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Using The CEFR in The Development of Assessments

The document discusses applying the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) to language assessments. It notes that the CEFR can be applied to different contexts but parameters must be defined, such as relevant vocabulary and structures for the level. Tests should be specifically adapted to the needs of the examinees, whether for university entrance or in a school context. Applying the CEFR requires considering elements like familiarization, specification, standardization training, standard setting, and validation. Standards can be set by adapting previous tests to higher difficulty levels and comparing performance across evaluators. Reference level descriptions from the CEFR provide a tool for teachers and assessors and should describe what students can do orally, in writing, reading and listening at different levels

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79 views3 pages

Using The CEFR in The Development of Assessments

The document discusses applying the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) to language assessments. It notes that the CEFR can be applied to different contexts but parameters must be defined, such as relevant vocabulary and structures for the level. Tests should be specifically adapted to the needs of the examinees, whether for university entrance or in a school context. Applying the CEFR requires considering elements like familiarization, specification, standardization training, standard setting, and validation. Standards can be set by adapting previous tests to higher difficulty levels and comparing performance across evaluators. Reference level descriptions from the CEFR provide a tool for teachers and assessors and should describe what students can do orally, in writing, reading and listening at different levels

Uploaded by

dayse valencia
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Using the CEFR in the development of assessments

The CEFR was designed to be applied to various contexts, however, it is necessary to

define some parameters for its application, for example, to see if the vocabulary and

structures are relevant to the level of study.

Defining the context and purpose of the test

The first step is to know the context to which the test is going to be applied and try to be

very specific in adapting the test to the needs of the group to be evaluated, or it can be

very general to cover all contexts. One of the clearest examples is to differentiate

between a test for the university and a test within a school, if we have students in a

career where it is necessary that they know English, an entrance evaluation will be

given to know if the university student masters the language; on the other hand, if we

are going to evaluate in the school context, an evaluation should be taken in the middle

of the course to know in which areas to work and improve.

To apply the CEFR in the tests it is necessary to take into account five elements:

familiarization, specification, training in standardization and comparative evaluation,

standard setting procedures and validation; these can be applied to different contexts

and according to their relevance, it is not necessary to have all the elements.

Assessment standards

For the standardization of tests, one can first use a previous test and adapt it to the new

level of the student, this can be achieved by making the items the same, but putting a

higher level of difficulty. As well as comparing tests with each other and standardizing

the performance and follow-up of the evaluators, proposing a clear and complete

grading scale.
Principles for development and use of Reference Level Descriptions

These reference level descriptions can be applied to learning, teaching and assessment

and are a reference tool for teachers and language assessors and it is necessary to have

information about the learner or person to be assessed such as their age, educational

level, reasons for learning the language, areas of interest, native language, language

learning experiences etc.

The benefits that reference level descriptions can provide are:

- Knowing if the vocabulary and grammar is relevant to the level being taught.

- Identifying areas of language that are difficult for some students.

- Student participation with examples to narrow in on the topic the teacher is teaching.

For the application of this, it should be kept in mind to describe what the students know

and can do at each level, as well as to exemplify to the students oral, written, reading,

and listening expression.

Section 3: Applying the CEFR in practice

The application of the CEFR in Cambridge tests helped to make it possible to include

exams at different levels and contexts such as education, work, migration, etc.

Cambridge exams use calibration and quality management systems to have standardized

exams for all stakeholders. In addition, to further improve in their application of the

CEFR they have conducted international benchmarking exercises, support of English

manuals and user guides.


It also makes it clear that exam alignment procedures are not straightforward and need

to be reviewed periodically, as exam systems and the CEFR continue to evolve over

time.

Finally, Cambridge seeks to make its exams reliable and meaningfully explained to

users through the application of the CEFR.

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