Provides an overview of how language skills in young learners have been assessed in two primary school contexts, carried out in a total of seven Austrian primary schools. The schools took part in an initiative where the integration of a foreign language was introduced when children entered primary school at the age of six. (Author/VWL)

Describes the development of materials to support classroom-based assessment in Norway, a country where there is a deliberate policy not to formally assess learners in the early grades of foreign language learning. The teacher development strategy aims to upgrade the assessment skills of teachers and to encourage involvement of primary learners in…

Discusses the role of assessment in determining whether the investment in an early start in a foreign language has been worthwhile, suggesting that it is important for reasons, such as feedback to parents and the public, informing national policy development, and school self evaluation. Describes an independent evaluation of modern languages in…