Language Assessment Opportunities and Challenges 英文资料.docVIP

Language Assessment:? Opportunities and Challenges Lyle F. Bachman UCLA lfb@ In the past three decades the field of language testing has matured in both the breadth of research questions it addresses and in the range of research methods at its disposal for addressing these questions and issues. ?We still grapple with the nature of language ability and the validity of the inferences we make on the basis of assessment results.? However, the field is also addressing the difficult questions about how and why language assessments are used, the societal values that underlie such use, the consequences of assessment use, and the ethical responsibilities of test developers and users.? Largely because of the increasing worldwide demand for accountability in K-12 education, where there are huge and growing numbers of students whose native language is not the language of instruction, and the growing need in the United States for individuals with high levels of foreign language proficiency, the greatest challenges that language assessment as a field now faces are in the arenas in which language tests are used to make decisions about individuals and institutions. The immediate and long-term prospects for language assessment are filled with opportunities and challenges.? There is a huge demand worldwide for greater involvement of individuals with expertise in language testing in the areas of classroom and accountability assessment.? The assessment requirements of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) in the United States for example, have placed increased demands for useful assessments.? Recent initiatives of the United States government to increase our nation’s capacity in foreign languages, will also require useful assessments of foreign languages, particularly the less commonly taught languages.? Similar demands for the involvement of individuals with expertise in language assessment can be found in countries around the globe.? Turning these challenges into accomplishments will depend u