High stakes English language testing

Abstract

The literature identifies a number of advantages to teachers’ participation in high stakes test development (Darling-Hammond 2010; Crawford and Crum 2011). Nonetheless, there is a dearth of research on teachers’ direct involvement in public examinations. Partly in recognition of teachers’ work on the design and implementation of the Advanced English Speaking Examination, the Department of English at the University of Malta Junior College was awarded the British Council Innovation in Assessment Prize in 2014. Ongoing research on the AESE is seeking to contribute to a better understanding of the benefits that may arise when teachers are invited to play an instrumental role in developing the policies and practices governing high stakes examinations. Importantly, this research is being carried out by the same teachers who designed the examination. This article describes their involvement in the examination; provides an overview of their research to better understand the benefits of their involvement; and, while acknowledging that not all teachers’ efforts to conduct research are supported by their institutions, it calls for more practitioner research on teacher involvement in high stakes English language testing.