Due to the high number of registered attendees, registration for the conference is now closed. 
Assessment Literacy Development webinars
Frequency
Monthly
Required
Membership
Background
All
Duration
1:00h
Overview
The ELT Society is pleased to announce the start of monthly Assessment Literacy Development Webinars for members. These professional development webinars offer a unique opportunity for members to develop their assessment competence. Increased assessment literacy, and knowledge about best testing practices and principles, is a worthy professional goal for individuals, teachers, testers, administrators, and all other interested stakeholders. It leads to stronger and better programs, departments, institutions, and companies.
- Webinars are organized/hosted by Tahnee Bucher, assessment specialist and experienced language teacher/teacher-trainer, from the University of Arizona.
- Hosted monthly on Zoom, in one-hour sessions
- There will be one session per topic
- Monthly webinars will focus on specific topic areas, based on a key reading, made available to members beforehand (see topics below). Topics generally cover both proficiency testing and classroom testing.
- Interactive and discussion-oriented, webinars will focus on challenges, choices and best practices.
- Members register for webinars first, and then are provided with a Zoom link
- Professional development certificates issued to regular attendees.
What is assessment literacy?
Assessment literacy is the possession of knowledge about the basic principles of sound assessment practice, including its terminology, the development and use of assessment methodologies and techniques, and familiarity with standards of quality in assessment. (Source: New Zealand Ministry of Education)
Originally from Brazil, Tahnee Bucher has over 14 years’ experience in language teaching. She serves as a Senior Instructor and Assessment Development Coordinator at CESL, University of Arizona. In addition to teaching ESL classes and doing ESL/EFL teacher training, Tahnee provides professional development in language assessment and develops assessment materials.
upcoming schedule
| Topics | Dates (Wed.) | Times (Arizona) | Sponsored By | Hosted By |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Being Assessment Literate | April 28, 2021 | 1:00pm-2:00pm MST | Anonymous | Eddy White |
| Assessment of Second Language Pragmatics | May 26, 2021 | 1:00pm-2:00pm MST | iTEP International | Tahnee Bucher |
| Placement Testing | June 30, 2021 | 1:00pm-2:00pm MST | Spring International Language Center at the University of Arkansas | Tahnee Bucher |
| Test Development Literacy: A Focus on Item and Task Writing | August 11, 2021 Wednesday | 10:00 AM- 11:00 AM Tucson, Arizona Time | iTEP International | Tahnee Bucher |
| Maximizing the Effect of Feedback in Language Assessment | September 1st, 2021 Wednesday | 10:00 AM- 11:00 AM Tucson, Arizona Time​ | Mark Algren, Trustee, ELT Society; Commissioner, Commission on English Language Program Accreditation (CEA); President 2009-2010, TESOL International Association | Tahnee Bucher |
| The Impact of the Social Dimension on Assessing Oral Proficiency: How a Joint Construction of Speaking Performance Can Impact Test Development and Students’ Scores | September 29th, 2021 Wednesday | TBD | / | Tahnee Bucher |
| ELTS Virtual Conference | October, 2021 | / | / | / |
| Thanksgiving Week | November, 2021 | / | / | / |
| End of the year | December, 2021 | / | / | / |