This study focuses on the assessment practices of EFL teachers in the upper secondary level in Turkey and explores how teachers' assessment practices and the assessment dimension of English language curriculum (for grades 9-12) match. In the study, teachers' purposes of assessing learners, which aspects of language they assess, and how they carry…

The study examined the factors that influence the performance of students in selected public junior high schools in Ghana using English Language, Mathematics and Science as cases and also to determine whether these observed performances support the continued implementation of the national policy on progression. In all, 98 teachers and 982 Junior…

Although use of high-stakes tests is common across developing societies, very little is known about how these tests are designed, what principles and criteria guide test construction, and what factors influence this process. The present study investigates the development of the English Paper-1 test for the Higher Secondary Certificate examination…

In the high-stakes accountability English educational system, decisions made by government and agencies about curriculum, pedagogy and assessment drive school planning and actions. This paper analyses the drivers for the recent change to French German and Spanish GCSEs and highlights particular areas of the new specification which may damage the…

The current longitudinal study examines the similarities and differences between primary and secondary foreign language curricula and pedagogy along with the development of motivation for language learning and second language proficiency. Data from 26 English learners of French (aged 10-11) were collected across three times points over a 12-month…

The school population in England is linguistically diverse; according to official data, over one million pupils do not speak English as their first language. All teachers are expected to support English as an additional language (EAL) development as part of their professional responsibility. At the same time, there has been little specific…

Uganda introduced the use of mother tongue as medium of instruction in primary schools in 2007. This was meant to promote interaction and participation in the learning process and improve children's proficiency in reading and writing. Drawing elements of interaction and participation from the socio-cultural theory, the child-centred pedagogy was…

With the development of the English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EAL/D) Teacher Resource, the educational needs and outcomes of refugee and immigrant children have been placed on the national mainstream teaching agenda. This new national resource sits alongside a plethora of other resources, known as scales and standards, which have been…

This paper examines whether the Swedish steering documents for English-language education are ethnically biased, that is, whether Swedish culture and language or "Swedishness" are used as norms when teaching and assessing students. To examine whether such bias exists, the central curricula and syllabi from 1994 and 2000, as well as local…

Curent national curicula, the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, and EFL materials highlight the importance of the students' development of oral skils. This study stems from a cros-sectional survey of the teaching of oral skils in Secondary Education in a Spanish local context (Aragón) caried out in 2012 on both teachers and…

There are increasing numbers of children with little or no English entering English speaking mainstream lessons. This often leaves them with unique frustrations due to limited English language proficiency and disorientation. Teachers often feel unable to cater sufficiently for these new arrivals. "Teaching English as an Additional Language Ages…

This sequel to "Recording Progress" (Pathfinder 1) reiterates the principles of recording for continuous assessment in second language learning and describes the British system originally adopted to implement those principles. Implications of the National Curriculum for continuous assessment are considered and then ways are suggested for…

This paper summarizes and comments on recommendations of the Modern Foreign Languages Working Group concerning attainment targets, programs of study, and statements of attainment in Great Britain's National Curriculum. Strategies used in modern language instruction in Berkshire's special schools are described. (JDD)

This article reports on a collaborative study involving ESL teachers in an Australian English Language Centre as they work through some of their concerns about reliability and validity in their assessment practices. The focus of this article is on how teachers work with the Curriculum Standards Framework (CSF) as an assessment tool. The discussion…

Discusses alternative assessment in light of the New English Curriculum, considers why teachers and students in Israel may be reluctant to use alternative assessment, and provides a summary of different types of alternative assessment used at an Israeli high school. (Author/VWL)