Rethinking assessment from a critical perspective

Abstract

This article examines language assessment from a critical perspective, defining critical in a manner similar to Pennycook (1999; 2001). I argue that alternative assessment, as distinct from testing, offers a partial response to the challenges presented by a critical perspective on language assessment. Shohamy’s (1997; 1999; 2001) critical language testing (CLT) is discussed as an adequate response to the critical challenge. Ultimately, I argue that important ethical questions, along with other issues of validity, will be articulated differently from a critical perspective than they are in the more traditional approach to language assessment.

Alternatives in Assessment or Alternatives to Assessment: A Solution or a Quandary

“…al while in reality they could be construed differently. Lynch (2001) elucidates this concept by stating that in order to understand the meaning of alternative assessment and its potential to contribute, along with testing, to our ability to make informed decisions and judgments about individual language ability, we are in need of different research paradigms. In this sense, alternative assessment is meant to describe something more than just procedures and methods.…”

“…In a similar vein, Lynch (2001) objects to this view on philosophical grounds, contending that alternative assessment represents a different paradigm (an 'assessment culture') and therefore cannot be evaluated from within the traditional positivist framework of educational measurement (a 'testing culture'). He goes on to state that if all forms of assessment were united by the same requirements for reliability and validity, then he would agree with Brown and Hudson (1998) who prefer the term 'alternatives in assessment'.…”

“…Notwithstanding the fact that Lynch (2001) does not propose alternative approach to assessment as an overarching framework where the critical perspective would be embedded, the researchers have a predilection to argue that if McNamara's stipulations (2001) are theoretically and pedagogically plausible, Lynch's critical perspective (2001) can be regarded as alternative approach to assessment whereby language ability and use can best be understood as realms of social life that do not exist independently of our attempts to know them. Judgments or decisions about language ability and use cannot, therefore, be accomplished as a measurement task.…”

“…Assessment has undergone a paradigm shift, from psychometrics to a broader model of educational assessment, from a testing and examination culture to an assessment culture ( Gipps, 1994;Lynch, 2001). Consequently, quite a number of alternative assessments have become widespread.…”

Teachers’ Interpretations and Power in a High-Stakes Test: A CLA Perspective

“…Some CLA followers call it a paradigm shift which introduces a testing culture (Wolf, Bixby, Glenn, & Gardner. 1991;Birenbaum, 1996;Pennycook, 2001;Lynch, 2001), since a handful of methods provide evidence for high-stakes decisions not a single test. More importantly, CLA moves toward a democratization in language testing since students and teachers as two immediate test parties are no longer ignored.…”