Analysis of Assessment Tool Based On Browns’ Five Language Principles

INTRODUCTION

            English learning and teaching is different all over the world. In Indonesia, English is considered as a foreign language. In English learning, students are assigned to learn both spoken and written form of English. As non native speakers, many students have difficulties in learning English. The problems are pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, and also the influence of their first language. It becomes teacher’s responsibility to help their students to cope those problems. In teaching English in junior high school, teacher must take the curriculum as their guidance. Curriculum 2013 consists of guidelines about the competence that students should have. Based on curriculum 2013, one competence that students have to master is the writing ability. Students are expected to be able to produce texts in three different genres: descriptive text, recount text and procedure text. Each of these genres has different purpose and structure. They are also expected to be able to compose short functional texts such as letter, advertisement, invitation and short passages related to its context. In order to measure students’ ability in writing short functional texts, teacher should administer qualified assessment tool. It becomes important since by administering an assessment tool, students can show their performance and understanding about what they have learnt. This paper aims to analyze the assessment tools used in an English book for junior high school level that is based on curriculum 2013. Brown’s five language principles are used as the indicator to analyze the quality of the assessment tools. Those principles are practicality, reliability, validity, authenticity and washback. This paper will describe the description, the findings and also the discussion about the analysis of assessment tools.

Description of Assessment Tool

            Open-ended assessments are analyzed in this paper. The assessment tools are designed to assess writing ability of the second grade students in junior high school to compose a short functional text. These assessment tools assign the students to make their own invitation and greeting card. The purpose of these assessment tools is to measure the students’ knowledge and performance about what they have learnt in one semester. The focuses of the test are grammar and writing skill. Theses assessment tools use the direction to guide students in doing the exercise.

            These are informal and non-testing assessments. They consist of direction and open-ended questions. They require open-ended answers. They are formative assessments since they are used to measure what students have learnt in one chapter. These assessment tools are considered as indirect and classroom assessments. The result of these assessment tools are in the form of qualitative data. These assessment tools are using subjective method. The assessment tools were made in 2013 in which based on the curriculum 2013.

Description of Learning Program in Junior High School

            According to Curriculum 2013, the learning programs are focused on the ability to write short functional texts and daily expression. Students are expected to be able to compose short functional texts such as letter, advertisement, invitation, and etc. Students are also expected to be able to identify the social function and structure of short functional texts In the chapter IV of English book titled When English Rings a Bell, the learning objectives concerned on the ability to make a personal invitation card and a greeting card. At the end of the learning program, students are assigned to make their own invitation and greeting card. These assessment tools are designed to measure students writing ability related to the curriculum and syllabus design.