An Ethnographic/sociolinguistic Approach to Language Proficiency Assessment

Book excerpt: This is the first of four volumes composed of selected papers from the LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY ASSESSMENT SYMPOSIUM. The Symposium provided a forum where a broad spectrum of researchers, practitioners and policymakers met to discuss the major issues and research findings which affect language proficiency assessment practices. The work presented in the four volumes will add new insights into the issue of language proficiency assessment. It is believed that the research and theoretical perspectives offered represent a positive step toward attaining the overall objective of developing effective language proficiency assessment procedures and, ultimately, a more equitable education for language minority students. All four volumes have been edited by CHARLENE RIVERA and they will be published in the MULTILINGUAL MATTERS series.