A Code of Practice and Quality Management System for International Language Examinations

Abstract

The Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE) was formed in 1990, and there are now 27 institutional members and associates representing 24 European languages. A key objective of the association is to establish professional standards for all stages of the language-testing process to provide language learners with access to high-quality examinations, and in 1994 a code of practice was published. This article discusses the ways in which ALTE members have attempted to put their code into practice, and in particular how quality management systems can help to bridge the gap between theoretical issues and practical reality. A number of key issues have arisen in carrying out this work: The first covers self-assessment as part of an ongoing process of quality improvement; the second covers the question of minimum standards and how these should be arrived at. In both cases the question of how to achieve a reconciliation between diversity and standards arises, especially in relation to the many different organizations that now make up the ALTE membership.

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