Method And criteria for assessing vocabulary skill

Common Mechanisms Used in Schools

Problems can arise in vocabulary assessments because it's not easy to identify what it means to know a word. Some of the assessment mechanisms schools commonly use include:

• observational data (What can you determine about the person's vocabulary from having a conversation with them?)
• vocabulary games
• teacher created tests
• word journals (journals where students keep track of the words they have learned and definitions)

standardized tests (The Peabody Picture Vocabulary test is one option, but other more advanced standardized tests such as the SAT, GRE and GMAT all encompass a vocabulary portion as well.)

Some of these mechanisms are better than others. In general, the best assessment is one that gives you a true picture of the number of words a person knows, as well as an understanding of how developed the individual's abilities are to determine the meaning of the word from context clues.

Many Options for Assessing Vocabulary

• Assessing vocabulary can be difficult because the true measure of a person's vocabulary isn't just whether they have memorized a list of words, but is instead how many total words they know overall and use in everyday conversation and writing. Consider reviewing these summative and formative assessment examples for students to learn more about how to evaluate learner progress. Then, if you want to up your game when it comes to teaching vocabulary, check out these games to play with children to build vocabulary.