Language Assessment Literacy: Considerations for Digital and Teacher-led Assessment of Academic Writing

Assessing academic writing in foreign language contexts has been a challenging and complicated task for the teachers. This theoretical study is premised on the notion that language assessment literacy of the teachers involved in the instruction and assessment of academic writing in higher education is crucial not only to the successful course delivery but also to the reliable and valid learning outcomes. Content analysis approach was adopted to determine how language assessment literacy is essential for the teachers of academic writing before they actually attempt to design, assess and interpret the assessment tools, criteria and results. The study offers theoretical overview of the contemporary approaches to both digital and teacher-led or traditional assessment practices to raise awareness of the teachers in regard to the five characteristics of assessment: fairness, accuracy, impact, feedback, and flexibility. The study concluded that robust teacher training in language assessment literacy as well as digital literacy is an imperative to equip teachers with theoretical knowledge and practical skills to engage in performance measurement of academic writing which is aligned with the course learning objectives as well as is accurately interpretive to showcase reliable and valid accounts of students writing development.