This weekend a new chapter that I co-wrote was finally published online.

Studies with young L2 English learners have shown differences in learners’ L2 English proficiency. This creates a situation in which learners in a classroom often form a very heterogeneous group. In this study, we report on the development of an online tool to assess pupils’ proficiency level at the start of formal instruction in Flanders. We used group concept mapping and a teacher questionnaire to investigate what this tool should look like. Results indicated that teachers opted for an online test that contained tasks for all four language skills. In the second part of the chapter, we report on one of the challenges that came with the development of this online tool, i.e. finding a method to assess learners’ writing that is both reliable and easy to use. In order to do this, we explored the possibility of using benchmark texts which were selected in a two-stage approach using comparative judgment. Results showed that this method with five benchmark texts that teachers can use to correct their learners’ writing can indeed be used reliably and efficiently.

Reference: De Wilde, V., De Meyer, G., De Bruyckere, P. (2023). Assessing L2 English Skills in an Online Environment: What Can This Look Like and How to Assess L2 English Writing Skills?. In: Suárez, MdM., El-Henawy, W.M. (eds) Optimizing Online English Language Learning and Teaching. English Language Education, vol 31. Springer, Cham. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-27825-9_16