Rethinking assessment from a critical perspective

This article examines language assessment from a critical perspective, defining critical in a manner similar to Pennycook (1999; 2001). I argue that alternative assessment, as distinct from testing, offers a partial response to the challenges presented by a critical perspective on language assessment. Shohamy’s (1997; 1999; 2001) critical language testing (CLT) is discussed as an adequate response to the critical challenge. Ultimately, I argue that important ethical questions, along with other issues of validity, will be articulated differently from a critical perspective than they are in the more traditional approach to language assessment.