Why was ALTE originally founded?

In 1989, when ALTE's founding members – the Universities of Cambridge and Salamanca – first met, language testing in Europe was a fairly local, small-scale activity. Although bodies such as the Goethe Institute, Cambridge and Alliance Française had established international reputations, they – and others like them – had relatively few employees, and were producing language tests in isolation. But it was clear that language assessment was becoming an area of growing interest; Europe was starting to open up, populations were becoming more mobile, and although English was gaining prominence, there was also a rise in multi-lingualism, especially in border regions and in countries where the mother tongue was less widely spoken.

It was clear that significant benefits could be gained if language assessment bodies from across Europe came together to share expertise, establish standards, and develop a means of cross-comparison for different language tests (an ambition now realised in the ALTE Framework of Language Exams). We also felt that by working together, we could strengthen the reputation of this emerging profession, and create a core body of technical expertise which would enable the field to flourish and develop.

Back to top

What is the status of ALTE today?

ALTE clearly meets a real need for collaboration in language testing. Since we began, with eight members, many more organisations have joined ALTE, demonstrating its continued relevance. All ALTE members find the collaborative approach both engaging and worthwhile, and it has resulted in a number of projects which have been of real benefit to the wider language testing community. The ALTE Framework of Language Exams – a focus for ALTE Kraków 2011 – is, of course, one of our most prominent achievements, but we have also developed content analysis tools to enable better test comparison, introduced a multi-level system of can-do statements, created training for item writers, and produced a multi-lingual glossary of terms, to name but a few of our projects.

ALTE was – and still is – the only body of its type in the world, and ALTE members are recognised as having a genuine concern for the quality of language assessment. Our core membership has always been drawn from Europe, but by offering affiliate status to organisations from around the world, we have extended our reach and gained a truly international reputation.

Back to top

How have ALTE's priorities changed since 1989?

At first ALTE was, by necessity, an inward looking organisation, but we began to realise that without wider engagement there was a risk that our projects and policies might not reflect the real needs of test takers and users. We hold regular, bi-annual meetings which, since the late 1990’s, also include a day of sessions open to the general public where broader themes are discussed. To extend engagement further, we then established the International ALTE Conference in order to raise the global profile of language testing, and provide a forum where both technical and wider societal and political themes, such as the role played by language testing in migration, could be discussed.

As well as building awareness, ALTE has focused on quality in language testing. When every available test claims to be 'good enough', how can you judge whether the claims made are valid? How can you ensure quality and make explicit to the test user that a test will deliver a valid and reliable result?

A formal approach to quality assurance has been a key activity for ALTE since the early 1990’s and now all tests on the ALTE Framework must undergo external scrutiny and audit. This ensures that individual tests adhere to set quality standards, and means that all tests on the ALTE Framework are assessed according to the same criteria. We are very aware that this process must not, in any way, become a 'rubber stamp' – only by thoroughly and systematically assuring test quality can we provide relevant points of reference and comparison for all current and potential test users.

Our technical collaborations have also evolved in response to the growing sophistication of test takers and users. ALTE's development of 'can do' statements, for example, provide a link between language skill and real life use, providing a better indicator of ability than that provided purely by a measure of lexical and linguistic competence.

Back to top

How important is the ALTE Conference in the field of language testing?

The ALTE Conference is a unique opportunity for all those interested in language assessment – from classroom teacher to international policymaker – to come together and consider the many influences which impact on language testing today. The Conference has grown significantly, in status, ambition and delegate numbers, since it was first held. It is now part of the lifecycle of the profession – as there is real interest in exploring both the theoretical aspects of language assessment and the wider risks and opportunities which exist.

The conference also reflects ALTE's ambition to reach out to the international community; although ALTE is a European organisation, our members devise tests which are used worldwide, and therefore we need to listen to these global voices. At the 2008 Conference, the 600 delegates represented 65 countries, with speakers from 50 countries appearing on the conference programme. We expect to see this diversity again in 2011, already evidenced by two of our plenary speakers – Prof Lyle Bachman from UCLA, and Prof Elana Shohamy from Tel Aviv University – who also underline the quality of the presentations. In 2011 we are in Kraków, reflecting the growing importance of Central and Eastern Europe in the profession, where much is happening in both theoretical and policy development.

Back to top

How relevant is the theme of this year's Conference to the role of language assessment in society?

At the first ALTE Conference, held in 2001, our focus was primarily on the technical aspects of language testing, but the emphasis has broadened to include the role language testing plays in modern society. As a result, the 2011 Conference will look at the use of language frameworks in assessment, learning and teaching.

The ALTE Framework was devised as a means of ensuring the transnational quality of language assessment, and has attracted the growing attention of policy makers as they, in turn, deal with issues relating to education and employment. Migration, in particular, is an area where language assessment has suddenly come under the spotlight, as testing can be both a barrier and a facilitator to the global movement of people and, in turn, can impact significantly upon human rights. It is therefore essential that language testing is responsible, valid and appropriate for the context in which it is used, and these are the principles which underpin all tests on the ALTE Framework. Language testing which does not adhere to these principles can be very damaging, and therefore the Conference will explore the value of the Framework in this wider context helping drive debate forward in this difficult area.

Back to top

What role does Studies in Language Testing (SiLT) play in the ALTE Conference?

Around 20 of the papers presented at the ALTE Conference will be published in a special edition of SiLT. This series of over 34 volumes is published by Cambridge ESOL and Cambridge University Press, and is designed to extend awareness of language testing theory and practice. We publish conference proceedings, PhD theses and articles of both historical relevance and related to future concerns. The Conference volume is a means of extending the relevance of the event, and of sharing some of the most interesting and thought provoking papers with an even wider audience. Volumes of proceedings have already been published for the first three ALTE international conferences in Barcelona, Berlin and Cambridge.

Back to top

Is ALTE 2014 already being planned?

We are at the early stages of planning the Conference for 2014, and will have chosen a venue by the end of 2010, selecting a location which is important to the language testing community as a whole. Sustaining the Conference is very important to ALTE, as it has become a major event in the professional calendar, and a real opportunity to influence international debate while sustaining professional contacts and international friendships.

Back to top

Why did the Jagiellonian University become involved in ALTE?

When we became an associate ALTE member, in 2000, we had just begun work on the certification of the Polish language; when the first exams were held, in 2004, this coincided with Poland joining the European Union, and as a result we could become a full ALTE member.

Back to top

How does the University contribute to the work of ALTE?

All Polish language teachers working at the University's Center for Polish Language and Culture in the World are active members of the certification team and are therefore active in ALTE; in fact, one of our best known contributors is Dr Waldemar Martyniuk (a plenary speaker at ALTE Kraków 2011) and the experience he gained by participating in ALTE activities resulted in his appointment as Executive Director of the European Center for Modern Languages, in Graz.

Back to top

What do you consider to be the current reputation of ALTE, and how do you see this reputation evolving?

I think that the importance of ALTE will grow. We must remember that the process of European language certification is currently based on the CEFR, which has been translated into many European languages, including Polish (in 2003). The related ALTE standards have a direct impact on the administration of Polish language proficiency tests and, as a result, on the process of teaching and testing our language in Poland and abroad (in both Europe and also in the USA, Korea, China, and Japan). The changes that have taken place in Polish language teaching have inspired teachers and researchers of other non-European languages; in 2010, for example, Dr Ewa Zajdler (of Warsaw University) published a work in which she applied European standards to the teaching and testing of Chinese as a Foreign Language in Poland. I admire her work and I hope she will speak about it at ALTE Kraków 2011.

Many nations do not see the value in actively promoting their own language, and language teachers are perceived as enthusiasts engaged in work that is interesting but without any future. For these enthusiasts, joining ALTE (and then obtaining European funding) is a reward for their persistence, and gains them both national and European recognition. I have been engaged in teaching Polish as a Foreign Language for the past 40 years and I have observed this process taking place in Poland. For us, therefore, joining ALTE meant joining Europe - something I have been striving for since I studied in France in the 1970s. I strongly believe that ALTE has a future; its success, however, depends on ALTE's leaders.

Back to top

Why did you offer to host ALTE Kraków 2011?

The last time an ALTE conference took place in Kraków, Polish was perceived as one of the 'new' European languages. It seems to me that every period of 'novelty' has to come to an end and so, in discussions with Dr Martyniuk, we decided that by hosting the next ALTE conference we could signal that the languages of Central and Eastern Europe are now mainstream in ALTE, and we could also show that ALTE's ideas are important and relevant to language teaching and testing in this region of Europe.

Back to top

What benefits will hosting the conference bring to the Eastern European language testing community?

As a university professor I expect that the conference will provide an opportunity to meet the best and the most experienced specialists in the field of language teaching and testing. We learn all our lives from many people, and from time to time it is important to hear from the most eminent in the field – to listen to them, and to discuss their ideas.

Back to top

What key outcomes do you hope will emerge from the conference?

Central and Eastern European languages are mostly Slavonic and Baltic - different in structure from Roman and Germanic languages, and so I hope that ALTE Kraków 2011 will discuss issues such as new trends in the teaching and testing of these languages, and language policy in this part of the continent. I also hope that we can discuss a very important issue, namely whether it is possible to transfer teaching methods and techniques from language to language and, if so, to what extent and with what reservations. Therefore, for all delegates, I hope that ALTE Kraków 2011 will be a chance 'to re-charge our intellectual batteries'.

Back to top