What Standard and Whose Standard: Issues in the Development of Chinese Proficiency Descriptors in Singapore

Abstract

In language assessment, the assessors often need to judge whether certain language forms produced by students are correct or acceptable. This seemingly easy procedure may be at stake in situations where the de jure language standard is unspecified. Drawing upon the challenges we encountered in developing proficiency descriptors for Chinese language (CL) in Singapore, this study attempts to examine the impact and implications of lacking an officially endorsed standard and norm for CL education and assessment. To resolve the dilemmas in pedagogy and assessment, we suggest that the value of the indigenized CL variety be recognized and more focus be put on communicative competency rather than language forms. Understanding language tests and their effects involves understanding some of the central issues and processes of the whole society, and thus, decision makers have to be well versed in sociolinguistics and be able to elaborate on the consequences of tests in broader sociopolitical settings.