General Language Proficiency Revisited: Current and Future Issues

Abstract

This article explores a number of key issues that emerged during the panel discussion that followed the General Language Proficiency Symposium at the Language Testing Forum (LTF) 2010, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the LTF. The key issues that emerged during the discussion should be of interest to a wider audience, as they express current issues and concerns in the testing community in light of 30 years of research and development. These issues were whether language proficiency can be seen as unitary or divisible; the role and use of the Common European Framework (CEF) proficiency scales and levels when it comes to reporting test scores; the issue of test equivalence between high-stakes tests, also in relation to the CEF; and a general demand for developing assessment literacy among test users and stakeholders. Based on a summary of the LTF discussion, the article provides a state-of-the art review of relevant research that addresses the aforementioned listed key issues, followed by a future agenda for researching the reviewed areas.

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