Assessing foreign languages – assessing what and how?

Abstract

In a school context, assessment is usually carried out to see what learners know, understand and are able to do. It is an essential tool for tracking progress, planning next steps, reporting and involving all stakeholders in the learning process. When teaching languages, teachers often have to measure students' language abilities, which they achieve in various ways. Assessing foreign language skills is no easy task and before deciding on the methods of assessment to be adopted in class, teachers need to carefully consider why they are assessing learners, what information are they trying to access, which language skill/s are being assessed and how can they best elicit this information. Different types of assessment strategies can be used, varying from continuous to summative, from assessment of learning to assessment as learning to assessment for learning. Such strategies should form an integral part of learning in language classrooms whilst helping teachers and administrators diagnose learners’ needs, set learning goals and evaluate teaching methods. However, formative and continuous assessment present a challenging approach from a CEFR point of view, given that what seems to be the most relevant at the end of a course is what a student can do at a particular level and less so on the route that the student has taken.