Assessment Policy

ASSESSMENT POLICY

The SFL is committed to developing and implementing its courses, the three components of which are closely aligned and reinforce each other: learning objectives, instructional activities, and assessment. Therefore, assessment activities are designed using appropriate tools to assess whether the learning objectives are achieved, and the curricula are used to determine the content for assessment. Because the efficiency of the assessment system is given great significance, a separate unit, the Testing Office, has been established in order to design, conduct, supervise, and improve assessment activities for all courses offered in the SFL.

The main objectives of the assessment process at the SFL are to:

provide a clear picture of individual student progress for instructors and students such that appropriate actions may be taken to promote further progress.
evaluate the English proficiency level of each student to ensure that students are competent enough to begin their undergraduate education in their departments.
ensure access and equality of opportunity while preserving the integrity of the program.
design assessment tools that require students to use their higher cognitive abilities.

Reliability and Validity

The aim of the SFL is for all students to have gained detailed familiarity with the assessment tools before they are carried out during and at the end of each term. It is highly important to be internally consistent in the process of creating assessment tools throughout the academic year. In order to provide internal consistency, certain steps are taken to cross-check the exams sufficiently throughout the preparation process.

The learning objectives and instructional activities are two key elements in the design of assessment tools. The validity of the assessment process is ensured by aligning the assessment tools with these two elements. Certain procedures are applied in order to verify the internal alignment of the assessment tools and the abovementioned course elements.

Internal Verification

In-Term Exam Preparation Process

STEP 1: Distribution of Exam Writing Tasks	The distribution of exam writing task is carried out before the commencement of each quarter term.
STEP 2: Authoring the Exam	The exam is written by the assigned Testing Office member. The suggested time to complete this step is 5 work days.
STEP 3: Review by The Skills Coordinator	A hardcopy of the exam is reviewed by the relevant skills coordinator according to a specified checklist. The suggested time to complete this step is 2 work days.
STEP 4: Post-Review Edition	The exam author edits the soft copy of the exam and keeps the reviewed hardcopy. The suggested time to complete this step is 1 work day.
STEP 5: Review by the Proofreader	The edited hardcopy of the exam is proofread by the assigned Testing Office member, preferably a native speaker of English. The suggested time to complete this step is 2 work days.
STEP 6: Post-Review Edition	The exam author edits the soft copy of the exam and keeps the reviewed hardcopy. The suggested time to complete this step is 1 work day.
STEP 7: Final Review by the Testing Coordinator	The edited hardcopy and all previous hardcopy edition of the exam are crosschecked by the Testing Coordinator. The suggested time to complete this step is 2 work days.
STEP 8: Post-Review Edition	The exam author edits the soft copy of the exam if necessary. The suggested time to complete this step is 1 work day.
STEP 9: Printing Approval	The Testing Coordinator checks the final hardcopy of the exam and approves the exam.
STEP 10: Printing and Classifying	The assigned Testing Office member(s) prints, staples and classifies the exam sheets in envelopes according to the number of groups.
STEP 11: Storing the Exam	A soft copy of the exam is saved in the server directory. The hardcopies of all the editions are archived.

BTU-YDS Exam Preparation Process

Item Writing

STEP 1: Distribution of Exam Writing Tasks	Item writing tasks are distributed by the Testing Coordinator, preferably not later than the beginning of the spring semester.
STEP 2: Writing the Assigned Items	The items are written by the assigned Testing Office members. The duration of this step depends on the time remaining before the completion of the 4th quarter term.
STEP 3: 1^st Review by The Testing Coordinator	The writers submit hardcopies of the written items to the Testing Coordinator in order to receive feedback on their work. The duration of this step depends on the workload.
STEP 4: 1^st Edition by the Writers	The writers edit their items according to the feedback they have received. The duration of this step depends on the feedback.
STEP 5: Sharing All Items with the Members	The writers share hardcopies of the edited versions of their items with all team members.
STEP 6: Individual Reviews	Having received all the items, the team members review the items individually and take notes of their suggestions when necessary. The duration of this step is decided together.
STEP 7: Review Meetings	The team members have a meeting in order to share their feedback and suggestions. The team works through each question and answer choice option and reaches a compromise on the suggestions.
STEP 8: Proofreading the Items	Steps 6 and 7 repeat until all items are reviewed. Meanwhile, the hardcopies of the reviewed items are proofread by the proofreader.
STEP 9: Editing the Items	The proofreader submits the hardcopies to two assigned Testing Office members and the softcopies of the items are edited.
STEP 10: Storing Approval	The Testing Coordinator checks the final hardcopies of the items and approves them to be stored in the relevant question banks.
STEP 11: Adding Items to the Question Bank	Two assigned Testing Office members enter the items into the question bank and make sure they are stored safely.

Generating the Exam

STEP 12: Generating Session 1 and Session 2 Exams	The Session 1 Exam is generated using the Exam View software. The Session 2 Exam is generated manually. One Testing Office member is assigned to generate the exams.
STEP 13: Final Check and Printing Approval	The hardcopy of the generated exam is crosschecked by the Testing Coordinator and approved for printing.
STEP 14: Printing and Classifying	The assigned Testing Office member(s) prints, staples and classifies the exam sheets in envelopes according to the number of groups.
STEP 15: Labeling the Used Items in the Question Banks	One assigned Testing Office member labels the used items in the question banks in order to prevent re-using them in future exams.

PROCTORING POLICY

BTU SFL sets and maintains clear standards in order to achieve the following major objectives in terms of proctoring.

establish clear standards, expectations, and procedures for examinations
promote the principle of procedural fairness in a transparent, respectful and confidential manner.

Proctoring Guidelines

Proctoring Procedures for In-Term Exams

A. Before the Exam
A.1. Be ready in the exam room 10 mins. before the exam start time.
A.2. Write the start and finish time of the exam.
A.3. Attendance: Make sure each student puts his/her school ID, name, surname and signature on the attendance sheet.
A.4. Mobile Phones:
A.4.1. Tell students to turn off their mobile phones and put them on the teacher’s desk.
A.4.2. Switch your own mobile phone to silent mode.
B. During the Exam
B.1. All classroom doors are to remain open during the exam EXCEPT FOR the “Listening” part or “Listening Exam”.
B.2. It is your professional duty NOT to do other things while proctoring the exam, such as reading, texting, computer work or anything else that requires you to take your eyes off the students. You must keep an eye on the students at all times or they may be tempted to cheat.
B.3. If a student arrives late, make sure he/she signs the attendance sheet before leaving the exam room.
B.4. Cheating:
B.4.1. 1st TIME: If you see a student cheating, write “1st warning + time of cheating + your signature” on the student’s exam paper.
B.4.2. 2nd TIME: If you see the same student cheating for the second time: First, write on a blank sheet of paper a report of what you saw (e.g. talking or whispering to another student / looking at another student’s exam / looking at material that is forbidden in the test room, etc.).
Second, at the end of the exam, put a “C” in the upper right-hand corner of the student’s
exam sheet.
Third, let one of the assistant directors (or, if they are not available, someone else from
the management) know about the incident and submit your report.
After the Exam
B.5. Make sure you have the correct number of exam and/or answer sheets, and all the
students have signed the attendance sheet.
B.6. Put all the documents back into the envelope and submit it to the grader without delay.

Proctoring Procedures for BTU YDS Exam

STAGE 1
A. Duration of the Exam
A.1. The exam takes 150 minutes (10:00-12:30).
A.2. No student is allowed in after the first 30 minutes.
A.3. No student can leave the exam room within the first 30 minutes
A.4. The students can use the restrooms only before or after the exam. If a student leaves the exam room during the exam, they are not allowed to re-enter.
B. Before the Exam
B.1. Be ready in the exam room 30 minutes before the exam start time (9:30).
B.2. Write on the board: Start: 10:00 - Finish: 12:30
B.3. Attendance
B.3.1. Rooms with new BTU students: Check National ID cards and make sure the information and the photos match.
B.3.2. Rooms with older BTU students: Check BTU ID cards (OR Exam Registration Forms) and make sure the information and the photos match.
B.3.3. Rooms with MA students or undergraduate students: Check BOTH National ID cards and Exam Registration Forms and make sure the information and the photos match.
B.3.4. If a student doesn’t have the documents described above, send him/her to see the SFL Secretary or the assistant directors for a written permission slip to enter the exam.
B.3.5. Have the students write their names on the attendance list and sign.
B.3.6. Tell students to turn off their mobile phones and put them on the teacher’s desk. Switch your own mobile phone to silent mode.
C. During the Exam
C.1. Keep the door open during the exam.
C.2. It is your professional duty NOT to do other things while proctoring the exam, such as
reading, texting, computer work or anything else that requires you to take your eyes
off the students. You must keep an eye on the students at all times or they may be
tempted to cheat.
C.3. If a student arrives late, make sure he/she signs the attendance sheet before leaving
the exam room.
C.4. Cheating:
C.4.1. 1st TIME: If you see a student cheating, write “1st warning + time of cheating + your signature” on the student’s exam paper.
C.4.2. 2nd TIME: If you see the same student cheating for the second time: First, write on a blank sheet of paper a report of what you saw (e.g. talking or whispering to another student / looking at another student’s exam / looking at material that is forbidden in the test room, etc.). Second, at the end of the exam, put a “C” in the upper right-hand corner of the student’s exam sheet. Third, let one of the assistant directors (or, if they are not available, someone else from the management) know about the incident and submit your report.
D. After the Exam
D.1. Make sure you have the correct number of exams/answer sheets and that all of the students have signed the attendance sheet.
D.2. Put all the documents back into the envelope and return it to the Testing Office members without delay.
STAGE 2
A. Duration of the Exam
A.1. The exam starts at 10:00. The LS audio takes around 30 minutes and the WR exam takes 70 minutes.
A.2. The LS and WR exams will be held in the same session consecutively without any breaks.
A.3. No student is allowed in during the LS audio listening segment. The audio file must not be interrupted. The doors should be closed during the listening portion of the exam and the reserve proctors will be in the hallway to prevent latecomers from interrupting the listening exam.
A.4. Latecomers can enter and take the WR exam after the LS audio listening segment finishes. They will not be given the LS questions or allowed to hear the audio file.
A.5. The students can use the restrooms only before or after the exam. If a student leaves the exam room during the exam he/she is not allowed to re-enter.
B. Before the Exam
B.1. Be ready in the exam room 15 minutes before the exam start time (9:45).
B.2. Upload the audio file to the PC/smartboard in the exam room.
B.3. Tell the students to turn off their mobile phones and put them on the teacher’s desk. Switch your own mobile phone to silent mode.
B.4. Attendance
B.4.1. Make the students write their names on the attendance list and sign.
B.4.2. Check the BTU ID cards and attendance sheet to make sure the information and the photos match.
B.4.3. If the student doesn’t have a BTU ID card, send him/her to see the SFL Secretary for a written permission slip to enter the exam.
C. During the Exam
C.1. Keep the door closed during the LS exam and open during the WR exam.
C.2. Step-by-step Procedures for proctors
C.2.1.Hand out the LS sheets before the audio listening file.
C.2.2.Start playing the exam audio listening file.
C.2.3.Collect the LS Exam sheets when the audio file finishes.
C.2.4.Immediately hand out the WR exam sheets
C.2.5.Check the time, and write the start and finish time of the WR exam on the board.
C.2.6.Collect the WR exam sheets when the exam is finished.
C.3. It is your professional duty NOT to do other things while proctoring the exam, such as reading, texting, computer work or anything else that requires you to take your eyes off the students. You must keep an eye on the students at all times or they may be tempted to cheat.
C.4. If a student arrives after the LS exam, give him/her only the WR exam and make sure he/she signs the attendance sheet before leaving the exam room.
D. After the Exam
D.1. Make sure you have the correct number of LS and WR exam sheets and that all the students have signed the attendance sheet.
D.2. Put all the documents back into the envelope and return it to the Testing Office without delay.

GRADING POLICY

The main purpose of SFL grading policy is to ensure student progress through learning. Appropriate grading will inform teacher planning, direct improvement, and differentiate teaching. It is essential that teachers provide feedback through grading in the formative stages of learning so that students can improve their work and make progress over time to meet their full potential. In order to ensure grading standards, teachers are required to follow certain procedures. They are listed below.

Marking Guidelines

Marking Procedures for In-Term Exams

1. Answer Keys
1.1 After each exam, the answer key is provided in the “Testing Shared Folder for All Teachers” in the O-Drive.
1.2 The answer keys include all possible answers for each item and the suggested scores for various responses that meet, partly meet, or fail to meet the expected answers in the key.
2. Rubrics
2.1 Scoring rubrics are used for the Writing and Speaking exams.
2.2 The PD Unit is responsible for training and/or assisting graders for the standardized implementation of the rubric through one-on-one meetings, workshops and/or norming sessions.
3. Grade Sheet
3.1 All exam envelopes contain a separate sheet for recording student grades. The grades should not be written on the attendance sheet.
4. Double Marking Procedures for Speaking Exams
4.1 Speaking exams are carried out by two examiners. Students enter the exam one-by-one and are assessed individually during the exam. The examiners assess the exam, interact with the test-taker, and manage the exam.
4.2 A desk must be provided for the test-taker to write on and see the number cards. The seating arrangement with the test-taker and the two examiners must be triangle-shaped.
4.3 The assessors are provided with separate rubrics, which are designated to assess the speaking test. The assessors fill in the rubric and grade the test-taker’s performance. The entire test is recorded with an audio recorder.
5. Double Marking Procedures for the Writing Exams
5.1 The first and second graders are announced by the Testing Office before each Writing Exam.
5.2 After the first assessment, the original exam sheets are submitted to the second graders. Blind double marking, in which the second assessor of the paper has no prior knowledge of the first assessors score, is important for an unbiased evaluation.
5.3 After both have graded the exam paper, the first and second assessors meet in order to compare their assessment outcomes. The scores given by the two assessors for a certain student paragraph or essay should be compared and the variance between the scores should be calculated by those assessors. If the difference between the scores is equal to or less than 10 percent, the scores should be averaged for the student’s final grade. If the difference between the scores is greater than 10 percent, a third assessor is asked to evaluate the exam.
5.4 After the third grader’s assessment, the average of the nearest two scores is accepted as the final grade.
5.5 The final grades are written by the assessors on the grade sheet, and the grade sheet is submitted to the assigned member in the Testing Office.
A. SESSION 1
A.1. Marking Procedures for Multiple Choice Exams
A.1.1 The multiple choice test has eighty questions, each of which has four options. The test is assessed using an optical scanner and a licensed software program. The step-by-step procedures of the assessment software are enclosed in the appendix.
A.1.2 The optical scanner software saves the results as a Microsoft Excel file. The assigned Testing Office member who is carrying out the assessment sends the Excel file to specified members of the administrative unit.
A.1.3 The file is uploaded to and published on the SFL website, where students are able to access and check their results using a special interface which has been programmed only for the announcement of exam results.
B. SESSION 2
B.1. Marking Procedure for Listening Exam
B.1.1 The listening test consists of multiple choice questions. After the test, an assigned teacher checks the exam papers using the answer key, which is provided only after the exam is completed.
B.1.2 The scores are written on the grade sheet, and the grade sheet is submitted to the assigned member in the Testing Office.
C.1.7 If a test-taker does not attend the exam on time, the assessors can continue the test with the next student.
C.1.8 Any test-taker who comes late to the exam should ask for permission from the management to enter the exam at a later time.
C.1.9 Frequently, there is a difference between the grades assigned by each assessor. If the difference in assigned grades is less than 10 points, the average of the two grades may be decided as the final grade. If the difference is more than 10 points, a third assessor is asked to assess the student’s performance using the audio recording. Then, the average of the nearest two scores is accepted as the final grade.
C.1.10 The final grades are written on the grade sheet by the examiner, and the grade sheet is submitted to the appropriate teacher to enter the grades into the automation system.
C.1.11 The exam envelopes are submitted to the assigned officer in the SFL administrative unit for archiving purposes after the exam and assessment procedures are completed.
D. ANNOUNCING THE RESULTS
D.1 The scores on the grade sheets of the listening, writing and speaking exams are entered in an Excel file in order to be published on the SFL website. The Excel file calculates the final scores using the formula set according to the weights of the individual exams determined by the regulations of SFL.
D.2 The file is uploaded to and published on the SFL website where students will be able to access and check their results using a special interface programmed only for the announcement of exam results.

Marking Verification

Since there are more than a hundred exam envelopes per quarter, a sampling procedure is implemented in order to verify the assessment of exams. The procedure is conducted by an officer working in the SFL administrative unit.

Sampling Procedure

A2 Level

Exam envelopes from four different A2 level groups are selected as samples for verification. The scores on the exam sheets are compared with the scores on the grade sheets, which are checked against the scores entered into the automation system.

B1 Level
Exam envelopes from four different B1 level groups are selected as samples for verification. The scores on the exam sheets are compared with the scores on the grade sheets, which are checked against the scores entered into the automation system.

B1+ Level
Exam envelopes from four different B1+ level groups are selected as samples for verification. The scores on the exam sheets are compared with the scores on the grade sheets, which are checked against the scores entered into the automation system.

B2 (Academic Skills) Level
Exam envelopes from four different B2 (Academic Skills) level groups are selected as samples for verification. The scores on the exam sheets are compared with the scores on the grade sheets, which are checked against the scores entered into the automation system.

CHEATING POLICY

The SFL has a zero-tolerance cheating policy. Disciplinary action is taken against students caught cheating, plagiarizing, or copying on exams and assignments. Instructors are required to report these instances to the administration as they occur. urthermore, the SFL utilizes Turnitin, a software program for the detection of plagiarism, to ensure the authenticity of its students’ work.

As part of its mission statement, the SFL aims to develop its students’ abilities to help them reach their full academic, professional, and social potential. To this end, the SFL is therefore committed to providing its students with the tools they need to be original, authentic, and ethical in their academic and professional work.