Abstract
In 2011, a team of teachers in Luxembourg developed a proposal to reform their national English language examinations. The teachers sought advice from external language testing consultants and expressed a wish not only to transform their existing examinations, but also to develop their own capacity to construct and evaluate language assessments in line with the principles of good test design. What transpired was a unique, phased language assessment literacy training-development cycle which has led to the successful development of a lower-stakes national test, and the planning stage for a High-Stakes end-of-secondary school exam – the key objective of the project. In this chapter we will provide a narrative account of the reform project in Luxembourg, presenting this context as an illustrative case of teacher-led exam reform in a High-Stakes context, and discussing the procedures and challenges encountered between 2011 and 2015. Based on our experiences as consultants on this project, we make some recommendations at the end of the chapter for those working with a similar remit for training and advising on teacher-led exam reform.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
At the time of writing this chapter, the reform of the upper secondary years was not yet formally implemented.
- 2.
Note that the reform had only been partly implemented by 2014 – the last year included in the exam paper review study.
- 3.
Note that, as of the academic year 2015–2016, teacher training degrees fall under the responsibility of the Ministry of Education.
- 4.
The administration of the test was made mandatory for all schools in 2016.
References
Alderson, J. C. (2009). Setting the scene. In J. C. Alderson (Ed.), The politics of language education: Individuals and institutions (pp. 8–44). Bristol: Multilingual Matters.
Bachman, L. F., & Palmer, A. S. (1996). Language testing in practice. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Brindley, G. (2001). Language assessment and professional development. In C. Elder, A. Brown, K. Hill, N. Iwashita, T. Lumley, T. McNamara, & K. O’Loughlin (Eds.), Experimenting with uncertainty: Essays in honour of Alan Davies (pp. 126–136). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Brunfaut, T., & Harding, L. (2014a). Linking the GEPT listening test to the Common European Framework of Reference. Taiwan: Language Training and Testing Centre. Retrieved September 30, 2016, from https://www.lttc.ntu.edu.tw/lttc-gept-grants/RReport/RG05.pdf
Brunfaut, T., & Harding, L. (2014b). Developing English language tests for Luxembourg secondary schools: The Test Design and Evaluation (TDE) project, 2011–2014. Lancaster: Lancaster University.
Brunfaut, T., & Harding, L. (2015). Examen de fin d’études secondaires, Anglais: Analysis of past exams. Lancaster: Lancaster University.
Buck, G. (2009). Challenges and constraints in language test development. In J. C. Alderson (Ed.), The politics of language education: Individuals and institutions (pp. 166–184). Bristol: Multilingual Matters.
Council of Europe. (2001). The Common European framework of reference for languages: Learning, teaching, assessment. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Council of Europe. (2009). Relating language examinations to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment: A manual. Strasbourg: Council of Europe. Retrieved September 30, 2016, from https://www.coe.int/t/dg4/linguistic/Source/ManualRevision-proofread-FINAL_en.pdf
Davies, A. (2008). Textbook trends in teaching language testing. Language Testing, 25, 327–347.
EALTA. (2006). EALTA Guidelines for good practice in language testing and assessment. European Association for Language Testing and Assessment. Retrieved September 30, 2016, from http://www.ealta.eu.org/guidelines.htm
Fulcher, G. (2012). Assessment literacy for the language classroom. Language Assessment Quarterly, 9, 113–132.
Geyer, F. (2009). The educational system in Luxembourg: CEPS special report. Brussels: Centre for European Policy Studies. Retrieved September 30, 2016, from http://aei.pitt.edu/14574/1/Includ-ed_FG_on_Ed_System_in_Luxembourg.pdf
Green, A. (2014). Exploring language assessment and testing. Abingdon: Routledge.
Harding, L., & Kremmel, B. (2016). Teacher assessment literacy and professional development. In D. Tsagari & J. Banerjee (Eds.), Handbook of second language assessment (pp. 413–428). Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton.
ILTA. (2000). ILTA Code of ethics. International Language Testing Association. Retrieved September 30, 2016, from http://www.iltaonline.com/index.php/en/resources/ilta-code-of-ethics
ILTA. (2007). ILTA Guidelines for practice. International Language Testing Association. Retrieved September 30, 2016, from http://www.iltaonline.com/index.php/en/resources/ilta-guidelines-for-practice
Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
MEN. (2011a). Dossier de presse. Réforme du lycée. Luxembourg: Ministère de l’Éducation nationale, et de la Formation professionnelle. Retrieved September 30, 2016, from https://www.gouvernement.lu/729597/dossier-presse.pdf
MEN. (2011b). Proposition de texte d’une loi sur l’enseignement secondaire. Luxembourg: Ministère de l’Éducation nationale, et de la Formation professionnelle. Retrieved September 30, 2016, from https://www.gouvernement.lu/729578/dossier.pdf
MEN. (2013). Langues à l’école luxembourgeoise. Luxembourg: Ministère de l’Éducation nationale, de l’Enfance et de la Jeunesse. Retrieved September 30, 2016, from http://www.men.public.lu/fr/systeme-educatif/langues-ecole-luxembourgeoise/index.html
MEN. (2015). Examen de fin d’études secondaires. Luxembourg: Ministère de l’Éducation nationale, de l’Enfance et de la Jeunesse. Retrieved September 30, 2016, from http://www.men.public.lu/fr/secondaire/examens-fin-etudes/141106-broch-exam-es.pdf
MEN. (n.d.). Syllabi: Enseignement secondaire technique – Cycle inférieur, 8e et 9e théorique, Anglais/Division inférieure 6e moderne et 5e classique, Anglais. Luxembourg: Ministère de l’Éducation nationale, et de la Formation professionnelle.
Pill, J., & Harding, L. (2013). Defining the language assessment literacy ‘gap’: Evidence from a parliamentary inquiry. Language Testing, 30, 381–402.
Pižorn, K., & Nagy, E. (2009). The politics of examination reform in Central Europe. In J. C. Alderson (Ed.), The politics of language education: Individuals and institutions (pp. 185–202). Bristol: Multilingual Matters.
Popham, W. J. (2006). All about accountability/needed: A dose of assessment literacy. Educational Leadership, 63, 84–85.
Taylor, L. (2009). Developing assessment literacy. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 29, 21–36.
Visitluxembourg.com. (n.d.). Key facts. Retrieved Sept 30, 2016, from http://www.visitluxembourg.com/en/travelguide/key-facts
Wall, D. (2013). Factors affecting long-term examination impact and the fate of the examinations themselves. Paper presented at the EALTA conference, Istanbul. Retrieved September 30, 2016, from http://www.ealta.eu.org/conference/2013/presentations/WALL%20EALTA%202013.pdf
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Brunfaut, T., Harding, L. (2018). Teachers Setting the Assessment (Literacy) Agenda: A Case Study of a Teacher-Led National Test Development Project in Luxembourg. In: Xerri, D., Vella Briffa, P. (eds) Teacher Involvement in High-Stakes Language Testing. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-77177-9_9
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-77177-9_9
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-77175-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-77177-9
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)