This book introduces a new framework for analyzing second language (L2) learners’ written texts. The authors conducted a major study on changes and differences in English L2 learners’ writing performance to advance understanding of the nature of L2 writing development over time, in relation to L2 instruction and testing, and to offer a model that professionals and researchers can use in their own longitudinal and cross-sectional studies of L2 writing development. Grounded in research, data, theory, and technology, this will be a welcome how-to for language test developers, scholars, and graduate students of (L2) writing and assessment.

"This book introduces a new framework for analyzing second-language (L2) learners' written texts. The authors conducted a major study on changes and differences in English L2 learners' writing performance to advance understanding of the nature of L2 writing development over time, in relation to L2 instruction and testing, and to offer a model that professionals and researchers can use in their own longitudinal and cross-sectional studies of L2 writing development. Grounded in research, data, theory, and technology, this will be a welcome how-to for language test developers, scholars, and graduate students of (L2) writing and assessment"--

This is the first volume to focus on the assessment of second language writing. The collection as a whole provides coverage of all issues in second language writing assessment, starting from the context in which and for which assessment must occur, moving through the aspects of decision-making and design in a writing assessment program, and then considering how the need to evaluate any program on assessment can be carried out. After a discussion of issues of public reporting, an area which will receive increasing attention in the next few years, the volume closes with a discussion of what new issues and answers the future may bring. The book reflects the current belief in direct writing assessment in second language writing assessment. While it is often expected that those working with ESL students will focus on language error, throughout the book themes of needs, attitudes, ideas and content dominate. For second language writers the use of written language to learn, to create knowledge and to share ideas and beliefs are vitally important. Additionally, issues of cross-cultural academic literacy, practical information on criteria and scoring models for use with ESL writers, and research on the efficacy and effects of various assessment models are provided. The book blends theory and practice in a way which offers all those who are concerned with the writing skills of nonnative users of English an invaluable resource.

Offers an up-to-date analysis of issues related to providing, using and researching feedback, including new developments in technology.

This book is open access under a CC BY licence. It spans the areas of assessment, second language acquisition (SLA) and pronunciation and examines topical issues and challenges that relate to formal and informal assessments of second language (L2) speech in classroom, research and real-world contexts. It showcases insights from assessing other skills (e.g. listening and writing) and highlights perspectives from research in speech sciences, SLA, psycholinguistics and sociolinguistics, including lingua franca communication, with concrete implications for pronunciation assessment. This collection will help to establish commonalities across research areas and facilitate greater consensus about key issues, terminology and best practice in L2 pronunciation research and assessment. Due to its interdisciplinary nature, this book will appeal to a mixed audience of researchers, graduate students, teacher-educators and exam board staff with varying levels of expertise in pronunciation and assessment and wide-ranging interests in applied linguistics.

Second language assessment is ubiquitous. It has found its way from education into questions about access to professions and migration. This volume focuses on the main debates and research advances in second language assessment in the last fifty years or so, showing the influence of linguistics, politics, philosophy, psychology, sociology, and psychometrics. There are four parts which, when taken together, address the principles and practices of second language assessment while considering its impact on society. Read separately, each part addresses a different aspect of the field. Part I deals with the conceptual foundations of second language assessment with chapters on the purposes of assessment, and standards and frameworks, as well as matters of scoring, quality assurance, and test validation. Part II addresses the theory and practice of assessing different second language skills including aspects like intercultural competence and fluency. Part III examines the challenges and opportunities of second language assessment in a range of contexts. In addition to chapters on second language assessment on a national scale, there are chapters on learning-oriented assessment, as well as the uses of second language assessment in the workplace and for migration. Part IV examines a selection of important issues in the field that deserve attention. These include the alignment of language examinations to external frameworks, the increasing use of technology to both deliver and score second language tests, the responsibilities associated with assessing test takers with special needs, the concept of 'voice' in second language assessment, and assessment literacy for teachers and other test and score users.

Reflecting the internationalization of the field of second language writing, this book focuses on political aspects and pedagogical issues of writing instruction and testing in a global context. High-stakes assessment impacts the lives of second language (L2) writers and their teachers around the world, be it the College English Test in China, Common Core-aligned assessments in the U.S., English proficiency tests in Poland, or the material conditions (such as access to technology, training, and other resources) affecting a classroom. With contributions from authors working in ten different countries in a variety of institutional contexts, the chapters examine the uses and abuses of various writing-related assessments, and the policies that determine their form and use. Representing a diverse range of contexts, methods, and disciplines, the authors jointly call for more equitable testing systems that consider the socioeconomic, psychometric, affective, institutional, and needs of all students who strive to gain access to education and employment opportunities related to English language proficiency.