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Language Assessment Literacy

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Language Testing and Assessment

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Language and Education ((ELE))

Abstract

Language assessment literacy (LAL) refers to the knowledge skills and principles that stakeholders involved in assessment activities are required to master in order to perform assessment tasks. The need for defining a literacy framework in language assessment has arisen following acknowledgment of teachers’ assessment needs as well as the increase in the number of stakeholders from different disciplines involved in language assessment activities and decision-making. Though gaining momentum in theory and practice, the conceptual LAL framework is still in an evolutionary phase, with central unresolved issues. One of the main issues is the gap between formative or dynamic assessment perspectives and a focus on testing expertise. Attempts to define the LAL canon, specifically the role of language features within that canon, are still undecided. Promising endeavors have recently been made at operationalizing the theoretical framework in order to allow for the design and implementation of LAL initiatives. Future directions point at a move towards situated differential rather than unified LAL conceptualization in the form of language assessment literacies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The School of Education, The Program for Multilingual Education, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, 69978, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Ofra Inbar-Lourie

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  1. Ofra Inbar-Lourie
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Correspondence to Ofra Inbar-Lourie .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Education, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Elana Shohamy

  2. School of Education, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Iair G. Or

  3. Faculty of Education and Social Work, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

    Stephen May

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Inbar-Lourie, O. (2017). Language Assessment Literacy. In: Shohamy, E., Or, I., May, S. (eds) Language Testing and Assessment. Encyclopedia of Language and Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02261-1_19

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