Event

The South Asia Center and Penn Language Center are pleased to present

"Integrating Language Assessment and Instruction Using Backward Design"
with Francesca Di Silvio and Victoria C. Nier of the Center for Applied Linguistics

This daylong workshop will include a review of fundamental assessment principles and practices, followed by an in-depth exploration of the relationship between assessment and
instruction in lessons, units, and curricula. Participants will have a chance to connect standards, objectives, and teaching with manageable and measurable performance-based assessment and student self assessment. The workshop will close with time for participants to develop assessment tasks or tools individually or with partners that meet the needs of their language courses.

The workshop schedule is as follows:
9:15-9:30 Breakfast
9:30-12:30 Session 1
12:30-1 Lunch
1-3:30 Session 2

FRANCESCA DI SILVIO (M.A. Linguistics, Georgetown University) is a Research Associate in the World Languages and International Program area at the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL). Ms. Di Silvio has five years of experience in assessment development, research, and delivery of professional development workshops on assessment for language educators. She has extensive experience developing assessments and rating materials for less commonly taught languages, including Mandarin Chinese and Modern Standard Arabic, and has worked with K-16 learners and instructors in a variety of foreign language, heritage language, and English as a second language contexts in the development of these materials. She has led and contributed to research projects on oral proficiency outcomes in study abroad settings, assessment literacy for language instructors and students, and stakeholder perceptions of language tests. Ms. Di Silvio has also published articles on assessment and language learning outcomes and presented at numerous professional conferences on language testing, language teaching, and applied linguistics. 

VICTORIA C. NIER (M.S. Linguistics, Georgetown University) works as a Research Assistant and Interim Manager, Assessment Product Development, in the World Languages and International Programs area at the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL). In her work at CAL, Ms. Nier conducts numerous professional development workshops and courses for language educators at the adult, university, and K-12 levels, with a focus on less commonly taught languages. In particular, she has served as an instructor for CAL's STARTALK Proficiency Assessment Training Program from 2008-2010 and 2012-2013. Ms. Nier also manages research projects on the assessment practices, needs, and beliefs of language educators, researchers, and other stakeholders, as well as test development projects focusing on performance assessment and student self-assessment. She has published work on assessment in peer-reviewed journals and presents frequently at academic conferences in the field. Prior to coming to CAL, Ms. Nier work ed in language testing for the federal government and language teaching in ESL, EFL, and bilingual education contexts.

SIGN-UP FOR THIS EVENT IS NOW CLOSED.