Welcome to the TEA website

New! Handouts and Presentatios from the Cyprus Conference. Click here

New! Go to Future Events for information (including Call for Papers and registration form) on the joint event with Zayed University, Dubai

Dubai, UAE, February 11 & 12, 2010, "Establishing and Maintaining Standards".

or go direct to the IATEFL events page at

http://secure.iatefl.org/events/event.php?id=19

The joint event with Zayed University, Dubai

Assessment of language competence has always been an important part of the language teaching environments as it can have a tremendous effect on the lives of many language students, immigrants, employees and teachers. This clearly makes the task of setting meaningful and attainable standards one of the biggest challenges in assessment. On the one hand, establishing and maintaining standards in assessment can be extremely beneficial and can enhance the quality in language teaching. On the other hand, it raises many issues, such as:

- what is the real purpose behind setting assessment standards and how do we go about it?

- what are the responsibilities of stake-holders prior, during and after the standard-setting process?

- how does one go about creating the criteria for standard-setting?

- what happens when someone is found to be not in compliance with the set standards?

- what are some examples of assessment standards that have produced meaningful results?

- how does one guarantee the highest possible quality in the measurement of language competence?

- how does one avoid bias when establishing assessment standards?

The aim of this conference is to look at different contexts of language assessment and exchange ideas on how standards were set and maintained. The event will appeal to teachers, testers, teacher trainers, course book designers and textbook writers - in fact to all who are directly involved in assessing language competence. We would like to create a forum where all of these parties can share and compare their experiences.