Dr Claudia Harsch

Claudia joined the Centre in February 2009. She previously worked at Humboldt University Berlin and University of Augsburg, both Germany. She has a wide range of experience in test development and teacher training.

Her research interests are language assessment; the role of assessment across cultures; analysis and implementation of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages; qualitative methods of constructing language tests and teaching material; teacher training; the role of learners' self assessment; development and assessment of intercultural competences.

Room A 0.16
Tel. 024765 75912
Email: C.Harsch(a)warwick.ac.uk

Education

2002 – 2005 University of Augsburg PhD studies in Didactics of English [Promotionsstudium Didaktik des Englischen]
Thesis: The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Implications and Limitations [Dissertation: Der Gemeinsame europäische Referenzrahmen für Sprachen: Leistung und Grenzen].
2006 Disputatio and Graduation

1997 – 2001 University of Augsburg M.A. equivalent in German as Second/Foreign Language, Didactics of English and Applied Linguistics English [Magisterstudium Deutsch als Fremdsprache, Didaktik des Englischen, Anglistik]. Graduation: Magisterprüfung

Work Experience

2007 – 2009 Humboldt-University Berlin, Germany Research Associate, Institute for Educational Progress IQB [Institut zur Qualitätsentwicklung im Bildungs­wesen]: Scientific Director of the project Evaluating and Implementing the Educational Standards English (SEE1). Research, test development and implementation of the National Educational Standards in English as first foreign language.

2002 – 2007 University of Augsburg, Germany Research Associate, Department of Didactics of English: SEE1-Project: Evaluating and Implementing the Educational Standards English in cooperation with IQB Berlin. Test development and scientific mentoring of item writers. Member of the expert group SEE1- Project. Research and teaching associated with the implementation of the Common European Framework. Test development for the DESI study (proficiency in German and English within the German school system)

Postdoctoral Training

2009 Pre-Conference Workshop IRT-Scaling with Norman Verhelst, EALTA conference, Turku, Finland.

2008 Workshop Working with Large Scale Assessment Data, FDZ IQB Humboldt-University Berlin, Germany.

2007 Pre-Conference Workshop Standard Setting. EALTA conference, Barcelona, Spain.

2005-2007 Nine one-week workshops with Dr. Rita Green in relation with the test development for the SEE1-Projekt at the IQB, Humboldt-University Berlin: English Language Test Development:
- Familiarisation with the Common European Framework of Reference and the German National Educational Standards
- Development of Test Specifications in reading, listening, writing and speaking reflecting 5 levels of the CEFR (A1 to C1)
- Development of reading, listening, writing and speaking tasks
- Development of writing and speaking rating scales
- Administration of trials and analysis of test and questionnaire data in all 4 skills

2006 Pre-Conference Workshop Scientific Research. EALTA conference, Krakow, Poland.

 Publications

 Books

Claudia Harsch, Hans Anand Pant & Olaf Köller (Eds.) (2010): Calibrating Standards-based Assessment Tasks for English as a First Foreign Language. Standard-setting Procedures in Germany. Münster: Waxmann.

André Rupp, Miriam Vock, Claudia Harsch & Olaf Köller (2008): Developing Standards-based Assessment Tasks for English as a First Foreign Language – Context, Processes and Outcomes in Germany. Münster: Waxmann.

Claudia Harsch (2007). Der gemeinsame europäische Referenzrahmen für Sprachen. Leistung und Grenzen. [The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Attainment and Limitations]. Saarbrücken, VDM Verlag Dr. Müller.

Claudia Harsch (2006): Der Gemeinsame europäische Referenzrahmen: Leistung und Grenzen. Die Bedeutung des Referenzrahmens im Kontext der Beurteilung von Sprachvermögen am Beispiel des semikreativen Schreibens im DESI-Projekt. [The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Attainment and Limitations exemplified by the writing assessment in the DESI project]. Inaugural-Dissertation (Online-Publication). http://www.opus-bayern.de/uni-augsburg/volltexte/2006/368/

Bookchapters

Claudia Harsch (in print): Der Einsatz von Sprachtests in der Fremdsprachenforschung: Tests als Untersuchungsgegenstand und Forschungsinstrument. In Doff, S.: Empirisch basierte Methoden in der Fremdsprachenforschung: Eine Einführung. Narr: Tübingen.

Claudia Harsch (in print): Kompetenzen entwickeln, Performanzen überprüfen – Synergien zwischen Lern- und Testaufgaben nutzen. In: Barbara Hinger (ed.): Tagungsband der ÖGSD Innsbruck 2010.

Claudia Harsch & Konrad Schröder (in print): Der C-Test und sein schulischer Wert. Eine Lanze für mehr C-Tests in der Schule. [The C-test and its implications for the Foreign Language classroom. A pledoyer for more C-tests at school]. In: Grotjahn, Rüdiger (Ed.) (2011). Der C-Test: Aktuelle Tendenzen/The C-Test: Current Trends. Frankfurt/M.: Lang, 101-109.

Claudia Harsch & Bernd Tesch (in print): Standards (Lernaufgaben und Testaufgaben). In: Mehrsprachigkeit – Bildung, Kommunikation, Standards, 3. Bundeskongress des GMF.

Claudia Harsch and Simon P. Tiffin-Richards (2010): “Setting Standards in line with the Common European Framework of Reference”.. In: Claudia Harsch, Hans Anand Pant & Olaf Köller (Eds.) (in print): Calibrating Standards-based Assessment Tasks for English as a First Foreign Language. Standard-setting Procedures in Germany. Münster: Waxmann, 9-38.

Claudia Harsch (2010): „Schreibbewertung im Zuge der Normierung der KMK-Bildungsstandards: Der „niveauspezifische Ansatz“ und ausgewählte Schritte zu seiner Validierung“. [Writing Assessment in the context of evaluating the German Educational Standards: The uni-level approach and steps towards its validation]. In: Karin Aguado, Helmut Vollmer & Karen Schramm (Hrsg.): Fremdsprachliches Handeln beobachten, messen und evaluieren: Neue methodische Ansätze der Kompetenzforschung und Videographie. [Observing, assessing and evaluating foreign-languae usage: New methodological research approaches]. KFU Kolloquium Fremdsprachenunterricht. Frankfurt/Main: Lang, 99-117.

Claudia Harsch & Johannes Hartig (2010): „Empirische und inhaltliche Analyse lokaler Abhängigkeiten im C-Test.“ [Empirical and content analysis of local dependencies in the C-test]. In: Rüdiger Grotjahn (ed.): Der C-Test: Beiträge aus der aktuellen Forschung/The C-Test: Contributions from Current Research. Frankfurt/Main: Lang, 193-204.

Claudia Harsch & Konrad Schröder (2008): „Schülerkompetenzen im Englischen: Textrekonstruktion: C-Test.“ [Students’ competences in English as a foreign language: textreconstruction: C-test]. In: DESI-Konsortium (ed.) Ergebnisse der DESI-Studie. [Results of the DESI study]. Weinheim: Beltz, p.149-156.

Claudia Harsch, Konrad Schröder & Astrid Neumann (2008): „Schülerkompetenzen im Englischen: Semikreatives Schreiben.“ [Students’ competences in English as a foreign language: semicreative writing]. In: DESI-Konsortium (ed.) Ergebnisse der DESI-Studie. Weinheim: Beltz, p.139-148.

Claudia Harsch & Konrad Schröder (2007): „Textrekonstruktion: C-Test.“ [Textreconstruction: C-test]. In: Bärbel Beck & Eckhard Klieme (ed.): Sprachliche Kompetenzen: Konzepte und Messungen. DESI-Studie. [Language proficiency: concepts and measurement. DESI study]. Weinheim: Beltz (Pädagogik), p.212-225.

Claudia Harsch, Astrid Neumann, Rainer Lehmann & Konrad Schröder (2007): „Schreibfähigkeit.“ [Writing proficiency]. In: Bärbel Beck & Eckhard Klieme (ed.): Sprachliche Kompetenzen. Konzepte und Messungen. DESI-Studie. Weinheim: Beltz (Pädagogik), p. 42-62.

Claudia Harsch & Konrad Schröder (2006): „Der mühsame Weg zur ‚Neuen Evaluationskultur’ an unseren Schulen.“ [The painstaking way towards the ’new evaluative culture’ in our schools]. In: Hosenfeld/Schrader (ed.): Schulische Leistung. Grundlagen, Bedingungen, Perspektiven. [Achievement at school. Basics, conditions, perspectives]. Waxmann: Münster.

Claudia Harsch & Konrad Schröder (2006): „Der mühsame Weg zur ‚Neuen Evaluationskultur’ an unseren Schulen.“ [The painstaking way towards the ’new evaluative culture’ in our schools]. In: Hosenfeld/Schrader (ed.): Schulische Leistung. Grundlagen, Bedingungen, Perspektiven. [Achievement at school. Basics, conditions, perspectives]. Waxmann: Münster.

Claudia Harsch & Konrad Schröder (2005): „Schule zwischen Selbst- und Fremdbestimmung: Internationale Sprachtests, PISA, DESI und die ‚neue Evaluationskultur’.“ [School between self-determination and heteronomy: International large scale assessment studies and the ‘new evaluative culture”]. In: Josef Maisch (ed.): Evaluation und Analyse in der Schulentwicklung. Ansätze, Methoden und Beispiele für die Schulpraxis. [Evaluation and analysis in school development. Approaches, methods and examples in practice.] Donauwörth: Auer, p. 22-36.

Articles

Claudia Harsch (in revision): “Developing and Assessing Intercultural Communicative Competence – Can Dynamic Assessment be a Way Forward?"

Claudia Harsch & Guido Martin (in revision): “Piloting a new rating scale: rater training and scale revision combined.”

Claudia Harsch & Guido Martin (in revision): “Using descriptors as the basis for analytic ratings – improving level-specific writing assessment.”

Leucht M., Harsch C., Pant H.A. and Köller O. (2012) 'Steuerung zukünftiger Aufgabenentwicklung durch Vorhersage der Schwierigkeiten eines Tests für die erste Fremdsprache Englisch durch Dutch Grid Merkmale. [Guiding future item development via predicting English as a foreign language item difficulties by Dutch Grid characteristics].', Diagnostica, 58 (1), 31 - 44.

Claudia Harsch (2011): “Die Rolle externer Tests in der neuen Evaluationskultur.” [The role of external tests in a new evaluation culture.] In: Otfried Börner & Christ Lehmann (Hrsg.): Kommunikativer Fremdsprachenunterricht. Positionen – Postulate – Perspektiven. Reihe Perspektiven Englisch, 9. Braunschweig: Diesterweg, 32-36.

Claudia Harsch & André A. Rupp (2011): “Designing and Scaling Level-specific CEFR Writing Tasks.” In: Language Assessment Quarterly 8, 1-33.

Claudia Harsch & Johannes Hartig (2011): “Modellbasierte Definition von fremdsprachlichen Kompetenzniveaus am Beispiel der Bildungs­standards Englisch.” [Model-based definitions of competence levels illustrated by the German educational Standards]. In: Zeitschrift für Interkulturelle Fremdsprachen­forschung, 6-17. Online: http://zif.spz.tu-darmstadt.de/jg-16-2/beitrag/Harsch_Hartig.pdf.

Claudia Harsch & Konrad Schröder (2010): „Hoffnungsvoller Aufbruch. Neue Zeiten für Leistungserhebung, Leistungsmessung und Benotung.“ A hopeful beginning: New times for assessment and school grades]. In: Praxis Englisch, 3, 44-46.

Claudia Harsch (2009): „Das Nutzen externer Evaluation im fremdsprachlichen Unterricht“. [The use of external evaluation in the foreign language classroom]. In: Praxis fsu 01/09.

Claudia Harsch (2009): "Lesekompetenzen fördern und überprüfen." [Fostering and assessing reading comprehension] In: What's new. Autumn 2009, 16-18. Full length article online: www.cornelsen.de/whatsnew

Claudia Harsch & Dorothea Nöth (2007): „Was können die fremdsprachlichen Bildungsstandards der KMK leisten?“ [What is the accomplishment of the Educational Standards of the KMK?] In: Praxis fsu 06/07, p. 2-6.

Claudia Harsch (2007): „Kann Positivbewertung das Allheilmittel bei der Bewertung schriftsprachlicher Kompetenzen sein?“ [Can positive assessment be the ’universal remedy’ for assessing writing proficiency?] In: Praxis fsu 03/07, p. 2-6.

Konrad Schröder, Claudia Harsch & Günter Nold (2006): „DESI – Die sprachpraktischen Kompetenzen unserer Schülerinnen und Schüler im Bereich Englisch. Zentrale Befunde.“ [DESI. The communicative competencies of German students in the field of English as a foreign language]. In: Neusprachliche Mitteilungen 03/2006.

Encyclopedia Entries

Claudia Harsch (2010): “Der Kompetenzbegriff in der bildungspolitischen Diskussion”. [The concept of competence in educational policies]. In: Carola Surkamp (Hrsg.): Lexikon Fremdsprachendidaktik. Stuttgart/Weimar: J.B. Metzler, 140-142.

Claudia Harsch (2010): “Fremdsprachenzertifikate”. [Foreign Language Certificates]. In: Carola Surkamp (Hrsg.): Lexikon Fremdsprachendidaktik. Stuttgart/Weimar: J.B. Metzler, 337-339.

Other

Leucht, M., Harsch, C., Nöth, D. & Köller, O. (2009) 'Bereitstellung eines normierten Aufgabenpools für kompetenzbasierte Vergleichsarbeiten im Fach Englisch in der 8. Jahrgangsstufe im Schuljahr 2008/2009 [Development of a normed item pool for competence-based tests for English.', Technical Report: IQB.

Claudia Harsch (2004): “Writing Assessment: How the Common European Framework of Reference can be used for developing assessment scales”. In: British Council Germany (ed.): Standards in Language Learning and the Common European Framework. Berlin, 5 -6 March 2004, Conference Report.

Claudia Harsch (2001): Verstehen - Verständnis - Verständigung. Ein interkultureller Kalender. Unveröffentlichte Magisterarbeit, [Understand – Comprehend – Communicate. An intercultural calender. Unpublished M.A. thesis], Universität Augsburg.


Selected Presentations at Conferences

Invited presentations

2012 Plenary talk ELT Convention at METU, Ankara, Turkey.

2012 Claudia Harsch &Carol Spoettl: From principle to practice in writing assessment: What can we learn from large-scale tests for classroom assessment? IATEFL TEASIG Pre-Conference Event, Glasgow, UK

2011 Claudia Harsch &Henning Rossa: Förderung produktiver Sprachkompetenzen – Diagnose und Rückmeldung. Developing productive language skills - diagnosis and feedback. DGFF-Tagung, Hamburg, Germany.

2010 Claudia Harsch: Performanzen überprüfen – Synergien zwischen Lern- und Testaufgaben nutzen [assessing performances: Using synergies between tasks for learning and assessment]. Key note, 3rd ÖGSD Conference, Innsbruck, Austria.

2010 Claudia Harsch: Developing and assessing intercultural competence – can dynamic assessment be a way forward? Symposium, BAAL conference, Aberdeen, UK.

2008 Claudia Harsch & Korad Schröder: How to Introduce Rating Techniques into the FL Classroom. ALTE, Cambridge, UK.

2008 Claudia Harsch & Johannes Hartig: Item difficulty modelling. Kolloquium „Methoden der empirischen Bildungsforschung“ [Methods in empirical educational research], Hirschegg, Austria.

2007 Claudia Harsch: Der “Gemeinsame Europäische Referenzrahmen“, Bildungsstandards und Aufgabenentwicklung. [The Common European Framework, Educational Standards and task development], GMF [Affiliation for Language Teachers], Hildesheim, Germany.

2007 Lesekompetenzforum der „LernendeRegion Main-Kinzig/Spessart“. Eröffnungsvortrag: Die Bildungsstandards und der Gemeinsame europäische Referenzrahmen – Bedeutung für den Fremdsprachenunterricht. [Key note: Educational Standards and the Common European Framework of Reference: Implications for teaching foreign languages]. Workshop: Aufgabenentwicklung zur Förderung des Leseverstehens. [Developing tasks to enhance reading comprehension].

2006 Arbeitstagung des Zentrums für Lehrerbildung und Schul- und Unterrichts­forschung an der J. W. Goethe-Universität Frankfurt/Main und des Deutschen Instituts für Internationale Pädagogische Forschung. Presentation: Ergebnisse der DESI-Studie. Module Textrekonstruktion und semi­kreatives Schreiben. [Results of the DESI study. Test modules C-test and semi-creative writing]. Leitung der Arbeitsgruppe „Konsequenzen für die Schulpraxis, Korrekturver-halten“. [Chairing the forum on consequences for school routines and assessment].

2006 Claudia Harsch, Günter Nold & Konrad Schröder: Testmodule und Ergebnisse der DESI-Studie. [Test modules and results of the DESI-Study]. Gründungskongress des GMF [Inaugurating congress of the Affiliation for Language Teachers], Universität Nürnberg-Erlangen, Germany.

2005 Claudia Harsch: Der Gemeinsame europäische Referenzrahmen, Bildungsstandards und Leistungserhebung. [The Common European Framework of Reference, Educational Standards and assessment]. EXPO-Lingua, Berlin, Germany.

2005 Claudia Harsch & Konrad Schröder: DESI-Kompetenzniveaus und die Niveaus des GER. [Levels of competency in DESI and their relation to the CEF-Levels]. ALTE 2nd International Conference, Berlin, Germany.

2004 Claudia Harsch: Writing Assessment: How the “Common European Framework of Reference” can be used for developing assessment scales. National ELT Conference: Standards in language learning and the Common European Framework, British Council, Berlin.

2003 Claudia Harsch und Konrad Schröder: Textproduktion in der Fremdsprache: Beteiligte Leistungsdimensionen und Zuverlässigkeit der Beurteilung. [Text production in the foreign language: dimensions of proficiency and reliability of assessment]. AEPF-Symposium, J. W. Goethe-Universität Frankfurt/Main, Germany.

International Conferences

2012 Claudia Harsch: Assessing the Communicative in Intercultural Communication. Language Testing Forum, Lancaster.

2010 Claudia Harsch & Johannes Hartig: An examination of difficulty-determining characteristics in reading and listening tasks. EALTA, Den Haag, The Netherlands.

2009 Johannes Hartig, Claudia Harsch & Jana Hoehler: Modeling Item Difficulties for Reading Comprehension in English as a Foreign Language. EARLI Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

2009 Claudia Harsch: Developing Assessment Literacy. FDZE/CELTE, University of Vienna, Austria.

2008 Claudia Harsch & Guido Martin: Evaluation and Control of Rater Reliability: Holistic vs. Analytic Scoring. EALTA, Athens, Greece.

2008 Claudia Harsch, André A. Rupp, Raphaela Oehler & Guido Martin: Rating Quality of Uni-level Writing Tasks linked to the CEFR: Results from G-theory and Facets Analyses. AERA, New York, USA.

2007 Johannes Hartig & Claudia Harsch: Umgang mit lokalen Abhängigkeiten bei der Skalierung des C-Tests. [Local dependencies of C-Test Items]. Tagung der Fachgruppe DPPD [Conference of the interest group Differential Psychology, Personality Psychology and Psychological Diagnosis], Vienna, Austria.

2007 Claudia Harsch & Rita Green: The challenge of constructing a valid writing assessment system based on the CEF. EALTA, Sitges, Spain.

2006 Claudia Harsch: How to describe DESI proficiency levels (writing) in terms of the Common European Framework. EALTA, Krakow, Poland.


Invited Seminars and Teacher training (in-service training)

2011 Online seminar for test developers at the Quality Agency Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

2011 Workshop for item writers at the Quality Agency Wiesbaden, Hessen, Germany: Central exams for English in lower secondary education: test development procedures.

2010 Workshop for item writers and proof readers at the Quality Agency Wiesbaden, Hessen, Germany: Central exams for English in lower secondary education: test development and revision procedures.

2009 Two teacher training seminars, Institue for Teacher Training Saarbrücken, Saarland, Germany: Rating written learner productions of the A-levels.

2008 Four teacher training seminars, Institue for Teacher Training Saarbrücken, Saarland, Germany: Rating written learner productions of the A-levels.

2008 Rater Training (eight one-day sessions) for the SEE1 project in cooperation with Guido Martin, IEA-DPC Hamburg

2008 Three workshops for item writers at the Quality Agency Wiesbaden, Hessen, Germany: Developing central exams for English in lower secondary education.

2008 Two rater training workshops for the project ”Assessing 6th graders’ English proficiency“, Hamburg and Potsdam, Germany.

2006 - 2008 Several seminars and item writer workshops within the project ”Assessing 6th graders’ English proficiency“, partly in cooperation with Dr. Rita Green.

2007 Teacher training, School Agency Kassel, Germany: Educational Standards and the development of language proficiency in the FL classroom.

2007 Workshop for item writers and teacher trainers, Quality Agency Meißen, Sachsen Germany: Standards-based test formats in the EFL classroom.

2007 Two teacher training seminars, School Agency Fulda, Hessen, Germany: Developing reading and listening skills in FL teaching.

2007 Two seminars for teacher trainers, Quality Agency Boppard, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany: Developing reading and listening skills.

2007 Workshop for teacher trainers, Quality Agency Meißen, Sachsen, Germany: Rating procedures in the assessment of written learner productions of the A-levels.

2006 - 2007 Several seminars to implement the Educational Standards and the CEF; workshops to train item writers; Teacher Training Agency, Frankfurt/Main, Germany.

2006 Three-day teacher training seminar, Teacher Training Agency Hamburg, Germany: Standards in English Language Teaching. Key Note and two workshops.

2006 Seminar for teacher trainers, Teacher Training Academy Dillingen, Bavaria, Germany: Assessment of written learner productions.

2006 Teacher training workshop. Regional Forum on Quality in Education, Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany: Developing reading and writing proficiency with regards to the Educational Standards. Principles of task development.