05/06/2020
Experts from the language teaching and assessment sector pay tribute to the academic achievements of the late Professor Cyril J Weir, in the latest volume of the popular SiLT series. The 50th volume in the long running series of academic research is published by Cambridge Assessment English and Cambridge University Press.
Cyril, who achieved a lasting legacy in the language teaching and assessment sector, passed away in September 2018. Lessons and Legacy: A Tribute to Professor Cyril J Weir (1950-2018) is edited by Lynda Taylor and Dr Nick Saville. The volume is written by a selection of his friends and collaborators covering a range of issues and topics he covered in his long career. By drawing on a rich range of voices in language assessment, from China to the UK to the Middle East, and from Cyril’s earliest to most recent collaborators, the book illustrates the breadth and depth of his impact on language testing and assessment, and how his lessons continue to be relevant to the present day.
Dr Nick Saville from Cambridge Assessment English worked with Cyril over the years. He said:
‘Cyril leaves an eclectic legacy in the field of language testing and assessment and we’re delighted to have so many contributions from people that worked directly with him over the years. The volume chronicles Cyril’s life and works, and highlights the huge impact he had in our field. I’m sure his legacy will be carried on for many years to come.’
Cyril’s chronicling of the history and evolution of language testing is reflected in chapters on his role in assessment reform and the origins of his socio-cognitive framework; authors also reflect on the impact of this model on test validity and validation. He was also a vital influence in putting these ideas into action, as reported in chapters on test operationalisation and the establishment of the Centre for Research in English Language Learning and Assessment (CRELLA, part of the University of Bedfordshire).