Authors
Taylor, LyndaAffiliation
University of BedfordshireIssue Date
2009-06
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Language testing and assessment have moved center stage in recent years, whether for educational, employment, or sociopolitical reasons. More and more people are involved in developing tests and using test score outcomes, though often without a background or training in assessment to equip them adequately for this role. Simultaneously, increasing professionalization of the field has led to the generation of standards, ethical codes, and guidelines for good testing practice. Although these can help make assessment practices more transparent and accessible to a wider constituency, they also risk promoting a view of language testing as highly technical and specialized–best left to experts. These trends have implications for both policy and practice. This article reviews efforts to promote understanding of assessment within the field of applied linguistics and within education and society more broadly. The role of professional associations, academic institutions, and commercial organizations in developing assessment literacy is considered, as well as the contribution of published material and other types of training resources. This article reflects on how the international language testing community can encourage the sharing of the core knowledge, skills, and understanding that underpin good quality assessment as widely and accessibly for the benefit of all.Citation
Lynda Taylor (2009). DEVELOPING ASSESSMENT LITERACY. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 29 , pp 21-36Publisher
Cambridge University PressAdditional Links
http://journals.cambridge.org/abstract_S0267190509090035Type
ArticleLanguage
enISSN
0267-19051471-6356
ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1017/S0267190509090035