The Network of Expertise in Language Assessment (NExLA) is pleased to announce that we have been awarded an ILTA Collaboration and Outreach Award of US$ 2000. The grant will enable NExLA to do the following: Continue reading “NExLA wins ILTA Collaboration and Outreach Award”
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ILTA Etiese Kode in Afrikaans gepubliseer
Nadat NExLA-lede die ILTA Code of Ethics vertaal het, sit hy nou daar heel eerste op die ILTA blad van vertalings daarvan: ILTA Code of Ethics translations. Continue reading “ILTA Etiese Kode in Afrikaans gepubliseer”
How justifiable are language assessment and intervention at tertiary level?
Kabelo Sebolai will present the case at the Language Testing Research Colloquium (LTRC 2019) in Atlanta
At this upcoming conference in Atlanta in March NExLA’s chairperson will offer a South African perspective on the measurement of students’ preparedness to handle the demands of academic discourse. While academic literacy is taken for granted by language teaching professionals, the tendency is for non-language teaching academics in disciplines that are traditionally less associated with language processing to be sceptical of the role of language assessment and intervention in academic performance. Not only has this been the case in South African higher education in general, it is also a challenge faced by language departments in other parts of the world. Continue reading “How justifiable are language assessment and intervention at tertiary level?”
Two schools of thought on test validity
AUTHOR: Kabelo Sebolai
Validity is probably the most crucial of all concepts that govern all kinds of measurement. This is more so the case in educational and psychological testing where high stakes decisions often need to be taken about individuals and institutions. From the time it saw the light of day, however, the concept of validity has been a source of inconclusive contestation. Continue reading “Two schools of thought on test validity”
The management of language diversity in educational settings
For language empowerment to take place in diverse environments, policy, planning, instruction and assessment all need to be aligned. Several NExLA members were recently involved in highlighting how language testing can contribute to achieving this harmony. The occasion? A workshop hosted by the Unit for Language Facilitation and Empowerment (ULFE) of the University of the Free State, with the theme of language diversity in educational settings.
Continue reading “The management of language diversity in educational settings”
