New challenges in language assessment

Abstract

Language assessment practitioners traditionally addressed the assessment impacts from a unilateral and narrow perspective in that they linked such impacts to a few numbers of stakeholders such as learners and teachers. This view echoed the nature of the assessment approach at that time that was essentially norm-referenced. New changes and challenges appeared with the birth of the modern testing theories that were driven by the necessary changes for a new assessment reform that is contingent upon the interaction between different parties such as tests, learners, test designers, teachers, test development, test-taking strategies, policy-makers, testing agencies, etc. To implement new changes in any assessment reform, it is recommended that key figures be active players in undertaking the necessary reforms. One of the challenges that poses a heavy burden on language teachers is the strong monopolization of the testing organizations to the assessment polices. For example, standardized assessment has been leading the world assessment policies at the expense of classroom-based assessment such as assessment for learning (Af L), assessment of learning (AoL), learning-oriented assessment (LOA), dynamic assessment (DA) and formative and summative assessments. This chapter dwells on defining classroom-based assessment techniques and the necessity of raising stakeholders' awareness of changing things for the benefits of learners. The second part of the chapter will highlight the major findings of the works in this book and how they contribute to the overall theme of the book.