Language Assessment

by Tim McNamara

Language AssessmentLanguage assessments are used to distribute rare resources such as jobs, higher education, and financial support, so the way to equitably distribute these resources is not just an academic subject. Language test developers know that in fact they need fairness in their tests, and psychometric research has been around for a long time in this area. The Language Assessment Agency and the Association of Language Evaluators have also published Professional Code of Ethics and Code of Practice in response to the need to pursue fairness in the evaluation industry. In many cases, however, these norms are developed to respond to legal proceedings or protect professional groups. Such measures show that language evaluators are mindful of tests and examinees, but this is in fact for them and lacks detailed explanations or studies of the political outcome of language assessments. Thus, this book is an important attempt to discuss the political consequences of language evaluators expertise.

Paperback

Published August 30, 2013

About the author

Tim McNamara is Professor in the Department of Linguistics and Applied Linguistics at the University of Melbourne, Australia.