Ethics of Language Testing
Spring 2024: Tuesday and Thursday, 10:30 am -11:45 am
Walton Center for Planetary Health, Room 409 (Session C)
Can language testing promote literacy?
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Can language testing promote multilingualism?
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Is language testing valid? If so, how? If not, why not?
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Is language testing fair? If so, how? If not, why not?
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What are the stakes involved in language testing?
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What are the (un)intended consequences involved with language testing?
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Can language testing be unjust? If so, how? If not, how is it immune?
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When is language testing impractical?
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Is anyone disadvantaged in language testing? If so, who is or might be?
Can language testing promote literacy?
This lab addresses the nuts and bolts of language testing. Furthermore, it investigates the social aspects of language testing. Equal attention is devoted to the role of language testing in promoting literacy and multilingualism and to the question of their being unjust and discriminatory. Your instructional team and expert consultants - educators, assessment specialists, language lobbyists, etc. - will introduce you to language proficiency scales and assessment mechanisms. They will also outline the landscape of testing practices in U.S. academia, government, and industry. In teams, you will engage in critical analysis of these practices and design language assessment objects, making them reliable and equitable. One important segment of work will be collaborating with a group of language specialists in Serbia, who are attempting to establish assessment practices in that country. Other products from this course may include: creating resources for test takers and developers, such as reading lists, guides, etc. and spreading the knowledge about language assessment intra- and extramurally.
Collaborations
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- Collaborators TBA
Impact Outcomes
Students will share their findings with the general public in a format of their choosing. Check this page at the end of the semester for updates!
Ethics of Language Testing in the News
At the Humanities Lab, we strive to ensure our Labs are relevant and current. Here are some recent articles about Ethics of Language Testing in today’s news!
An English Test Is Changed, and Some Foreign Students Worry
Putting Tests to the Test: Assessing High-Stakes Exams for Second Language Learners
Enrollment Information
Spring 2024: Tuesday and Thursday, 10:30 am -11:45 am |
WCPH 409, Session C |
| Humanities Lab | HUL 494, 598 |
| School of International Letters and Cultures | SLC 494, 598 |
| Educational Studies | EDU 494, 598 |
