Some Considerations for ESL Program Evaluation

Abstract

There is a robust tradition of program evaluation in the field of testing and measurement, but within the TESOL community, pro gram evaluation has only recently begun to be considered as a vital component. To identify some of the major concepts involved, we provide an overview of the better known approaches in program evaluation and, where applicable, focus attention on related measurement issues. We attempt to relate the following to ESL pro grams: formative and summative evaluation, criterion-, growth-, and norm-referenced evaluation, and related psychometric considera tions.