Justifying the Use of Language Assessments: Linking Test Performance with Consequences

In this paper I discuss an approach to language assessment development and use that is elaborated in Bachman and Palmer (2010) and Bachman and Damböck (Forthcoming). I will first discuss the genesis of our approach, some limitations of other approaches to validity/validation, and the basic premises of our approach. I will then discuss the uses of language assessments and the notion of accountability. I will then briefly describe an “assessment use argument” (AUA), as a series of claims and warrants, along with the qualities of the claims in an AUA. Finally, after a brief summary, I will address some questions that have been asked about our approach.