"This collection of original articles provides language teachers with a theoretical background of key issues associated with language testing as well as practical advice on how to improve the effectiveness of the tests they develop and implement. Written by internationally prominent researchers and educators, the chapters are organized into five sections: key issues in the field, assessment purposes and approaches, assessment of second language skills, technology in assessment, and administrative issues. Chapters assume no particular background knowledge and are written in an accessible style"-- "The Cambridge Guide to Second Language Assessment aims to present in one volume an up-to-date guide to the central areas of assessing the second language performance of English by speakers of other languages. This volume provides snapshots of significant issues and trends that have shaped language assessment in the past and highlights the current state of our understanding of these issues"-- Provided by publisher. Provided by publisher.

Machine generated contents note: Preface -- Arthur Hughes; A. Key Issues: 1. A brief history of language testing Barry O'Sullivan; 2. Foreign/second language assessment literacy Christine Coombe, Salah Troudi and Mashael Al-Hamly; 3. Principles of language assessment Hossein Farhady; 4. The assessment development process Barry O'Sullivan; 5. Test Specifications Fred Davidson and Glenn Fulcher; 6. Linking assessment with instructional aims and learning Anne Katz; 7. An overview of language standards for language learners Margo Gottlieb; 8. The common European framework of reference Elif Kantarcioğlu and Spiros Papageorgiou; 9. Test impact and washback Liying Cheng and Andy Curtis; 10. Test-taking strategies Andrew D. Cohen; 11. What teachers need to know about test analysis James Dean Brown; 12. Ethics in language testing and assessment Annie Brown; 13. Professional development in language assessment Stephen Stoynoff and Christine Coombe; B. Assessment Purposes and Approaches: 14. Choosing the right type of assessment James Dean Brown; 15. Communicative language testing Keith Morrow; 16. Alternative assessment in language education Christine Coombe and Kerry Purmensky; 17. Task-based language assessment Ali Shehadeh; 18. Authentic assessment Peter Davidson; 19. Placement testing Tony Green; 20. Assessing young learners Angela Hasselgreen; 21. ESL assessment in the workplace Ingrid Greenberg; 22. Student involvement in assessment through self and peer assessment Neil J. Anderson; 23. Assessment of second language pragmatics Zohreh R. Eslami and Azizullah Mirzaei; C. Assessing Second Language Skills: 24. Assessing reading Nancy Hubley; 25. Assessing writing Sara Cushing Weigle; 26. Assessing listening John Flowerdew and Lindsay Miller; 27. Assessing speaking Barry O'Sullivan; 28. Assessing grammar Wayne Jones; 29. Assessing vocabulary John Read; D. Technology in Assessment: 30. Computerized language assessment Peter Davidson and Christine Coombe; 31. Web-based language assessment Sunyoung Shin; 32. Software to facilitate language assessment Young-Ju Lee; E. Administrative Issues: 33. Managing assessment in large EFL classes Brock Brady; 34. Marking assessments (rubrics, rating scales) Tony Green and Roger Hawkey; 35. Accommodation in language testing Lynda Taylor; Author/subject index.