Assessment for language teaching, Aek, Phakiti and Constant, Leung, Cambridge Elements in Language Teaching, Cambridge University Press, the UK (2024). 112 pages. ISBN 978-1-108-92877-9

Abstract

Language testing and assessment (LTA) is a critical element of English language teaching (ELT) and teacher professionalism (Gambell, 2004; Shohamy, 2020). Effective second/foreign language (L2) teachers are also effective assessors. This signifies the tight connection and confluence of LTA and ELT, as approved in previous studies (Bachman & Adrian, 2022; Brown & Abeywickrama, 2004). Over the past decades, a resounding emphasis has been placed on L2 teachers’ assessment literacy (AL) and language assessment literacy (LAL) (Fulcher, 2012; Levi & Inbar-Lourie, 2020). Without such literacies, it would not be possible to ensure the efficacy of one’s instruction and the incidence of students’ learning over a semester. Although there are some studies and publications on L2 teachers’ assessment practices and literacies, a cohesive resource on the key concepts and operational assessment practices is missing in ELT. Spurred to address this gap, Phakiti and Leung composed an influential book on “assessment for language teaching” in a series entitled “Elements in Language Teaching”. The book is a timely effort to move from L2 assessment theories and terminologies to actual and real-life practices in the classroom. It integrates different perspectives on common assessment approaches and methods in ELT by referring to their merits and demerits. Therefore, the book is highly recommended to English teachers, teacher educators, and researchers, who can develop a theoretically and practically informed understanding of LAL and its implementation.