TEASIG PCE 2024: Item writing: from theory to practice

Join IATEFL Testing, Evaluation & Assessment Special Interest Group (TEASIG) for their in-person 2024 Pre-Conference Event on 15 April 2024- Item writing: from theory to practice

Assessment tasks or test items are a core part of any formal or informal language assessment. For national or international standardised tests, item writers or task developers are trained and skilled in working to test specifications to develop relevant and appropriate items. And for these tests, item writing is part of the larger process of test development. However, what about developing assessment tasks for your classroom or your institution? Teachers assess all the time in the classroom in different ways for different purposes. Sometimes you may just need a quick quiz to check understanding, but what if you become responsible for developing your school’s or institution’s own tests to measure learning at the end of a term or a course? This is no easy task and there are many factors to consider. Teachers need to be able to draw on knowledge, skills, and resources in order to develop assessments that are reliable and valid for their individual situations.

On 9^th September 2023, we organised an online event to begin looking at developing assessment tasks for the classroom, what is involved in developing a test item, the knowledge required to do this effectively, and the resources available to support teachers with this very important part of their jobs.

Our PCE in Brighton will continue the theme of test item writing with two very practical workshops that will guide participants through the item-writing process for their classrooms and institutions. The workshops will be hands-on, so if you’d like to know more about item writing for your own assessment needs and actually try writing some items, come and join us!

Speakers: Michael Fields & Kathrin Eberharter

Michael Fields is an assistant professor at the University of Delaware’s English Language Institute (USA), and the chair of the assessment committee. He earned an MA in Applied Linguistics from Leicester University, specialising in language assessment. He is a writer and editor for Cambridge exams and has contributed to standards setting for the TOEFL test.

Kathrin Eberharter is currently a senior lecturer at the University of Innsbruck,  where she guides pre-service teachers in the principles of best practice for language testing and assessment. She earned an Austrian teaching degree and completed her MA and PhD at Lancaster University, specializing in language testing. Her primary research interests centre on evaluating L2 writing and speaking, with a dedicated focus on task development, writing processes,rating scale design, and rater cognition and training.

You are currently booking to attend this event in person, in Brighton.

To Register Click here