This paper reviews the arguments for and against the inclusion of support resources in high-stakes assessments of L2 language proficiency. It explores how these arguments have shaped centralised language-in-education planning and policy decisions and looks at what has happened at the local level as a consequence of these decisions. Regardless of whether support resources are included in or excluded from the assessment the paper proposes some of the language planning issues that need to be borne in mind both centrally and locally, seen in the light of the important requirement to develop students' communicative language ability. (Contains 3 notes.)