Language assessment literacy for CLIL: in-service teachers’ practices, perspectives, and (Re)learning needs

This study investigated Taiwanese in-service CLIL teachers’ understanding of language assessment concepts and identified their training needs in designing assessment in CLIL contexts. A total of 161 teachers participating in CLIL professional development programs were involved. Data were triangulated from a validated Language Assessment Literacy (LAL) survey, semi-structured interviews, and teachers’ assessment tasks. Survey results indicated that teachers reported generally low to moderate competencies across nine dimensions of LAL, with particularly limited skills in assessment planning and item construction. Group comparisons revealed that content-area teachers expressed greater familiarity with statistical and research methods, whereas English teachers demonstrated significantly stronger understanding of language structure and development, consistent with their respective disciplinary training. The findings suggest that professional development for assessment in CLIL contexts should not only strengthen teachers’ assessment knowledge and skills, but also be designed in ways that are responsive to teachers’ disciplinary backgrounds. In particular, collaborative and practice-based approaches may be especially valuable in helping teachers address the language-content interface that characterizes CLIL assessment. The study contributes to the contextualization of language assessment literacy for bilingual education in Taiwan and offers implications for future teacher education and professional development.