CALL FOR PAPERS

Why was this theme chosen for ALTE Kraków 2011 – was the aim to reflect current issues affecting the language assessment community, or to open up debate into new areas (or both)?

ALTE Kraków 2011 will provide a forum for continuing the conversations related to language assessment that began at the previous international conferences in 2001 (Barcelona), 2005 (Berlin) and 2008 (Cambridge). These included issues related to the technical aspects of language testing such as reliability and impact, as well as ethical concerns such as test fairness and transparency.

We invite members of the language testing community from all over the world to join the conversation and add their voice to the debate about issues such as the extent to which frameworks impact on language assessment, the extension of frameworks as policy tools, and the challenge of assessing language in the context of migration.

We use “framework” here in the widest sense; not only the CEFR but also frameworks such as the American Council of the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Guidelines, the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB), and others, including those which may be developed in the future.

For anyone considering presenting a paper at ALTE Kraków 2011, what do you see as being the key themes emerging across the conference?

Some of the key themes we expect to see emerging at ALTE Kraków 2011 include the impact of language frameworks on the individual and on society, the use of language frameworks as a tool for teaching and learning, and the ways in which language frameworks can inform the description of particular languages. Other topics will explore the benefits and pitfalls of language frameworks, as well as language testing and migration.

Conference delegates will represent the language assessment community, teachers and policy makers; in your opinion, which areas will be of most importance or relevance to these different delegate groups?

The range of topics covered by the presenters will be many and diverse and we expect there will be something of interest and relevance to everyone. One of ALTE’s main objectives is to share ideas and know-how, and the conference will provide an ideal opportunity for delegates of many different backgrounds and working in many different contexts to come together to pool their expertise and learn from each other.

For those delegates from the language assessment community, how important is it to consider wider strategic debates, as well as discussing the minutiae of the profession?

With so many distinguished presenters and delegates from varied backgrounds taking part in the conference, there will be ample opportunity for wide-ranging discussion of ways in which members of the language assessment community can ensure that not only are their tests reliable, transparent and fair but also that they have a positive impact on society.

How important is it to have voices from beyond Europe in the conference, and what can these voices bring to the development of the theme? What can we learn from these speakers, and what can they learn from the European experience?

ALTE normally holds two meetings a year (in April and November) for members and affiliates, and the last day of each meeting is an open conference day which members of the public can attend. The open day provides an opportunity to discuss issues with a wider audience which, for the most part, comes from Europe.

The international conference, on the other hand, enables us to reach out beyond Europe to the rest of the world, and provides a useful forum for the international language testing community to come together and discuss shared interests and concerns. Also, since participants in the international conference are not only language testers but also include policy makers, politicians, bureaucrats and teachers, ALTE is able to heighten an awareness of language testing issues among a wider range of people.

As with the three previous international conferences, the broad coverage of key issues and opportunities for presenters from around the world to present their work and discuss their ideas with colleagues working in many different contexts is an enriching and valuable experience which reflects one of ALTE's main objectives – to provide leadership in the global field of language testing by stimulating debate and enhancing an understanding of assessment issues.

How does the conference theme reflect the aims and ambitions of ALTE (especially for potential delegates new to ALTE)? Post-conference, how will ALTE disseminate the conference proceedings to a wider audience?

The conference theme reflects many aspects of ALTE's current work, such as ALTE’s involvement in the development of the Council of Europe’s ‘toolkit’ of resources to inform and facilitate the use of the CEFR; our collaboration in the seminars and fora on language assessment and migration which are aimed at facilitating an exchange of ideas and experiences between practitioners, consultants, and legislators, as well as interested members of the public; and recent work by ALTE members on criterial features to assist in distinguishing different levels of proficiency.

As with previous international conferences, ALTE will publish the conference proceedings in a special volume of Studies in Language Testing (SiLT). This will feature a selection of papers representing some of the key issues covered by the conference.