October 2012

The Role Of Language Testing In Supporting Multilingualism
Bessie Dendrinos, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
[abstract] [html] [pdf]

This paper discusses issues in testing rather than assessment –two notions viewed as distinct from one another, though both these practices aim at eliciting data about language learners’ language abilities. My point is that while assessment –a wider-ranging notion than testing– is commonly part of the teaching and learning process, tests, which may actually be divorced from classroom teaching and learning, measure what people already know (as in the case of proficiency testing), or what learners have learnt in class over a period of time. Tests are more likely to serve summative assessment. Yet, assessment may also be formative, especially when incorporated into the teaching and learning process, where it can make an actual contribution to learning.