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Martin Nuttall – ALTE Representative6.4.7 Supporting multilingualism through language assessment1 The current state of affairsLanguage assessment is generally associated with formal assessment procedures such astests and examinations conducted at various times during people’s lives and taken for avariety of purposes, both at school and in adulthood. Children take language tests as part oftheir formal education; young adults may take a language test for specific purposes toimprove their employment opportunities; and others may take a language test in order tomigrate to another country. In addition to the formal assessment procedures, there are alsoalternative non-formal approaches to assessment, such as portfolios and self-assessment.The techniques of language testing in use at any particular time tend to reflect the view oflanguage and the way it is used at that time. What is being tested and the kind of task or itemtype chosen as a means of testing can be expected to show the influence of current thinkingon what language ability is and what exactly we are doing when we use language ineveryday life. Thus, communicative language testing evolved out of a shift in languageteaching/learning theory and methodology away from a predominantly structural focustowards one that emphasised the importance of language in use.The growing acceptance of the standards presented in the Common European Framework ofReference for Languages (CEFR) has created a situation in which public bodies,examination institutes, language schools and university departments concerned with theteaching and testing of languages are increasingly interested in relating their curricula andexaminations to the Common Reference Levels.The CEFR is first and foremost a tool for communication to enable those involved inlanguage education to communicate more easily. It assumes an action-orientated approachand uses functions and notions to differentiate levels of proficiency. Levels are described interms of what language learners can do and are specified at a general level in order to berelevant to a wide variety of languages and contexts.With the breaking down of international barriers between European states and increasingopportunities for the members of the workforce to move from one country to another, theneed for transferability of language qualifications is clear. Employers and employees alikeneed to know what language qualifications gained in various countries mean – what theholder of a given certificate can actually be expected to be able to do – and how to makemeaningful comparisons between qualifications gained in different states of the EuropeanUnion. Employers need to know which particular language qualification it is realistic todemand when advertising a post, and employees have an interest in being able to rate theirown present level of expertise and future training needs.Language tests are also playing an increasing role in decisions made in granting admissionto member states for migration or in granting citizenship through naturalisation processes.Over the last twenty years, a growing number of European countries, and others around theworld, have introduced or formalised linguistic requirements for the purposes of migration,residency, and citizenship. National governments increasingly require language tests or otherformal assessment procedures to be used. Points-based systems are being introduced moreand more widely and legislation is being changed to reflect the ever more mobile and diversepopulations of countries and continents.2 ChallengesThe question of what role language testing and assessment should play in decisions madeby governments and nation states regarding migration, citizenship and integration issues is ahighly controversial one. It is necessary for language assessment organisations to providetight yet feasible guarantees of test development rigour and probity. This should be done withappropriate and reliable evaluation criteria, comprehensive, transparent and fair testCivil Society Platform on Multilingualism 48APPENDIX to Policy Recommendations06/06/2011 – FINAL VERSION
interpretation and reporting systems, continuous validation processes, efforts to ensurepositive educational impact and a keen regard for the rights of candidates and otherstakeholders.A socially responsible and ethical approach to language testing is a pre-requisite in themodern world given the role that language tests and testing agencies play.Issues to be addressed in the area of language testing and multilingualism include thefollowing:o The consequences of language testing for migrants and for the host society;o The extent to which language proficiency facilitates integration;o The impact of language testing on language tuition, on teaching tools, and onteacher training and development;o The role of alternative approaches to assessment, such as portfolio and selfassessment.Civil Society Platform on Multilingualism 49APPENDIX to Policy Recommendations06/06/2011 – FINAL VERSION
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