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  3. What does plurilingualism mean for language assessment?

What does plurilingualism mean for language assessment?

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Research Notes 78: What does plurilingualism mean for language assessment?

by Cambridge English, 06/10/2020
Research , Language , Assessment
Man and woman speaking different languages

The original volume of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) pointed to the growth in importance of plurilingualism in language learning, and defined the term as ‘the dynamic and developing linguistic repertoire of an individual user/learner’. Language testing bodies, and Cambridge English is no exception, are now engaging in the debate and are recognising plurilingual abilities in language learners, both in theory and in practice.

Plurilingualism has been a recurring theme of discussion within the Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE), a grouping of language testing organisations of which Cambridge English is an important member. ALTE’s 7th International Conference had been due to be held in Madrid in April 2020, but understandably was postponed to April 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The theme of the conference was, and remains, Safeguarding the future of multilingual assessment, with one particular strand on Defining the construct of multilingualism in language assessment.

Many papers submitted for the conference focused on the construct and the practice of integrating plurilingualism into language assessment, and Issue 78 of Research Notes takes up the discussion.

Some of the conference paper authors have written articles for this issue, in the hope of shedding important light on how to understand the plurilingual dimension in language assessment. The authors are from, or writing about, ALTE Member and Affiliate organisations.

In the first article, plurilingualism and its role in English language learning and assessment is presented by Seed, making the case that the integration of learning and assessment helps us understand the construct of plurilingualism in language assessment. In addition, a simple framework is presented which aims to categorise the different ways in which plurilingual competence is recognised in assessment.

The second article, by Seed and Holland, aims to show how Cambridge English has begun to respond to the need for recognising the value of learners’ plurilingual repertoires in discussion with international bodies and policy-makers, as well as in some of the projects, products and tests that they create.

The final three articles look at what may be considered a form of plurilingual assessment, reflecting on the integration of learning and assessment in their respective, and very different, cases.

Gandini discusses how more than one language can be used in assessment from an ALTE Institutional Affiliate, designed to suit the real-life communicative needs of people in the South Tyrol border region of Italy. She explores the use of cross-linguistic mediation and reports on a study currently in progress.

De Backer, Slembrouck and Van Avermaet then explore the use of test takers’ plurilingual repertoires as an education and assessment accommodation in non-language school subjects in an attempt at test fairness. This project comes from an ALTE Member and Van Avermaet is one of ALTE’s Individual Expert Members.

Finally, Fiorenza and Diego-Hernández, who come from two different universities where ALTE Members and Affiliates are based, report on a project aimed at encouraging and assessing language learners’ general plurilingual abilities.

This short collection of articles aims to provoke and inspire current and future language educators and assessors to adopt appropriate stances on plurilingualism, relevant to the context for the learner.

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