2014 Articles

Learning-Oriented Assessment: An Introduction

Wyner, Lauren Jill

Traditionally, second or foreign (L2) language assessment has been mainly viewed as the product of large-scale proficiency exams or end-of-term summative tests intended to provide external measures of L2 ability (Turner & Purpura, 2015). To anyone who has taken an L2 test, it often appears that summative assessments “serve to catch learners out and to emphasize their weaknesses, rather than to ensure that every learner has the best set of opportunities to demonstrate their abilities” (Lyons & Tavares, 2011, p. 32). It is no wonder then that stemming in part from the social constructivist theories popularized in the 1970s, the notion of formative assessment (FA) has steadily gained traction for L2 testers, teachers, and researchers who recognize that assessment can and should play a role in learning so that every learner will be able to best demonstrate their abilities.