Language Assessment Literacy: Insights for Educating English Language Teachers through Assessment

Main Article Content

Frank Giraldo
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5221-8245

Abstract

At some point, language teachers need to be engaged in language assessment in their profession. Because language assessment is such a primary task for teachers, the field of language testing is encouraging research around the knowledge, skills, and principles that are foundational for sound assessment. In this paper, I provide a definition of Language Assessment Literacy (LAL), especially when it comes to teachers, by reviewing existing models. I then discuss ongoing issues in this area and end the paper by offering language teacher educators suggestions for fostering LAL among pre- and in-service teachers. In the article, I argue that, if more LAL initiatives take place, we are collectively raising the status and nature of language assessment and its impact on teachers’ professional development.

Article Details

How to Cite
Giraldo, F. . (2021). Language Assessment Literacy: Insights for Educating English Language Teachers through Assessment. HOW, 28(3), 78–92. https://doi.org/10.19183/how.28.3.673
Section
Reflections and Revision of Themes
Author Biography

Frank Giraldo, Universidad de Caldas

He works at the Foreign Languages Department of Universidad de Caldas in Manizales, Colombia. His main research interest is the interface between language assessment literacy (LAL) and teachers’ professional development.

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