Press Release
"Assessment" is the 2011 Academic Word of the Year
2011-12-15
El Monte, CA, December 15, 2011: The votes are in, and the 2011 Academic Word of the Year is "ASSESSMENT."
Thousands of votes were cast in this year's Academic Word of the Year poll. The goal of the Academic Word of the Year campaign is to promote the importance of academic vocabulary to the 53 million students and teachers in the United States. With nearly two thousand votes cast, 35 individuals submitted impassioned pleas on behalf of their words. After two months of fierce voting, assessment received 305 votes, followed by evidence, with 285 votes; aspect, with 283 votes; analysis, with 264 votes; and constitutional with 251 votes.
Assessment is a familiar word amongst both teachers and students, and in today's test-saturated culture, its selection as Academic Word of the Year comes with little surprise. But not very many ESL educators know that the assessment only entered the educational lexicon recently, in 1956. It originated in the 16th century as a tax word that meant "determination or adjustment of tax rate." How ironic that even after a few centuries' worth of change in meaning, both the original and its more modern usage have the power to elicit such strong emotions. Whether in the context of taxes or standardized testing, assessment draws the ire of Occupy Wall Street protestors and educators alike. It remains an emotionally-charged word and a highly appropriate selection for Academic Word of the Year.
For students who want to learn academic vocabulary or teachers looking to help their students study academic vocabulary, check out the upcoming Velázquez Academic Word of the Day. Starting in January 2012, students will be sent, Monday through Friday, a new academic vocabulary word to study based on their grade level and subject area. Teachers will receive tips for teaching Academic Word of the Day in their classrooms.
Velázquez Press, the preeminent authority in Academic Language and Biliteracy based in Los Angeles, California, believes in teaching academic vocabulary to close the achievement gap for English Language Learners.