Asian Association for Language Assessment

Over recent years, the focus of language assessment has shifted from the relatively narrow and technical (the validity of inferences drawn from assessment results: the value of assessments to score users) towards the relatively broad and ethical (the qualities of usefulness: the value of assessments to a wider constituency of learners, teachers, and policy makers, and to society at large). In line with this development, the current interest in learning-oriented language assessment (LOLA) reflects the belief that the organizations responsible for large-scale language tests can and should do more to promote effective language learning among those preparing to take their tests.

  Bringing about intended forms of impact involves more than the re-design of an assessment and the provision of descriptive score reports. Account must also be taken of the ways in which teachers, learners and others understand the demands of the assessment and incorporate these into their practices. Testing agencies can take a variety of steps to explain to teachers and other stakeholders the design and results of their tests (and the principles informing these). Such measures play an important role in promoting intended (beneficial) impacts and preventing, or at least mitigating unintended (negative) impacts.

  Materials that support teachers in preparing learners to take tests (such as descriptions of the test, preparation materials and teacher training resources) play a key role in communicating the test providers’ intentions. In this presentation, I discuss the nature of support offered to teachers and learners preparing for major national and international tests and the extent to which these materials reflect learning-oriented assessment principles of task authenticity, learner engagement and feedback within a coherent systemic theory of action, reconciling formative and summative assessment functions to the benefit of learning.