Assessing foreign language learners in an extended time of uncertainty: An untold story
The pandemic has brought changes to many aspects of our lives. For Vietnam education, these changes have been even more interesting as the global outbreak of covid 19 started right in the very first years of implementing the new national general education curriculum. It has made the implementation of the new curriculum and also its new language assessment policy even more challenging. However, the pandemic has also provided unparalleled opportunities for experiences that would not have been gained without such a large-scale, disruptive experience. This talk addresses what school English language teachers have done, to cope with the new curriculum and to keep the directed assessment instructions in use. Following data from our ongoing research on teachers’ teaching and assessment practices, this talk will also share unique lessons that the teachers have learnt from their own practices of assessing language learners during such a difficult, extended time of uncertainty. Teachers’ voices of what they need from professional development activities to facilitate their assessment practices are also raised.