Local Language Testing

Book excerpt: This book describes language testing practices that exist in the intermediate space between large-scale standardized testing and classroom assessment, an area that is rarely addressed in language testing literature. Drawing empirical research on a variety of languages, the volume discusses local language tests’ ability to represent local contexts and values, explicitly and purposefully embed test results within instructional practice, and provide data for program evaluation and research. Although local testing practices have been grounded in the theoretical principles of language testing, the authors in this volume supplement the theoretical content with practical examples of how local tests can be designed to effectively function within and across different institutional contexts.