From the Design of Assessments to Language Assessment Literacy

Abstract

Language Assessment Literacy (LAL) is now a core topic of discussion in language testing. Research has indicated that language teachers are interested in improving this area in their professional development. This research paper reports on an evaluation of English teachers’ assessment instruments through qualitative content analysis. We analyzed 60 assessment instruments, 30 for receptive skills (reading or listening) and 30 for productive skills (speaking or writing). In the corpus, we found items and tasks that had both technical and theoretical issues. Based on our findings, and to foster teachers’ LAL, we conclude that a program for these stakeholders should focus on the careful design of assessment instruments and the study of qualities of language assessments in context.