecompetence KommunikativeKompetenzFormativeassessment FormativeBeurteilungStandardisationandstandardisedtesting StandardisierungundstandardisierteÜberprüfungenWashback Washback

*PädagogischeHochschuleNiederösterreich,Mühlgasse67,2500Baden.E-mail:claudia.mewald@ph-noe.ac.at

1 Introduction

As early as 1993, Alderson and Wall described the effects of testing on teaching and learning in fifteenhypotheses.Withtheirclaimthat“testscanbepowerfuldeterminers,bothpositivelyandnegatively,ofwhathappensinclassrooms”(1993,p.117),washbackbecameawidelydiscussedissueinadditiontothepreviouslyquotedopinionthat“teacherswillteachtoatest(…)iftheyknowthecontentofatestand/ortheformatofatest…” (Swain,1985). Shohamyconceptualiseswashback in itswider contextandargues thatmeasurement-driveninstruction“drive[s]learning;curriculumalignmentfocusesontheconnectionbetweentestingandtheteaching syllabus; and systemic validity implies the integration of tests into the educational system and theneedtodemonstrate that the introductionofanewtestcan improve learning” (1993,p.7;emphasis in theoriginal).However,sheaddsthatdespitetheobviousconnectionbetweentestingandlearning,littleisknownaboutitseffects.

WheneducationalstandardswereenactedinAustriain2009,theyhadalreadybeentrialledinafive-yearpilotat lower secondary schoolswith thegoal tobeused in standardised testing. Shortlybefore their legalenactment,thecontentgoalsintheformofalistoffunctionsandnotionswerereplacedbysuchthatrelyondescriptors from the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching,assessment (CEFR; Council of Europe, 2001) at levels A1 to B1. The general goals and themethodologicalguidelineshavestayedthesame.Theso-called“ÜbergreifendenDynamischenFertigkeiten”(BIFIE&ÖSZ,2011,pp.14-15),henceforthcalled“DynamicCompetences”,whichwerepartofthestandardssetupbythegroupofdevelopers(Gassner,etal.,2005),wereneitherconsideredforimplementationintotothedecree,nordidtheyfindtheirwayintothecurriculum.

InApril2013,whenthefirststandardisedtest(E8test)wasimplemented,76,728pupilsin1,410schoolssatthistestinlistening,readingandwriting,whileonly2,744pupilstookitsspeakingcomponent(BIFIE,2014,pp.13, 68). The goal of standardised testing in Austria is systemmonitoring and the results of E8 testing areintendedtobeusedtoinformqualityassuranceandschooldevelopment.Thus,theE8testisconsideredalow-stakestestintermsofitsimpactonthepupils’learningbecauseitdoesnothaveanybearingontheirgradesanditsresultsarepublishedwhenmostofthemhavealreadylefttheirschools.

Thefocusofthispaperisonthewashbackofstandardisationandstandardisedtestingontheteachingandlearning of English as a foreign language (EFL) at classroom level in Shohamy’s terms (1993). It exploreswhetherstandardisationandstandardisedtestshavedrivenlearningandifcurriculumalignmenthasbroughtabout a sufficiently effective connection between testing and teaching. Moreover, it seeks to find out ifstandards and standardised tests have been successfully integrated into the educational systemand if theirintroductionhasimprovedlearning.

2 TheoreticalconsiderationsThe notion of competence oriented education was discussed intensively by general educationalists such asKlafki, Habermas, or Roth, as well as linguists in the early 1970s. In language education, competenceorientationcoincidedwiththedevelopmentofthecommunicativeapproachand its focusoncommunicativecompetence which is commonly described as the knowledge and skill to use a language effectively forcommunication ( (Brumfit& Johnson,1979;Canale&Swain,1980;Hymes,1972;Swain,2000).Competenceoriented approaches or competency-based language teaching (CBLT), used interchangeably in this paper,additionally emphasise functional, interactional and social aspects of language and its role as amedium ofinteractionbetweenpeoplewhowant toachievespecificgoalsandpurposes in real life (Richards&Rogers,2014).

CBLTestablishesadirectlinktocriterion-basedassessmentwhereperformancecriteriaarethebasisfortheassessment of language competencies defined in essential skills, knowledge, attitudes, and behavioursrequiredfortheeffectiveperformanceofareal-worldtask(Bachman&Palmer,2010;Linn&Gronlund,2000;Richards&Rogers,2014;Stiggins,Arter,Chappuis,&Chappuis,2006).AccordingtoAuerbach(1986,pp.414-415), CBLT programmes are characterised by the following components: a focus on real life, task orperformance-centred orientation, modularised instruction, outcomes that are made explicit in advance,continuousassessment,demonstratedmasteryofperformanceobjectives,andindividualised,learner-centredinstruction.

Inthelastfifteenyears,competenceorientationhasbeendirectlyassociatedwiththeCEFRandcriteriaare

phrased as can-do statements. TheCEFRplays a prominent role in Europe andbeyondandhas contributedvaluably to the paradigm shift from a deficit oriented to a performance oriented approach that puts thelearnersatthecentreofthelearningprocess.Itprovidesthemwiththeopportunitytorelatetocompetenciesthatarespecificandpracticalandwhichcanbejudgedtoberelevantandusefulornot.Can-dostatementsarespecificandpublic.Theyhelplearnerstounderstandwhatneedstobelearned,whatremainstobelearnedorwhatcouldbelearnednext(Richards&Rogers,2014,p.153).Successcriteriaprovidelearnersnotonlywiththe opportunity to identify the goals and to selectways to get there, they also help them self-assess theirlearningandtounderstanditsmainpurpose(Black&William,1998).

TheAustrianeducationalstandardsforforeignlanguagesforEFL(E8standards)encompassdescriptorsforreceptiveandproductivelanguageskillsfromA1toB1levelaswellassuchforthe“DynamicCompetences”,which comprisedescriptors for communication strategies, social competence, intercultural competence, andlanguage learning competence. The language performance descriptors are meant to describe the expectedlinguisticlearningoutcomesaftereightyearsofforeignlanguageeducation.

Whenteachersmakeuseofcan-dodescriptorstoplanteachingandlearning,theycreateroadmapstheirlearners can follow to take themtoaparticulardestination.Thus, theseplansalsomapwhat thepupilsareexpectedtolearn-thegoal-andhowlearningwillbestimulatedeffectivelyduringthelesson-theroutetogetthere(Mewald2014b).

AccordingtoWigginsandMcTighe(2005),thelearningobjectivesofanylessonshouldreflectthe“biggergoals”. In EFL education, this is the communicative competence that the learners are expected to develop.Communicative competence shows in theability touse the languageeffectively in authentic situations. ThisultimategoalisdescribedcomprehensivelyintheCEFRandthe“biggergoals”toguideteachingandlearninginAustrianFLclassroomsarethegoalsdescribedintheAustrianNationalCurriculum(BMBF,2016)andintheE8Standardsdescriptors (BMUKK,2009).Theyconstitute the foundation foranyplanning. Thecurriculargoalsbreakdownthe“biggergoals”intolearningobjectivesforeachyear.Thesearethe“steppingstonestoreachthebiggergoalsaswellastheultimategoalofcommunicativecompetence”(Mewald,2014b,p.2).

In“BackwardDesign” (Wiggins&McTighe,2005) and incompetenceorientedFLeducation,goalsettinghappensbeforechoosingcontentoractivitiestoteach.Thisensuresthatthecontenttaughtandtheactivitieschosenremainfocusedandareorganisedtowardsthe“biggergoals”tobereached.Assoonasthe“steppingstones”, the learning objectives, are identified, the target performance needs to be described and anappropriate assessment has to be found before teaching and learning can be planned. Conceptualising thetargetperformanceanditsassessmentbeforedecidingonactivitiesormaterialsisimportanttomakesurethatthe assessment, be it formative or summative, reflects the goals.When the assessment is alignedwith thelearninggoals,theendbecomesthebeginningandthepathsforteachingandlearningbecomedistinct.

Appropriate assessment, as described above, provides feedback which is based on defined goals andlearning outcomes that are fleshed out in performance descriptors. Descriptors define the expectedperformance and criteria of success provide information about its varying levels and qualities. They tellteachers and learners about the target performance, its expected level and the quality (not deficits) of theperformancebeloworbeyond the target. Thus learnerswill knowhow faron theway to success theyhavealreadytravelledwhentheyaregivenfeedback.Itisobviousthatsomelearnerswillreachthegoalearlierthanothers.Somemayreachthetargetgoalreallyquickly,othersmayrequiremoretime,choosedifferentpathstogetthereoraimatdifferentendresults.Assessmentthatprovidesfeedbackonwherethelearnersareontheirwaytothegoalandwhatstepsarestilltobetakentoreachitisthereforeassessmentforlearning.Tobeableto provide feedback that gives direction, descriptors need to be broken down into manageable steps.Moreover,theyneedtobepreciseandgradedtoshowthelearner’sprogressonthewaytosuccess.

3 MethodsThis paper is based on a longitudinal study which addresses the washback of competence orientation andcompetenceorientedtestingonteachingandlearninginEFLclassrooms.Amixedmethodsdesignwasappliedinwhichquantitativeandqualitativedatawerecollectedsequentially,analysedseparately,andthenmergedthrough triangulation. In this study, quantitative data were used as a springboard to examine the fifteenWashbackHypothesesbyAlderson&Wall(1993)whichpredictthattestingwouldinfluencetheteachingandlearningofaforeignlanguage.Todoso,aquantitativeon-linesurveyexploredthestatusquoofteachingandlearning of foreign languages at lower secondary level in Austria before the enactment of standards. Asubsequent longitudinal qualitative study explored thewashback effect of standardisation and standardised

testingontheteachingandlearningofEFLingeneralsecondaryschoolswithstreamingaswellasinacademicsecondaryschoolsandnewmiddleschools(NMS),i.e.inpotentiallymoreheterogeneoussettings.Thereasonforcollectingbothquantitativeandqualitativedatawastoexplorethewashbackfromanoverallaswellasanindividual perspective taking on a phenomenographic approach in order to be able to describe how therelevant stakeholders experience the washback. To capture the views of all relevant agents, the researchdesignconsideredthefollowinggroupsofstakeholders:

Level1:Organisinginstitutionsandchangeagents(ministry,schoolauthoritiesetc.)Level2:Executinginstitutionsandchangeagents(universities,universitycollegesofeducation,coursebookwriters,publishersetc.)Level3:Implementinginstitutionsandchangeagents(headteachers,teachers,pupils,parents)

The design then created varying focus areas in the exploration of the washback at the three levels.Whileeducationalchange,theperceivedneedsofteachersandteachereducationanddevelopmentwereconsideredmost interesting at the organising level, supportingmeasuresweremost important in the explorationwithchangeagentsattheexecutinglevel.Finally,theimpactoftestingonteachingwasinthecentreofinterestintheresearchofimplementinginstitutions.

Fig.1:Researchdesign:Varyinggoalsatfourlevels

Thus,thestudyexplored“thedescriptionsandexplanationsprovidedbyothers[thestakeholders]toidentifycriticalvariationsinthecollectiveexperience”(Feig&Alison,2011,p.26)andtriangulateddatafromvaryingreportswiththeinitialquantitativesurvey.WashbackstudiesbyCheng (2005) ,Cheng,Watanabe&Curtis (2004),Green (2007) ,Wall (2005)andmostimportantly the classical washback hypotheses by Alderson & Wall (1993) were used as an analyticalframeworkinthedesignofthisstudy.

Fig.2:Mixedmethodsdesign

Data fromquestionnaireswere interpreted using descriptive statistics to develop observation and interviewschedulesandsurveysforheadteachers,parentsandpupils.Sequentialtriangulationmadeuseoftheconstantcomparative method (Strauss & Corbin, 1990; Strauss & Corbin, 1998) within an analytic framework thatmapped Watanbe’s five dimensions of washback (1997) onto Shohamy’s criteria (1993) to describe theconnectionbetweentestingandlearning.

4 Findings

The resultsof the first standardised test in Englishwerepublished in January 2014, almosthalf a year afterpupilshadsat it.Mostof themhad left theirschoolsandreportswerepresentedtoparentswhosechildrenhadnotbeentestedandwouldnotbetested.Thus, theE8testhas tobeconsidereda lowstakes testwithregardtoitsimpactonthetesttakers’learning.

TheeffectsofE8testingonteachingandlearning inAustrianEFLclassroomshavetobeevaluated inthelight of this fact. Nevertheless, the washback is expected to be specific because the schools and teachersreceivemonitoredfeedbackbasedontheirpupils’testresults(BIFIE,2014).Itsintensity,ontheotherhand,isexpectedtobeweakwhileitsimpactislikelytobelong-lastingduetoitslegalenactment.

The initialon-linesurveycarriedout in2009provided informationabout the teachers’habits inplanningteaching and learning in terms of the selection of goals, content, activities and materials. It suggests thatteachers mostly made use of the course book in their planning. The mean results for all four skills in thecategory“coursebooks”makeup79,68%ofalltheanswers.Conversely,coursebookunitsdidnotseemtobeadrivingforceforplanning.88,9%ofallanswerssuggestthatteachersusedcoursebookunitsasthebasisfortheir planning in less than half of their lessons to none of them.With 73,1% and 75% E8 standards andmaterialsweresimilarlyinfrequentlyusedforplanning.Topicsthatareinterestingforlearnersseemtobeasunpopular as E 8 standards or E8 materials for planning. 75,9% of the teachers said that they would planaccordingtolearnerinterestinlessthanhalfthelessonstonone.

InplanninglessonsImakeuseof….(answersin%)

inafewlessons

inlessthan

halfthelessons

inabouthalfthelessons

inmorethanhalfofthe

lessons

inmostlessons

innearlyeverylesson

Teacher'shandbook 1,10 20,50 13,60 34,10 2,30 15,90 12,50Coursebookunits 26,50 31,60 30,80 6,80 1,70 2,70 0,00E8standards 26,30 31,50 15,30 23,10 3,80 0,00 0,00E8materials 25,90 33,00 16,10 7,10 9,80 5,40 2,70Activities 16,70 26,30 21,90 21,10 7,00 4,40 2,60Topicsinterestingforlearners 19,00 32,80 24,10 17,20 5,20 0,90 0,90Lexicalfields 8,00 15,00 25,70 25,70 12,40 7,10 6,20Grammaritems 7,00 23,50 27,80 20,90 8,70 7,00 5,20Coursebook-listening 0,00 2,50 3,10 3,70 11,10 41,40 38,30Coursebook-reading 0,60 2,30 2,30 9,40 19,90 30,40 35,10Coursebook-speaking 0,70 7,70 7,70 13,30 24,50 21,70 24,50Coursebook-writing 0,00 3,80 9,00 15,40 17,90 26,30 27,60Publishedmaterials-listening 10,50 24,80 18,30 15,00 11,80 17,00 2,60Publishedmaterials-reading 0,60 12,90 17,60 24,10 20,00 18,80 5,90Publishedmaterials-speaking 3,60 15,80 17,30 20,90 16,50 20,10 5,80Publishedmaterials-writing 1,90 14,10 14,10 23,10 19,20 20,50 7,10Ownmaterial-listening 40,30 28,60 9,70 4,50 7,10 5,80 3,90Ownmaterial-reading 7,00 20,30 18,00 16,90 15,70 15,70 6,40Ownmaterial-speaking 6,30 16,90 12,00 17,60 14,10 23,90 9,20Ownmaterial-writing 7,20 14,40 12,40 18,30 17,00 16,30 14,40Authenticmaterial-listening 18,20 29,90 13,00 15,60 9,10 9,70 4,50Authenticmaterial-reading 3,60 22,50 20,70 16,60 20,10 10,70 5,90Authenticmaterial-speaking 9,10 17,40 18,20 14,40 17,40 16,70 6,80

Reading Listening Speaking Wriung Grammar

Quest2009 19.21 16.52 24.83 18.62 19.90

Quest2012-14 21.50 18.20 30.30 10.00 20.00

Obs2012-14 21.10 17.50 22.80 21.60 17.00

0.005.0010.0015.0020.0025.0030.0035.00

Authenticmaterial-writing 6,00 24,80 18,10 17,40 14,80 13,40 5,40ModernMedia-listening 9,40 24,50 13,80 13,80 18,20 13,20 6,90ModernMedia-reading 5,80 27,90 16,30 15,10 16,90 14,00 4,10ModernMedia-speaking 11,90 27,60 14,90 16,40 11,90 11,90 5,20ModernMedia-writing 13,90 25,80 16,60 18,50 7,90 9,30 7,90

Table1:Whatteachersmakeuseofwhenplanningtheirlessons(answersin%)Inadditiontocoursebooks,publishedmaterialswerequitefrequentlyusedforplanningreading,speakingandwriting by the responding teachers in 2009. Planning for listeningwas hardly ever guidedbymaterial otherthan course books.What seems also striking is the infrequent use ofModernMedia for planning teaching.AbouthalfoftheanswerssuggestaminorroleofModernMediaintheplanningEFLlessons.

Observationdrewacompletelydifferentpicturetenyearslater.Ofthe95observedlessons,28madeuseofpublishedE8teachingmaterialsorpublishedE8testingmaterials.Another5teachersusedpublishedmaterialfocussingonthetasktypesused inE8testing intheir lessons. Inthe interviews,nearlyall teacherssaidtheywouldplantheirlessonswithstandarddescriptorsinmindandtheywouldregularlyusematerialspublishedontheBIFIEwebpageinordertopreparetheirpupilsforthetests. Inthesameveintheycomplainedaboutthelackoffocusoncan-descriptors,strategiesandformativefeedbackincoursebooks,especiallyinthereceptiveskills.

The analysis of teaching time according to the four skills, based on two surveys and on classroomobservation,suggeststhatheteachershavereducedtheteachingtimeforwritingdrasticallyfrom18%in2009to10%between2012and2014.Theteachingtimeforspeakingincreasedfromabout25%to30%inthesameperiod.Observationsandpost-observationinterviewsshowedalackintheassessmentofspeaking.Onlyoneschool had initiated the systematic assessment of speakingwith the help of a native speaker assistantwhowouldtakepairsofpupilsoutoftheclassroomsonaregularbasistoassesstheirspokeninteraction.

Theteachingtimeforreadingandlisteningalsoincreasedbetween2009and2014,whilethetimeusedfortheteachingofgrammarnearlystayedthesame.Mostoftheobservedlessonsdeliveredabalancedpictureofteaching time, i.e. teachers follow curricular guidelines andput equal emphasis on all four skills. If teachinggrammar, however, is added to writing, there is a clear surplus for this skill which is also reflected in thecontributionofwritingtothefinalgrade(seeFigures3and4).

Fig.3:Teachingtimein%

Although the surveys carried out between 2012 and 2014 suggested that E8 testing of speaking andstandardisation had created positive washback on classroom assessment, post-observation interviews anddocumentresearchcontradictedthisinformation.Teacherstalkedalotaboutthedifficultiesintheassessmentof speaking and how cumbersome it was. Hardly any teachers reported about testing speaking or itscontribution to the pupils’ final grades. Nevertheless, compared to the 2009 survey, where writing andgrammarmade up 93% of the final grade and where listening or reading only receivedminimal attention,positivewashback towards amore homogeneous contribution of all fours skills to the final grade could beobservedin2014(seeFigure4).

Fig.4:Contributionofthe4skillstothefinalgradein%

Intheanalysisofteachingandlearning,datafromthe2009questionnairessuggeststhatteachershadnotyetchangedtheirteachinginreactiontostandardisationorstandardisedtesting.Inthelatersurveysin2012and2014aswellasinpost-observationinterviewsonly25%saidthattheyhadchanged“whattheyteach”,i.e.thecontent. 20%of the teachers reported that theyhadnot changed theirmethodsor strategies andanevenbigger number, namely 70% of the teachers, said that they had not changed their testing in response tostandardisedtesting,either.Thus,thewashbackhypotheses3and4,namelythat“[a]testwillinfluencewhatteachersteach[and]….howteachersteach”(Alderson&Wall,1993,p.117)hadtoberejectedforthepresentsample.Sinceonly16,7%ofthepupilshadcrossedthattheyhadchangedtheirlearningbecauseofE8testing,andnonehadsaidthattheywouldfeelmotivatedtolearnbyE8Standardsortesting,hypotheses2,6and11werealsodeemeduntrueforthequestionedsample.

Fig.5:TheimpactofE8testsonwhatandhowteachersteach,howtheytest,howpupilslearnandpupilmotivation.

Theanalysesofpost-observationinterviewsgeneratedvariouscategoriesandtrendswhichsuggesta“positiveattitudetowardsE8shownbytrainedwritingratersorspeakinginterlocutorsandassessors”.Trainedwritingratersusetheratingscalesinclassroomtestingandsomeofthempresentedthekindofdiagnosticfeedbackthey give to any written text or assignment. Trained teachers also teach and test speaking using thestandardisedtestformatmorefrequentlythantheiruntrainedcolleagues.However,teachersreportedaboutthelackofmaterialsforspeakingbecausethecoursebooksdidnotofferanysuitableones.Themostpressingneedphrasedbytheinterviewedteachers,however,stemsfromthefactthatthecurriculumisgeneral in itsdescriptionsofgoalsandthatteacherslackdetailedlistsofdescriptorsforyears5-8.DoingthisontheirownwasconsideredanoverwhelmingtaskalthoughespeciallyNMSteachersfeltthattheyhadtodosoinorderto

Reading Listening Speaking Wriung GrammarQuest2009 3.10 2.10 1.23 65.20 28.37

Quest2012-14 16.80 17.60 31.80 15.00 18.80

Obs2012-14 17.50 10.30 19.70 41.10 11.40

0.0010.0020.0030.0040.0050.0060.0070.00

…whatIteach

…howIteach

…howItest

…howpupilslearn

…pupilmouvauon

true 31.4 26.8 11 16.7 0.00

mostlytrue 26.5 27.7 1.3 6.8 5.45

somewhattrue 21.6 35.1 9.5 7.55 25.30

nottrue 3.4 8.2 65.2 23.4 30.90

010203040506070

beabletoprovidesufficientinformationaboutgoalstopupilsandparents.TeacherswhohadnotattendedanyE8trainingortakenpartinthepilotingofE8standardsreportedthey

wouldonlyusepublishedtestfoldersfortestdesign.Theysaidthattheywouldhardlyeveraddtheirownideastoavailableclassroomtestmaterials.NeitherteachersnorheadteachersbelievedthatpupilswouldbeawareofE8standards.Thus,theyweredoubtfulaboutadeliberatechangeinpupils’attitudethoughstandardisationorE8testing.Thisopinionphrasedininterviewsbyteacherswasconfirmedinthequestionnairesansweredbyparentsandpupils.

The least impactwasdescribed tohavehappened in the teachingof readingand listening.Although theteaching time had increased in both skills, teachers did not sufficiently focus their learners on reading orlisteningasskillsoronstrategiesthatmightimprovetheirperformance.OnlyteachersinASS,whowerealsofamiliarwiththetestformatsofthenewMaturaexam,madeeffortstoteachreadingorlisteninginastrategicwayandtocreateawarenessfortheireffectsintheirpupils.

5 ConclusionConcludingitcanbesaidthatstandardisedtestingandanewlyadaptedcurriculumhavecausedwashbackinAustrianEFLclassrooms.UsingWatanabe’s fivedimensionstodescribethiswashback itcanbesaidthat thewashbackisspecific,strongandpositiveinthecurrentpracticeofteachingofspeaking.Teachershavenotonlyincreased the teaching time for speaking, they have also adopted the format of the speaking test and thuscreatedmoreopportunitiesfortheirpupilstocommunicatewitheachother.Asfarastheotherthreeskillsareconcerned,thewashbackisalsospecificbutweakatthesametime.Severalcoursebooksarealreadymakinguseofthestandardisedpromptformatseffectivelybuttheydonotsupportteachingorlearningstrategiesthatwouldencouragepeer-writingorpeer-assessmentordecreasethenumberofgap-fillingexercisestoincreasewritingattextlevel.

Teacherswhodonotteachinuppersecondaryclassesfailtoexplicitlyteachreadingorlisteningstrategies.Their practice of treating reading and listening tasks as mere input which does not require any structuredoutputorstrategyusecannotbeconsideredpositivewashbackfromE8testingorstandardisation.However,itmust be said that the so-called “Dynamic Competences”, which are aiming at strategy use and thedevelopmentofmetacognitiveskills,arenotsufficientlyknownorimplemented.

Thus,theintendedwashbackofE8testingonclassroompracticehasnotbeenfullyachieved.Assessmentliteracy has only increasedwith trained raters, where thewashback can be considered strong, but has notreachedthemajorityofteacherswithoutratertraining.

Themotivationofpupilsthroughstandardisedtestinghasbeenpositivewiththosepupilswhoweretestedinspeakingbutnearlyalltheotherpupilssaidthattheyhadratherdislikedthetestandthelongandstressfulmorning.Finally,thewashbackonthepupils’attitudetowardslearninghastobeconsideredtheweakest.

ThefollowingconcludingstatementsverbalisetheanalysisinTable2:

-Standardsandstandardisedtestinghaveincreasedtheamountandqualityofteachingspeaking;yetspeakingisnotseriouslytestedorpartofthefinalgrade.-Teacherswhodonotteachupperlevelclassesarenotawareofreadingorlisteningstrategies–theydonotteachthemandpupilshaveproblemswithtasksthatrequirestrategyuse,especiallywithinferencing.-Mostteachersarenotawareoftexttypesorhowtoteachskillsnecessarytoproducethemeffectively.-Coursebooksandtestfoldersdonotsupportexplicitinstructionofstrategiesorlinguisticmeanstogoabouttasksstrategically.-Pupilsandparentsfeelfrustratedbytheslowfeedback–moreimmediatefeedbackshouldbeconsidered.Otherwisetheywillnotseeanyreasontochangelearningbecauseofstandardsorstandardisedtestinginthefuture.-Testinginschoolshasnotchanged;itstilloveremphasiseswriting,especiallythroughgap-fillingtasks;textwritingisoftenbasedonpromptsthatresemblethetestformatbutthatdonotrequirehigherlevelthinking.-ChangesinattitudetowardsteachingandlearningofEFLseldombecamevisibleinobservedlessons.-Thepotentialcompetenceorientationthatcouldbeachievedthroughstandardsandstandardisedtestingmightbewastedifitisnotmademoreexplicitandconsciousinthefuture.Thiscanbeachievedthroughmoreexplicitandstrategicinputandmoreimmediatefeedbackbeforethepupilsleaveschoolsorgointosummerholidays.((Mewald,2015,pp.40-41)

Watanabe’sfivedimensions(1997) Shohamy’s criteria (1993)

Specifity.generalvs.specific

Intensity.strongvs.weak

Length.shortvs.long

Intentionalityunintendedvs.

intended

Valuepositivevs.negative

washbackeffect general:courseandtestmaterialsarenotspecificenoughtocreatespecificwashback

weak:testislow-stakes;pupilsarenotawareofstandards,theydonotbenefitdirectlyfromthefeedbackofE8testingandtheyloseinterestinitsresults

long:standardshavebeenlegallyenacted

intended:legalenactment

positivewheretraininghasreachedteachers;nonegativeeffectsreported;neutralwhereithasnot

measurement-driveninstruction

specific:E8testingisbasedontestconstructsthatdefinecompetencesandusesclearassessmentcriteria

weak:classroomtestinghasnotchanged;itdoesnotdrivelearningeffectivelybutstillremainsalienatedfromlearning

long:classroomtestingmayimprovefromrepeatedE8tests

intended:testingmaterialsareavailableandusedbyteachers

positive:assessmentliteracywilleventuallyimproveclassroomtesting

curriculumalignment

specific:curriculumhaschangedtousecan-dodescriptorsandCEFRlevels

weak:curriculumchangehasnotyetreachedschoolbooks–notcompletelyalignedwithstandards&CEFRdescriptorsingoalsetting;teacherslackorientation

long:curriculumwillstaythesameandsowillstandardsdescriptors

intended:curriculum,standardsandtestconstructsarealigned

positive:alignmenthastakenplacesimultaneously

systemicvalidity general:needtodemonstratethattheintroductionofE8testingcanimprovelearning

weak:teachers’assessmentliteracyrequiressupport

long:teachers’assessmentliteracywilldevelop

intended:teachereducationhasdiscoveredassessmentliteracyasagoal

positive:growingassessmentliteracywillimproveclassroomtestingandassessment

Table2:Washbackinfivedimensionsbasedonthreecriteria

6 Limitations,ethicalconsiderationsandoutlook

Although the results presented in this paper rely on a relatively large sample and ample observation inclassrooms,thereare limitationsto itsgeneralisability.Anydatapresentedinthisstudystemsfromteacherswhohavecontributedvoluntarilytothesurveys,interviewsandobservations.

Teachers had opened their classrooms to the research upon invitation and they were committed andpositive towards competency based education. None of the schools or teachers had negative feelings orattitudestowardsstandardsorE8testing.Thus,ithastobeacknowledgedthatthestudyhadaimedatfindingwashback.Still,itwasnotdeterminedonlytoseethepositivewashbackbutalsotobecriticalifneeded.

Allparticipantshadbeeninformedabouttheirrighttowithdrawfromtheresearchatanytime.Noneoftheteachersdid.Onthecontrary,someofferedrepeatedvisits;thiswasespeciallyimportantwhennewchangesthrough the implementationof theNMSbecameoneof the research interests.Comingback to schoolsandengaging inaprofessionalexchangebroughtaboutgivingthedocuments intheappendix inexchangetothetaking away of information, impressions and valuable new ideas for teacher education. Thus, the lists ofdescriptors for years 5 to 8, based on the CEFR and the Austrian portfolios, are the product of an ongoingdebatewithteachersabouttheneedtomakeplanningmoretargetedandableto informpupilsaboutgoalsandachievements.Moreover,thelistoftexttypeswasintendedtoprovidestimuliforvariedtextproductionwhich is still rather limited in scope inmost coursebooks. Finally, the rating scalesweredeveloped tohelpteacherswithoutlongandprofessionaltrainingtoimplementcriterionorientedassessmentintheirclassroomsandtoencourageself-andpeer-assessmentwiththeirlearners.Itishopedthatwiththiscontributionresearchandclassroompracticehavecreatedwhatwasintendedtobepositivewashbackoneachother’spractice.

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AppendixThe following descriptors have been adapted fromCEFRdescriptors following the suggestedpractice of theframework.TheCEFRintendsto“beopenandflexible,sothatitcanbeapplied,withsuchadaptationsasprovenecessary, to particular situations” (Council of Europe, 2001, p. 7). Moreover, descriptors in EuropeanLanguage Portfolios, such as the ESP Mittelstufe(http://www.oesz.at/sprachenportfolio/schueler.php?page=S1000)wereconsideredinthedevelopmentofthefollowingcollectionofdescriptorsforEFLinyears5-8.DESCRIPTORSFORLISTENINGYear5(inputtextswillmostlybeatA1–A2level)Canunderstandfamiliarwords,phrasesandsimplesentencesconcerningthemselvesandtheirsurroundings,especiallyifthereisvisualsupport(e.g.mime,gesture).Canunderstandsimpleinstructionsarticulatedcarefullyandslowly,especiallyifthereisvisualsupport.Canunderstandmainideasandovertinformation/detailsinconversationswhicharecarefullyarticulated,withpausestoassimilatemeaning,especiallyifthereisvisualsupport.Canunderstandwordsandnumbersthatarespelttothem.Canunderstandthemainideas,overtinformation/detailsandovertspeakerattitudeinverysimpletexts(e.g.stories,reports,songs…)thataresuitablefortheirage,especiallyifthereisvisualsupport.Canunderstandthesocialorsituationalcontextinsimpleconversations,especiallyifthereisvisualsupport.Canunderstandmainideas,simpledirectionsandhowtogetfromXtoY,especiallyifthereisvisualsupport.CanunderstandthegistofTVprogrammesorfilmsthatareeasytounderstandandthataresuitablefortheirage.Caninferbasicunderlyinginformationfromsimpleconversations(e.g.simpleindirectrequests:It’shotinhere!-requesttoopenthewindow)Canunderstandmaininformationandspecificdetailsinpersonalconversations,phonecalls,instructions,routinecommands,time-tableannouncements,songs,poems,stories,andshortclassroompresentations/conversations.Year6(inputtextscanbeatA1–A2level;veryshortB1inputtextscanbeusedifthetaskisverysimple)Cancatchthemainpointsofeverydayconversations,especiallyifthereisvisualsupport.CanunderstandsimpledirectionsandhowtogetfromXtoY.Canunderstandsimplemessagesandannouncementsiftheyareaudibleandclearanddistinguishthemfromsupportingdetail.Canidentifythetopicandthegistofsimplefact-basedinformation(news)ordiscussions(e.g.ontheradioorTV).Canunderstandspecificinformation/detailsinsimplefictionalandnon-fictionaltextsthataresuitablefortheirage,especiallyifthereisvisualsupport.Canunderstandthemainideaandmostovertsimpleinformation/detailsinstories,sketches,dialogues,eventhoughtheydonotknowallofthewords,especiallyifthereisvisualsupport.Canidentifythesituationalcontextinconversations,eventhoughtheydonotknowallofthewords.Canunderstandovertspeakerattitudeinstories,sketches,dialogues,eventhoughtheydonotknowallofthewords,especiallyifthereisvisualsupport(e.g.mimeandgesture,bodylanguage).Canunderstandsimplelyricseventhoughtheydonotknowallofthewordswhentheyhavetheopportunitytolistenmorethanonceandaregivenvisualsupport.Canunderstandmaininformationandspecificdetailsininterviews,anecdotes,travelaccounts,exerciseinstructions,simpletechnicaldescriptions,recipes,sportscommentaries,news,andlongerclassroompresentations/conversations.Year7(inputtextsatA1-B1levelandsuitableauthenticsourcescanbeused)Canunderstandthemainideasandspecificdetailsinuncomplicatedtextsthataresuitablefortheirageanddistinguishimportantinformationfromsupportingdetails.

Canunderstandthemainideaandspecificdetails/informationinconversationsabouttopicsofimmediateneed(forexamplefamily,friends,hobbiesetc.).Canunderstandthemainpoints/informationinspeechthatisclearlyarticulatedaboutfamiliartopicsanddistinguishimportantinformationfromsupportingdetails.Canidentifyspeakerattitudeandsituationalcontextinconversations,eventhoughtheydonotknowallofthewords.Canunderstandovertinformationaboutfamiliartopicsandinferconsequentialunderlyingmeaning/information,especiallyifthereisvisualsupport.Canfollowaudio-orvideorecordedinput/filmandidentifyspeakerattitudeifgivenvisualsupport.Canfollowinstructionsforeverydayequipmentoractivities,especiallyifthereisvisualsupport.Canunderstandlyricseventhoughtheydonotknowallofthewordswhentheyhavetheopportunitytolistentothemmorethanonce.Canunderstandmaininformationandspecificdetailsandidentifyattitudinalandcontextualcluesinurbanlegends,simplifiedreaders,documentaries,simpletalks,bookreportsorsketchesappropriatefortheirageandlevel.Year8(inputtextsatA1-B1levelandsuitableauthenticsourcescanbeused)Canunderstandgist/mainideasandimportantdetail/informationintextsthataresuitablefortheirage.Canfollowdiscussionsaboutfamiliartopicsisabletounderstandthemainpoints,argumentsandspeakerattitudewhenstandardlanguageisused.Canunderstandpersonalconversationsonfamiliartopics,identifyspeakerattitude,situationalcontextandunderlyingmessagesiftheyareclearlylinkedtoexplicitlystatedideas/details.Canunderstandsimpletechnicalinformation,especiallyifthereisvisualsupport.Canfollowdetaileddescriptionsofthewayoreverydaytechnicalequipmentintheirfieldsofinterest.Canfollowaudio-orvideorecordedinput/filmandidentifyspeakerattitude.Canfollowaudio-orvideorecordedinput/filmandunderstandstraightforward,concreteinformationandsituationalcontext.Canunderstandfactualinformationaboutfamiliartopicseveninmorecomplexinputtexts,especiallyifgivenvisualsupport.Canunderstandmaininformationandspecificdetailsandidentifyattitudinalandcontextualcluesinshortstories,youngadultliterature,jokes,simplelectures,moviesortheatreplaysappropriatefortheirageandlevel.DESCRIPTORSFORREADINGYear5(inputtextswillmostlybeatA1–A2level)Canunderstandfamiliarwordsandverysimplesentences(forexampleinnotices,posters,cataloguesetc.),especiallyifthereisvisualsupport.Canunderstandsimpleinstructionsandrules(e.g.classroomsrules,instructionsfortasks),especiallyifthereisvisualsupport.Canunderstandthegist/mainmessageofsimplestoriesandfactbasedtextsaboutfamiliartopics,especiallyifthereisvisualsupport.Canunderstandconcreteinformationinsimplestoriesandfactbasedtextsaboutfamiliartopics,especiallyifthereisvisualsupport.Canunderstandconcreteinformationinletters,e-mails,postcards,magazinearticles,web-pagesandshortsketchesifsimplelanguageissupportedbyvisuals.Canunderstandsimpleinstructionsandnotices(e.g.publicplaces,streets,shops…),especiallyifthereisvisualsupport.Canfollowshort,simplewrittendirections,forexampleunderstanddescriptionsofthewayfromXtoY,especiallyifthereisvisualsupport.Canunderstandthesettingandthefunctionofsimpletexts.Canusecontentpagestofindtexteffectively.Canusewordlistsorpicturedictionariestofindthemeaningofunknownwords.Canuseglossariestounderstandthemeaningofunknownwords.

Canunderstandthelogicalorganizationofatext:headline,beginning,middle,endifclearlymarked.Canunderstandreferencesinatext(e.g.throughpronouns:this,that,these,those,he,she,it,they,we…).Canidentifyparagraphsbasedonideaunits.Canidentifysimpleandfamiliartexttypes:e.g.letters,e-mails,stories,poems,fables,newspaperreports(weather),signs/notices,instructions…CanenjoyverysimplegradedreadersatA1level.Year6(inputtextscanbeatA1–A2level;veryshortB1inputtextscanbeusedifthetaskisverysimple)Canunderstandconcreteinformationinshort,simpletextsandspecific,predictableinformationinsimpleeverydaymaterial(forexampleadvertisements,prospectuses,menus,timetablesetc.)anddistinguishitfromsupportingdetail.Canreadforgisttoidentifythemainideaofatextandapplyskimmingandscanningstrategiestofindovertpre-specifiedinformationquickly.Canunderstandconcreteinformationinpersonalletters,e-mails,shortmessages,diaryentries,sketchesand(role-)playsiftheycontainthehighestfrequencyvocabulary.Canunderstandeverydaysigns,instructionsandnotices(forexampleinpublicplaces,suchasstreets,restaurants,schools,shoppingmalls,railwaystations,onpublictelephonesandscreensetc.).CanunderstandconcreteinformationinstoriesandfactbasedtextsaboutfamiliartopicsatA2level.Canuseindexestofindinformationeffectively.Canusebilingualdictionariestofindthemeaningofuncomplicatedunknownwords.Canunderstandthelogicalorganizationofatext,i.e.canidentifyheadings,sub-headings.Canidentifykeysentencesinparagraphs,especiallyinnon-fictionaltexts.Canenjoysimplegradedreaders(A1-A2).Canidentifylessfamiliartexttypes:e.g.notes,fairytales,diaryentries,magazinearticles,signs,timetables,food/medicinelabels,instructions,reports,menus,recipes…Year7(inputtextsatA1-B1levelandageappropriateauthentictextscanbeused)Canunderstandconcreteinformationwhichdependsonhighfrequencyeverydaylanguageinshort,simpletextsonfamiliarmattersanddistinguishitfromsupportingdetail.Canunderstandconcreteinformationinstandardroutineletters,e-mailsorfaxes:enquiries,ordersandlettersofconfirmationonfamiliartopics.Canfindandunderstandrelevantinformationanddistinguishmainpointsfromsupportingdetailinsimpleeverydaymaterial,onfamiliarsubjects(forexampleletters,brochures,prospectuses,advertisements,shortofficialdocumentsetc.).Canunderstandregulations,forexampleconcerningsafetyinpublicplacesoronplanes,trainsorthesubway,whenexpressedineveryday(non-technical)language.CanunderstandconcreteinformationandinfersimpleunderlyingmessagesinfictionalandfactbasedtextsaboutfamiliartopicsatA2–B1level.Canfindpre-specifiedinformationquicklyandeffectivelyfromarangeofdifferenttexts.Canusemonolingualdictionariestofindthemeaningofunknownwords,especiallyifthereisvisualsupport.Canunderstandthelogicalorganizationofatext:headings,sub-headings,forwardandbackwardreferencing.Canidentifytopicsentencesinparagraphs,especiallyinnon-fictionaltexts.Canidentifymosttexttypes:personal,publicandprofessional(=school)domain.Canenjoyextensivereadingoflongernon-fictionaltexts,gradedreaders(B1)andauthenticyoungadultliteraturewhengivenguidance.Canidentifylessfamiliartexttypes:e.g.simplifiedreaders/youngadultliterature:crime,sciencefiction,loveandromance,travelreports,urbanlegends,newspaperarticles,book/filmreviews,factualreports,guides,referencebooks(science,nature,arts&crafts,house&home,health…),biographies,interviews…

Year8(inputtextsatA1-B1levelandageappropriateauthentictextscanbeused)

Canunderstandconcreteinformationandinferunderlyingmessagesintextsthatconsistmainlyofhighfrequencyeverydayorjob/school-relatedlanguageonsubjectsrelatedtothelearners’fieldsofinterest.

Canunderstandthedescriptionofevents,feelings,andwishesinpersonalconversationswellenoughtoreactappropriatelytospeakerattitudeorbehaviour.Canunderstandthemainidea,specificdetailsandsituationalcontextsinsimpleliterarytexts.Canunderstandthemostovertfeelingsandattitudesofspeakersinsimpleliterarytexts.Canuseskimmingandscanningstrategiesinordertolocatedesiredinformationandgatherinformationfromdifferentpartsofatextinordertofulfilaspecifictask(e.g.selectpassagesforcarefulreadingquickly).Canrecognisethelineofargumentinashorttext,thoughnotnecessarilyindetail.Canunderstandclearlywritten,straightforwardinstructionsforapieceofequipmentoractivities(e.g.electronicdevices,gymnasticexercises…).CanunderstandstoriesandfactbasedtextsaboutfamiliartopicsatB1level,especiallyifthereisvisualsupport.CanusemonolingualdictionariestofindthemeaningofmostunknownwordsatB1level.Canidentifyconcludingsentences(justifications)inparagraphing,especiallyinnon-fictionaltexts.Canenjoylongerauthentictextsforyoungadultswhengivenguidanceintheselectionoftextsorchoosingcarefullybasedoninterestandreadiness.Canidentifylessfamiliartexttypesanddifferentiatebetweenfictionandnon-fiction:e.g.simplifiedreaders/youngadultliterature,referencebooks,travelreports,historicalnovels–historicalaccounts,safetyregulations,advertisements,forms,simplebusinessletters(letterofcomplaint,applicationsforholidayjobs/schools)…DESCRIPTORSFORSPEAKINGYear5Descriptorsfororalproduction Texttypes CommunicativefunctionsCandescribehimself/herself,familiarplaces,people,animalsandobjects(e.g.home,classroom,familyandfriends,food,clothes,petsetc.).

descriptions todescribe(tocompare)people,places,objects

Candescribeeventsandactivities(e.g.dailyroutine,birthdayparties,hobbies,sportsactivities,weather,seasonsetc.).

descriptions todescribeeventsoractivities

Cantell/retellshort,simplenarrativesorstoriesonfamiliartopics,guidedwithpictures,keywords,orphrases.

stories totellandretellpresentevents

Descriptorsforspokeninteraction Canaskfororpassonsimplepersonalinformation(e.g.familyandfriends,hobbies,pets...).

functionaldiscourse/informalconversation

toaskforandgiveinformation

Canaskaboutthingsandmakesimpletransactions(shopping,askingforthetime/well-beingetc.).

functionaldiscourse togreetanddepart,toaskforthings,tothank,toaskfor/offerhelp/attention

Canmakesimplearrangements(e.g.whereandwhentomeet,whattodoetc.).

toinvite/requesttojoin

Canexpresslikesanddislikes informalconversation toexpressopinionsLinguisticcompetenceCanlinkwords,groupsofwordsorsimplesentenceswithverybasiclinearconnectorslike‘and’,‘but’or‘because’(‘then’)asasimplelistofpoints.Canuseverysimplesentencestarterslikefirst,thenoratlast(afterawhile,later,finally)tostructureatextandgiveitasenseofbeginning,middle,andend.Canuseaverysimplelearntrepertoireofwords,phrases,andstructureswithenoughcontrolsothatthemessageisusuallyclear.Startsusingverysimpleturntakingphrases(e.g.Andyou?Whataboutyou?)

Descriptorsfororalproduction Texttypes Communicativefunctions*Candescribeandcompareplaces,people,animalsandobjects.

descriptions todescribeandtocomparepeople,places,objects

Candescribepasteventsandactivities(e.g.birthdayparties,festivals,holidaysetc.)andgivesimpleinstructions.

descriptions todescribepasteventsoractivities,togiveinstructions

Cantell/retellshort,simplenarrativesorstories,guidedwithpictures,keywords,orphrasesinpresentandpasttense.

stories totellandretellpresentandpastevents

Descriptorsforspokeninteraction Canaskfororpassonpersonalinformationofsomedetail(e.g.aboutfamily,friends,homeetc.)

Cangetsimpleinformationabouttravel,usepublictransport:buses,trains,andtaxis,askandgivedirections,andbuytickets.

functionaldiscourse toaskfor/offerhelp,toaskfor/giveinformation

Canexpressandrespondtofeelingssuchassurprise,happiness,sadness,interestandindifference.

informalconversation

toexpressfeelings,attitudes,opinions

Canmakeandrespondtoinvitationsandapologies. informalconversation

toinvite,toapologise

LinguisticcompetenceCanuseasimplelearntrepertoireofwords,phrasesandstructureswithenoughcontrolsothatthemessageisusuallyclear.Startsusinglexicalandgrammaticalelementsindependentlyandcreatively(withlesscontrol).Cancreatesimplesentencelevelcohesionthroughconjunctionslike‘or’,‘if’,‘when’or‘where’(for,since,if,while,before...),reference(pronouns,demonstratives,comparatives),orsubstitution(one/ones).Canusesimplephrasesforbasicturntaking(e.g.Whatdoyouthink?Ithinksotoo.Iagree.).

(*)year5functionssupplementedby...Year7Descriptorsfororalproduction Texttypes Communicativefunctions*Canaskfororpassondetailedpersonalinformation. functionaldiscourse/

Cangivesimpleaccountsofexperiencesandevents. personalreport toreportaboutevents/personalexperiences

Canbrieflygivereasonsandexplanationsforopinions,plans,andactions.

personalstatement togivereasons,explanations

Cangiveashort,rehearsedpresentationonfamiliartopics.Canrespondtostraightforwardfollow-upquestions.

expositorydiscourse toreportaboutatopic

Cantell/retellnarrativesorstories,trueorinvented. stories totellandretellastory

Descriptorsforspokeninteraction Cancommunicateinsimpleroutinesituationsineverydaylife.

toinitiate,maintain,andcloseaconversation;torequestaction;toexpresspreference

Candiscusswhattodoandmakeplans. argumentativediscourse

toagree/accept/disagree

Caninitiate,maintainorclosesimple,face-to-faceconversationsontopicsthatarefamiliarorofpersonalinterest.

toinitiate,maintainandcloseconversations

LinguisticcompetenceCanuselinkingwordslike‘firstly’,‘lastly’or‘finally’(‘inaddition’,‘afterall’)tosequenceinformation.Canuseasufficient**repertoireofwords,phrasesandstructuresindependentlybutwithenoughcontrolsothatthemessageismostlyclear.Canusearepertoireofturntakingphrases(e.g.Whatdoyouthink?Doyouagree?What’syouropinion?Ithinkso,too.Icannotagreecompletely…)

(*)year5and6functionssupplementedby...(**)sufficientreferstothetextstypesandfunctionslistedaboveandinyears5-6Year8Descriptorsfororalproduction Texttypes Communicativefunctions*Cangivedetailedaccountsofexperiences,describingfeelingsandreactions.

descriptions todescribedreams,hopes,plans,ambitions

Canpresentatopicandrespondtofollow-upquestions.

expositorydiscourse toreportaboutatopic

Cangivereasonsforopinionsandplans. personalstatement togivereasonsandexplanations

Descriptorsforspokeninteraction Canexchangerelevantinformationandgivehis/heropiniononfamiliartopics.

argumentativediscourse

toaskfor/giveinformation;toaskfor/expresspreference

Canrespondtosuggestionsandagreeanddisagreewithothers.

toagree/accept/disagree

Cangiveorseekpersonalviewsandopinionsindiscussingtopicsofinterest;canbrieflygivereasonsandexplanations.

informaldiscussion toagree/disagree;toaskfor/expresspreference

Caninitiate,maintainandclosesimple,face-to-faceconversations.

toinitiate,maintainandcloseconversations

LinguisticcompetenceCanusecohesivedevicestosequenceinformation,givereasons,exemplify,orconclude,e.g.‘therefore’,‘forexample’or‘although’(‘sothat’,‘consequently’,‘asaresult’....)Canuseasufficientrepertoireofwords,phrasesandstructureswithenoughcontrolsothatthemessageisclear.Canuseawiderrepertoireofturntakingphrases(e.g.Wouldyouliketocommentonthis?Whatareyourideas….?Idon’ttrustyourarguments.Icouldnotagreemore.)

(*)year5-7functionssupplementedby...(**)sufficientreferstothetextstypesandfunctionslistedaboveandinyears5–7Texttypes-oralproduction

Features Examples

description -identifiesthephenomenon-describesitsparts,qualities,and/orcharacteristics-mostlyusespresenttense,adverbsandadjectives,orcomparisons-pasttenseisusedfordescriptionsofpastevents

descriptionsofthings,people,places,pets,pictures….

expositorydiscourse

-presentsatopicinastaticway-informationislogicallyorganisedaroundatheme-statesaproblem-presentssomearguments-offersasolution(andprobablyanevaluationofthesolution)

positiveandnegativesidesoflifeinthecountry

story/narrative -usesmainlypasttense-presentsaseriesofeventsinalinearsequence-oftenusesdirectspeechtomakethelistenersfeel,think,

trueorinventedstories,retoldstories

andshareexperiencesthroughtherealdialoguesoftheparticipants(ofteninthepresent)

personalreport -describethefeaturesofeventswithintheexperienceofthetesttakers-followastructureofwhat,when,where,withwhom,why,how-usefactstoexplainsomethingorgivedetailsaboutatopic-canbedescriptive-aremainlydeliveredinthepast-presenttensecanbeusedforritualsinthetesttakers’dailylives

reportsaboutholidays,weekends,sportsweeks,excursions,familymeetings,dailyroutines….

personalstatement -presentsapointofview-statesreasons-explainsplansorfacts-mostlyfeaturespresenttenseorfuturetense(possiblytheconditional)

futureeducation/job/life/idealplacetolive/idealpartnerorfamily/freetimeorholidaypreferencesetc.

Texttypes-spokeninteraction

Features Examples

-speakersmaintainopposingpositionsorcomparesimilaropinions-argumentsaresharedinpersonal,socialinteraction-discussantscometoaconclusion

choosingplacesandactivitiesforholidays,sportsweeks;teenageproblemssuchaspocketmoney,goingout…

functionaldiscourse

-featuresconcretesocialfunctions-oftenstatswithandendswithgreeting-aimsatachievingacertaingoal-ismostlyinformalinnature

greetinganddeparting,expressingfeelings,makingarrangementsortransactions,gettinginformation…

-personalinformationisexchanged-informallanguage-speakersusuallyknoweachother

privateconversation

informaldiscussion -presentsargumentsandinformationaboutafamiliartopicfromdifferentpointsofview-phrasesarecommendationastohowtosolveaproblemorreacttoacertainsituation-moreformalthanargumentativediscourse

discussionaboutfamiliartopicsatschool

Speakingrubricyears5&6

Innovating/4.0 Applying/3.0 Developing/2.0 Beginning/1.0

TaskAchievementHoweffectivelyistheinformationconveyed?Howeffectivelyisthethemedeveloped?

-informationcommunicatedcomprehensibly-mainideaslinkedinanarrative

-informationmostlycommunicatedcomprehensibly-mainideassometimeslinked

-limitedinformation,notalwayscomprehensible-simplelistofideas

-verylittleinformation-ideaspresentedrandomly

Howeffectiveisturntaking?

-basicturntakingusingstockphrases

-beginningturntakingusing

-simplequestions -beginninguseofquestions

stockphrases

Clarity&NaturalnessofSpeechHowlongandconnectedisthespeech?Howfluentisthespeechandhownaturalarethepauses?Howcleararepronunciationandintonation?

-connectedstretchesofspeech-somedegreeoffluencyandsomepausesforplanning-pronunciationclear;veryfewmispronunciations

-beginningstretchesofspeech-beginningfluencydespiteseveralpausesforplanning-pronunciationgenerallyintelligible;occasionalmispronunciations

-shortcontributions-noticeablepausesorfalsestartssometimescausingbreakdown-pronunciationintelligible;mispronunciationssometimesimpairunderstanding

-veryshort,isolatedutterances-muchhesitationfrequentlycausingbreakdown-frequentmispronunciations;understoodwitheffort

LinguisticrangeHowvariedarelexicalelementsandgrammaticalstructures?Howwelldotheysupportthemessageandcontributetothesuccessoftheperformance?

-linguisticrangeappropriateandpurposeful;repetitionsarerare-somesimplecompoundorcomplexsentences

-linguisticrangenotcompletelyappropriate;somerepetitions-somesimplecompoundsentences

-linguisticrangesometimeslimited;frequentrepetitions-simpleisolatedsentences

-limitedlinguisticrange-mainlywordorwordgrouplevel

AccuracyHowcorrectisthelanguage?Domistakes(lexisorgrammar)impairunderstanding?

-languagegenerallycorrect-somemistakesmayoccur;noimpactoncomprehension

-languageoftencorrect-mistakeswithhardlyanyimpactoncomprehension

-languagesometimescorrect-mistakeswithsomeimpactoncomprehension

-languagecorrectenoughtobeunderstoodbyaninternationalaudience

Speakingrubricyears7&8

Innovating=4.0 Applying=3.0 Developing=2.0 Beginning=1.0

TaskAchievementHoweffectivelyistheinformationconveyed?Howeffectivelyisthethemedeveloped?

-detailedinformationcommunicatedreliably-mainideasexpandedandlinkedinanarrative

-concreteinformationcommunicatedcomprehensibly-mainideasmostlylinked

-limitedinformation,notalwayscomprehensible-simplelistofideas

-verylittleinformation-ideaspresentedrandomly

Howeffectiveisturntaking?

-effectiveturntaking(initiating,maintainingand/orclosingdiscourse)

-basicturntaking -effectiveuseofquestionsininformationexchange

-beginninguseofquestionstogetinformation

Clarity&Naturalnessof

-longerstretchesofspeech

-connectedstretchesofspeech

-shortcontributions-noticeablepauses,

-veryshort,isolatedutterances

SpeechHowlongandconnectedisthespeech?Howfluentisthespeechandhownaturalarethepauses?Howcleararepronunciationandintonation?

-fluentandspontaneouswithnaturalpauses-pronunciationandintonationclearandnatural

-somedegreeoffluencyandsomepausesforplanning-pronunciationandintonationintelligible;mispronunciationsarerare

hesitationsorfalsestartssometimescausingbreakdown-pronunciationintelligible;mispronunciationsoraccentsometimesimpairunderstanding

-muchhesitation,frequentlycausingbreakdown-frequentmispronunciations;onlyunderstoodwitheffort

LinguisticrangeHowvariedarelexicalelementsandgrammaticalstructures?Howwelldotheysupportthemessageandcontributetothesuccessofthetext?

-linguisticrangehelpstoconveymessageeffectively(i.e.choiceofwords,phrasesandstructuresmakethetextinterestingandengaging)-somevariationthroughcompoundandcomplexsentences

-linguisticrangeisappropriateandpurposeful-somecompoundorcomplexsentences

-linguisticrangesometimeslimited-somerepetitions-sentencestructuresshowlittlevariationandarerepetitive

-limitedlinguisticrange-frequentrepetitions-simplesentences

AccuracyDomistakes(lexisorgrammar)impairunderstanding?

-languagegenerallycorrect-somemistakesmayoccur;noimpactoncomprehension

-languageoftencorrect-mistakeswithhardlyanyimpactoncomprehension

-languagesometimescorrect-mistakeswithsomeimpactoncomprehension

DESCRIPTORSFORWRITINGYear5Descriptors Texttypes CommunicativefunctionsCanwriteshort,simpletextsonfamiliartopics(e.g.home,classroom,shopping,parties,familyandfriends,seasonsandtime,food,clothes,hobbiesetc.).

informaldescriptionsorreports

todescribeand/ortocomparepeople,places,objects,activities,animals,pets

Canaskfororpassonsimplepersonaldetails(e.g.familyandfriends,hobbies,pets...).

surveys,profilesorpostingsinsocialnetworks

toaskforandgiveinformalinformationaboutpeople,places,objects,activities,pets

Canfillinsimpleinformation(e.g.numbers,dates,ownname,nationality,address,age,dateofbirthetc.).

forms toinform

Canwriteshortsimpletextsaddressedtopeopletheyknow(e.g.familyandfriends).

postcards,textmessages,letters,e-mails

toreport,tosaythanks,toinvite,togiveandaskforinformation,tokeepintouch,toexpressinterestorhope,toaskforsomethingordirections,toannounce

Canwriteshort,simplenarrativesonfamiliartopics,guidedwithpictures,keywords,orphrases.

stories totellandretellpresentandpastevents

Canwriteaboutsimpleplans(e.g.inschoolmagazines,blogs…).

letters,e-mails,informalreports,articles,postingsinsocialnetworks

toinformaboutthenearfuture

LinguisticcompetenceCanlinkwords,groupsofwordsorsimplesentenceswithverybasiclinearconnectorslike‘and’,‘but’or‘because’(‘then’)asasimplelistofpoints.Canuseverysimplesentencestarterslikefirst,thenoratlast(afterawhile,later,finally)tostructureatextandgiveitasenseofbeginning,middle,andend.Canuseaverysimplelearntrepertoireofwords,phrases,andstructureswithenoughcontrolsothatthemessageisusuallyclear.

Year6Descriptors Texttypes Communicativefunctions*Canwritetextsaddressedtopeopletheyknow(e.g.family,friends,teachers,peers)

notes,textmessages,letters,e-mails

toapologise,togivereason,toaskfor/offerhelp,togiveexplanations,toinform

Canwriteshorttextsonfamiliartopics(e.g.articlesinyouthmagazines,schoolwebsite…).

informaldescription,report

toreportaboutordescribepeople,pets,places,objects,eventsorfamiliartopics,toinform

Canwritesimplenarratives. stories,fairytales,legends

toentertain

Canwritesimplelyricaltexts. poems toentertainLinguisticcompetenceCanuseasimplelearntrepertoireofwords,phrasesandstructureswithenoughcontrolsothatthemessageisusuallyclear.Startsusinglexicalandgrammaticalelementsindependentlyandcreatively(withlesscontrol).Cancreatesimplesentencelevelcohesionthroughconjunctionslike‘or’,‘if’,‘when’or‘where’(for,since,if,while,before...),reference(pronouns,demonstratives,comparatives),orsubstitution(one/ones).Canuseparagraphstostructuresimpletexts.

(*)year5functionssupplementedby...Year7Descriptors Texttypes Communicativefunctions*Canwritedetailedtextsaddressedtopeopletheyknowortoforeignpeoplebutinfamiliarsituations.

personalletters,e-mails

toreportaboutordescribeevents,experiencesandfeelings,toaskfor/giveadvice,tosympathize,tosuggest,toaskfor/giveadvice,topersuade

Canwritetextsonfamiliartopics. factualreportsordescriptions

toreportaboutordescribepeople,pets,places,events,familiartopics,personalexperiences,orfeelings,toinform

Canwriteshort,simpletextsaboutinterestingorfamouspersonalities,ifprovidedwithkeyfacts.

biographies toinform

Canwriteendingstonarrativesonfamiliartopics. stories,fables,fairytales,legends,jokes

toentertain

Canwriteshorttextsaboutbooks/storiesorfilms. summaries,reviews toinform,toexpresspreference/opinion,todescribefeelings

Candescribesimpleeverydayobjectsandprocesses. factualdescription,processesdescription

togiveinformation/directions/instructions

LinguisticcompetenceCancreatesimpleparagraphlevelcohesionanduseslinkingwordslike‘firstly’,‘lastly’or‘finally’(‘inaddition’,‘afterall’)tosequenceinformation.Canuseasufficient**repertoireofwords,phrasesandstructuresindependentlybutwithenoughcontrolsothatthemessageismostlyclear.

(*)year5and6functionssupplementedby...(**)sufficientreferstothetextstypesandfunctionslistedaboveandinyears5-6Year8Descriptors Texttypes Communicativefunctions*Canwriteconnectedtextsonfamiliartopics. factualdescriptions,

reports,explanation,articlesinyouthmagazine

toreportaboutordescribepeople,pets,places,events,personalexperiences,feelings,reactions,wishes,orfutureplans,toinform,todeclareposition,toexpressopinion,togivereasons/explanations

Canwritenarratives,trueorinvented. stories,fables,legends,fairytales,jokes

toentertain

Canwritenotesforshort,simplepresentationsontopicsofinterest.

mindmaps,notes togiveinformation/directions/instructions,todeclareposition,toexpressopinions/feelings/attitudes

CanwritelettersofapplicationincludingaCV(e.g.toapplyforasummerjob).

application,CV–longandshortversion

toinform,toofferhelp/services

LinguisticcompetenceCancreateparagraphlevelcohesionandusescohesivedevicestosequenceinformation,givereasons,exemplify,orconclude,e.g.‘therefore’,‘forexample’or‘although’(‘sothat’,‘consequently’,‘asaresult’....)Canuseasufficientrepertoireofwords,phrasesandstructureswithenoughcontrolsothatthemessageisclear.

(*)year5-7functionssupplementedby...(**)sufficientreferstothetextstypesandfunctionslistedaboveandinyears5-7Texttypes Features ExamplesapplicationletterincludingCV

-hasaletterhead-beginswithasalutation-listsreasonsforapplyingandqualifications-endswithafinalstatementandsignature-CVlistsinformationinastructuredway(attachment)

applicationforasummerjob

articleinyouthmagazine

-hasaheadline-describes,reports,tellsstoriesordiscussestopics-endswithaconcludingstatement

adventure,fieldtrip,pets,music…

biography -hasatitle (personal)heroes,

-describescharacteristicfeaturesofaperson/groupofpeople,e.g.physicalappearance,behaviour,activities,preferences-describeseventsinthelife/livesoftheperson/people

sportspeople,celebrities

card -beginswithasalutation-greets,congratulates,invites….someone-endswithanendnote

birthday,invitation,party,farewell,congratulation…..

email -hasasubjectline-canbeginwithasalutation-brieflydescribesplaces,peopleorobjects;reportsaboutactivitiesorevents;respondstoatext(e.g.anotheremail,articleetc.)-endswithanendnote-canuseacronymsandtextmessageshorthand-canbeinteractive(maycontainquestions,replies,requests…)

essay -hasatitle-startsbyoutliningthetopic-describesitemsrelatedtothetopicintheirrightorder-explainshowtheitemsrelatetoeachotherandtothetopic-endswithaconcludingstatement-canincludevisualimages,e.g.pictures,flowchartsordiagramstosupportthetext

topicpresentation

factualdescription

-hasatitle-beginswithanintroductorystatement-systematicallydescribesdifferentaspectsofthesubject-endswithaconcludingstatement-isobjective(nopersonalopinion)

hometown

factualreport -hasatitle-beginswithageneralclassificationordefinition-includesbackgroundinformationaboutwho,whenorwhere-listsasequenceofactivitiesorevents-endswithaconcludingcomment-isobjective(nopersonalopinion)

schoolproject,historicalreport

film/book/playsummary

-hasatitle-describessetting,charactersandplot

film/book/play

film/book/playreview

-hasatitle-brieflydescribessetting,charactersandplot-describeshowthewriterfeelsaboutanovel,film,bookorplay-listswhatdidanddidnotappealtothewriterorprovidesapersonalcommentonthecharactersorevents

film/book/play

form -requiresshortanswersmostlyfollowingagivenstructure-canuseacronyms

membershipforms

informaldescription

-hasatitle-beginswithanintroductorystatement-describesdifferentaspectsofthesubjectorobject-mayincludethewriter’sopinion-endswithaconcludingstatement

people,objects,animals,landscapes

informalreport

-hasatitle-beginswithanintroductorystatement-includesbackgroundinformationaboutwho,whenorwhere-describesasequenceofactivitiesorevents-mayincludethewriter’sopinion-endswithaconcludingstatement

activities,events

letter -beginswithasalutation-describesplaces,peopleorobjects;reportsaboutactivitiesorevents;respondstoatext(e.g.anotherletter,articleetc.)

penpals,holiday,complaint,invitation,planning,

-endswithanendnote-isinteractive(maycontainquestions,replies,requestsetc.)

lettertotheeditor(youthmag)

note -canbeginwithasalutation-verybrieflydeliversamessage-canendwithanendnote-canusetelegraphese,acronymsandtextmessageshorthand

homelate,wheretofindfood

poem -hasatitle-textmayrhyme-doesnothavetofollowrulesofgrammarorpunctuation

postcard -canbeginwithasalutation-brieflydescribesplaces,peopleorobjectsand/orreportsaboutactivitiesorevents;-canusetelegraphese

holiday,weekendtrip

processdescription

-hasatitle-beginswithastatementofthegoal(canbethetitle)-canlistmaterials/ingredientsneeded-givesaseriesofsteps(instructions)inchronologicalorder

pizzarecipe

story,legend,fairytale,fable

-hasatitle-hasabeginning,middle,andend-time,place(setting)andcharactersareintroduced-hasastoryline/plot-maycontainamessage/moral-mayberealorinvented

picturestories,adventure,fantasy,sciencefiction,crimeandsuspense

surveyoutline -hasatitle-beginswithastatementofthegoal(canbethetitle)-listsquestionstobeasked

useofmobilephonesinclass

surveyreport -hasatitle-beginswithastatementofthegoal(canbethetitle)-canlistquestionsthatwereasked-givesasummaryofresults(canbedoneindiagrammaticform)

useofmobilephonesinclass

textmessage -usesacronymsandtextmessageshorthand-isinteractive(s.a.)

Writingrubricyears5&6

TaskAchievementHowwelldoesthewriterconveytheconcretemessage?Arethereanyconcretedetails?Doesthewritersticktothetextfeatures?

-message/contentmeaningfulandsuccessful-somedetails-goodlayout&format-textfeaturesmet

-message/contentmeaningfulandmostlysuccessful-fewdetails-layout&formatappropriate-textfeaturesmostlymet

-message/contentsometimesunclear-hardlyanydetails-layout&formatmessy-textfeaturesnotcompletelymet

-message/contentoftenunclear-nodetails-layout,formatnotappropriate-beginningtousetextfeatures

CoherenceandcohesionHowwellisthetextorganised?Arebeginning,middleandendclearlyand

-textorganisedwithbeginning–middle-end-severalsentencestarters,linkingwords-ideasclusteredinparagraphs;notalwaysmarked

-textorganisedwithsenseofbeginningandend-somesentencestartersandlinkingwords-ideassometimes

-someideaofbeginningorend-somelinkingwords,e.g.‘and’,‘but’,‘because’-ideasnotlinked

-isolatedsentences-somesentenceco-ordinationwith‘and’or‘but’

effectivelymarked?Isthetextcoherentonsentencelevel?Areparagraphsvisiblymarked?

linked

LinguisticrangeHowvariedarelexicalelementsandgrammaticalstructures?Howwelldotheysupportthemessageandcontributetothesuccessofthetext?

-linguisticrangeiscompletelyappropriateandpurposeful-simplecompoundandoccasionallysomecomplexsentences

-linguisticrangeappropriate-somerepetitions-sentencestructuresshowsomevariationbutarerepetitive

-linguisticrangesometimeslimited-severalrepetitions-sentencestructuresoftenrepetitive

-limitedlinguisticrange-sentencestructurehighlyrepetitive

-languagealmostalwayscorrectandalwayscomprehensible-minormistakesmayoccur

-languagemostlycorrectandalmostalwayscomprehensible

-languagesometimescorrectandtobeunderstoodmostofthetime

Writingrubricyears7&8

TaskAchievementHowwelldoesthewriterconveythemessage?Arethereanydetails?Doesthewritersticktothetextfeatures?

-message/contentmeaningfulandcompletelysuccessful-severalrelevant/interesting/creativedetails-layout&formatoutstanding-textfeaturesmet-wordlimitmetorexceeded

-message/contentmeaningfulandmostlysuccessful-somedetails-layout&formatappropriate-textfeaturesmet-appropriatelength

-message/contentsometimesunclear-hardlyanydetails-textfeaturesmetbuttextshorterthanexpected

-message/contentoftenunclear-nodetails-layout,formatnotappropriate;-textfeaturesnotcompletelymet;limitedlength

CoherenceandcohesionHowwellisthetextorganised?Arebeginning,middleandendclearlyandeffectivelymarked?Doesthetextflow,i.e.isitcoherentonsentenceandparagraphlevel?Areparagraphs

-textwellorganisedwithstrongbeginning–middle-strongend-sentencestarters,linkingwordsusedeffectively-goodsentencelevelcoherence-paragraphslargelycoherent

-textorganisedwithsenseofbeginning–middle-end-sentencestartersandlinkingwordsusedthroughout-somesentencelevelcohesion-paragraphsclearlymarked

-textlooselyorganised-somelinkingwords-verylittlesentencelevelcohesion-ideasclusteredinparagraphsbutnotalwaysmarked

-isolatedsentences-somesentenceco-ordination,e.g.with‘and’,‘but’or‘because’

coherentandvisiblymarked?LinguisticrangeHowvariedarelexicalelementsandgrammaticalstructures?Howwelldotheysupportthemessageandcontributetothesuccessofthetext?

-linguisticrangehelpstoconveymessageeffectively(i.e.choiceofwords/phrases/structuresmakethetextinteresting/engaging)-consistentvariation(compoundandcomplexsentences)

-linguisticrangeisappropriateandpurposeful-somevariationthroughcompoundandcomplexsentences

-linguisticrangesometimeslimited-somerepetitions-sentencestructuresshowlittlevariationandarerepetitive

-limitedlinguisticrange-frequentrepetitions-sentencestructuresimpleandhighlyrepetitive

-languagealmostalwayscorrectandalwayscomprehensible-minormistakesmayoccur

-languagemostlycorrectandalmostalwayscomprehensible

-languagesometimescorrectandtobeunderstoodmostofthetime

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