The ALTE Code of Practice
Introduction
In 1994 the members of ALTE decided that it was essential to
adopt a formal Code of Practice which would both define the standards
that current and future members would agree to aim to meet in
producing their examinations and serve as a statement to consumers
of those examinations of what they should expect.
The Code of Practice was devised with the principal objectives
as stated in the Introduction to this document very much in mind;
in order to establish common levels of proficiency, tests must
be comparable in terms of quality as well as level, and common
standards need, therefore, to be applied in their production.
The Code of Practice sets out these standards and states the responsibilities
of both producers and users of language examinations.
The ALTE Code of Practice
As providers of language examinations, the members of ALTE wish
to adopt a Code of Practice in order to make explicit the standards
they aim to meet, and to acknowledge the obligations under which
they operate.
In formulating and adhering to a Code of Practice, it is necessary
to distinguish between the various roles of those who have an
interest in the issue of setting and maintaining standards in
language examinations. These are: examination developers, examination
users and examination takers.
Examination developers are people who actually construct and
administer examinations as well as those who set policies for
particular testing programmes.
Examination users may select examinations, commission examination
development services or make decisions which affect the educational
possibilities and careers of others on the basis of examination
results.
Examination takers, or candidates, are those who, either by choice
or because they are required to do so by examination users, take
examinations.
The roles of examination developers and users may of course overlap,
as when a state education agency commissions examination development
services, sets policies that control the development process,
and makes decisions on the basis of the results. Members of ALTE
are primarily concerned with the development and administration
of examinations. As such, they have a duty towards examination
users and ultimately to examination takers. The decisions made
by examination users have a direct effect on examination takers
or candidates; for that reason, the obligations of examination
users are also dealt with in this Code of Practice.
Members of ALTE undertake to safeguard the rights of examination
takers by striving to meet the standards of a Code of Practice
in four areas:
• Developing Examinations;
• Interpreting Examination Results;
• Striving for Fairness;
• Informing Examination Takers.
The Code of Practice is divided into two parts. Part One focuses
on the responsibilities of ALTE members and Part Two on the responsibilities
of examination users. |
