NECTFL: Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages

The Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages

2008 Stephen A. Freeman Award for Best Published Article on Language Teaching Techniques to Appear in a Professional Journal during the Previous Academic Year: Bonnie Adair-Hauck, Eileen W. Glisan, Keiko Koda, Elvira B. Swender, & Paul Sandrock. "The Integrated Performance Assessment (IPA): Connecting Assessment to Instruction and Learning." Foreign Language Annals, 39(3): 359-382, Fall 2006.

The Northeast Conference is delighted to honor these five outstanding authors for their article reporting on a U.S. Department of Education-funded research initiative designed to "develop an integrated skills assessment prototype that would measure students' progress towards the Standards for Foreign Language Learning" (pp. 359-360). As the use of the IPA produced a washback effect on instructors, the authors achieved their second goal of presenting the potential of assessment to effect curricular and pedagogical change. Enriched with sample rubrics and other pertinent materials, supported by an extensive reference list, and appropriately framed by an introduction to current practice in assessment as well as suggestions for future research, this article is a model of clarity, usefulness and meticulous, creative thinking. Furthermore, it illustrates the authors' ability and willingness to engage teachers by encouraging reflection: teacher comments on the IPA training constitute a valuable component of this article and serve to provide credibility. The authors do not shy from revealing that the process of designing, modifying and implementing the prototype IPA required nearly ten years, an important admission in an era when educators are often asked to perform miracles overnight. They provide helpful detail on the integrative nature of this instrument: its connection of standards and performance guidelines, of interpretive, interpersonal and presentational modes, of real-world and classroom communication, of "classroom experiences and performance on assessments" (p. 360), of knowledge and skill, of authenticity and psychometric rigor. They make clear that although the work on the prototype has resolved myriad issues, many more - often identified by teachers - are still to be confronted: "the lack of age-appropriate authentic materials; difficulty of preparing learners for interpersonal communication or teaching the students how to communicate and 'think on their feet' without prescripted dialogues; and difficulty of not being able to convert rubrics into letter grades for their school districts. This latter challenge regarding grades illuminates the depth that the standards and standards-based assessment imply." (p. 373).

NECTFL congratulates these five colleagues for their achievement and for their major contribution to our profession. We strongly encourage colleagues to read this article which cannot help but influence their thinking and stretch their imaginations!