Against a shifting set of assessment preferences in the US regarding whether educational assessment should continue to be a states rights game or become a federally dominated undertaking, the publication of five first-rate analyses about England's national curriculum assessment (NCA) is particularly propitious. Taken together, these five papers…

Critically examines arguments that downgrade the importance of test reliability in English language proficiency testing of international students who attend British universities. Urges universities to move quickly to adopt an appropriate multiple- judgement approach to English language proficiency assessment and identifies alternative sources of…

Grading profiles for formative and summative assessment in a British nursing school were designed with criterion referencing to improve validity and interrater and intercourse reliability. Assessment was conceptualized as an ethical activity that clarifies expectations through specification of criteria. (SK)

Demonstrates a statistical model that can be used to develop graphical displays of uncertainty in student grade level placements versus their potential attainment. Suggests how the model can help determine how well the British National Curriculum assessments are working. (SK)

This article cautions against complacency in "subjective" assessment, arguing that even tests designed to reflect the development of learner-centered, interactive and communicative approaches to teaching English may have cultural bias built into their assessment criteria. The reply article singles out as an unresolved issue whether or…

Examines standards in language testing, in the context of the legal framework of the United States and the United Kingdom. The article argues that research into test reliability and validity by testing bodies in the United States has a legal basis and examines areas in which examination boards offering English as a foreign language tests in…

The use of performance based evaluation on a national scale with 7-year-olds in the United Kingdom is described, and the impact of national assessment on teaching practice and implications of this type of assessment are considered. The national assessment program in the United Kingdom started in earnest in 1991 when all 7-year-olds were assessed…