A Broad Conceptualization of Assessing Extensive Reading (JLTA 2012 Keynote Speech)

Abstract

A perusal of the extensive reading literature shows that assessment has played a minor role that has been confined to the presentation of lower-order factual questions. In this paper I propose a broader role for assessment in extensive reading classrooms that is designed to bring extensive reading closer to the center of the foreign language curriculum. This requires that teachers conceptualize the role of extensive reading in foreign language curricula more broadly by viewing it as an important opportunity to work on cognitive, affective, and social goals and objectives. In this conceptualization, extensive reading is combined with the Revised Bloom's taxonomy to yield a richer form of pedagogy that gives extensive reading a more important role in the foreign language curriculum, allows for the teaching of the six levels of cognizing that make up the taxonomy, and thereby yields a firm foundation for assessing extensive reading, particularly when the assessment follows a particular set of general classroom assessment principles. The result is a rich set of assessment practices that go well beyond the mere assessment of factual recall; they have the potential to enhance the extensive reading experience, lead students to engage in higher-order thinking, and make important contributions to student learning.