The Multiple-level English Testing Framework (MLETF) For English Teaching At Primary Stage

As Li Lanqing, the former vice-premier, (1996) pointed out that Chinese foreign language teaching takes too much investment, but produces so poor effect,and therefore, it urgently demands further research and improvement. With the new National English Curriculum Standards (NECS) for Full-time Compulsory Education and Common Senior Middle School issued in 2001, English course is offered and popularized at primary stage. As foreign language courses are being offered at more and more primary schools in China, the problem in foreign language teaching with great investment but not ideal efficiency or result is becoming serious. In response to the educational reform at the elementary stage seeking a quality—focused system of teaching,learning,assessment and evaluation to cater to the needs of Chinese primary students, it is necessary and urgent to propose a reasonable framework with practicability and operationability.The aim of this study is to make a theoretical framework of the MLETF, mainly probing into the issue of how to combine the new testing theories and teaching approaches with English teaching practice at the primary schools in China, and how to establish a scientific and practical testing framework appropriate for young learners of English with the new NCES as the base.In accordance with the aforementioned framework of the MLETF, Chapter 1 first focuses on the understanding of the concept of testing as a way of informing and facilitating teaching rather than only classifying students for the promotion purpose, and discusses the characteristics of young language learners. The aim is to broaden the scope of language assessment beyond the validation of language proficiency examinations for children learners of a foreign language and use the new theories and research findings in testing practice.Chapter 2 provides an analysis of the current situation of English teaching and problems in traditional English tests at the primary stage.In Chapter 3, based on the theoretical explorations and the analysis of problems in current testing, and in line with the theoretical underpinnings of communicative language testing,this study puts forward the central idea that tests should be designed appropriately for learners with different language proficiency at the same stage. In accordance with the learners'cognitive and linguistic abilities, it is necessary to assess the relative importance of the skills at the given level and to devise an accurate means of measuring the students:success in developing these skills to different aspects of language use. With these implications,a general framework is proposed for testing young learners'communicative language ability. Meantime, several sub frameworks describe'what'and'how'to test in four modalities of listening,speaking,reading and writing and knowledge of vocabulary for the primary school children.Last in this chapter but not least,the study also calls for a test result reporting approach,that is,the establishment of both formative and summative assessment in order to provide a more comprehensive statement about language program and children's language proficiency.The last chapter concludes by reviewing briefly the major points in the previous chapters, examining the limitations of the present study and exploring the implications for further research work. Being tentative and rather crude,this study is open to critical examinations, more reflection,refinement and validation both theoretically and empirically. It is hoped that,with the knowledge of the complexity of language test performance increased,a double effort will be made in order to improve English teaching at Chinese primary schools. So that desired changes in English tests can exert positive washback effects upon teaching and learning for optimal educational value.