High-Stakes Testing and Assessment.

This chapter highlights the uncertainty, concerns, and approbation that accompany high-stakes language testing and assessment. It takes as a case study the language assessment of teachers of English in Hong Kong, and, in particular, the innovative performance test of teacher Classroom Language Assessment (CLA). The case study provides examples of major issues such as the validity and reliability of the assessments, the advantages and disadvantages of performance and criterion-referenced testing, and considers, within the issue of stakeholder involvement and reaction, the feedback from professional bodies and the concerns of those being assessed. Topics such as the relationship between academic concerns and the wishes of the clients (the Hong Kong SAR Government) are also discussed in order to explain the somewhat contradictory decisions that sometimes occur. The case study reveals how vital it is to consult and involve as many stakeholders as possible. The chapter ends with a summary of lessons that have been learned and areas for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]