The 3rd National Symposium on English Language Assessment

The 3rd National Symposium on English Language Assessment is a language assessment initiative organised by the British Council Indonesia Foundation in collaboration with TEFLIN (The Association for the Teaching of English as a Foreign Language in Indonesia). 

Please visit this link to register for the symposium.

Theme 

Looking to the Future: Language Assessment 2020 and Beyond 

Subthemes 

• The importance of English language assessment: assessment standards, frameworks and current practice in Indonesia. In this first session, our speakers will discuss how well-developed descriptive proficiency frameworks and standards, such as the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), have the potential for positive impact and driving forward education systems and language education policy making. We will review the current practice in English language assessment in schools and universities in Indonesia and explore the needs and benefits of developing a national framework of reference for English language proficiency. Finally, we will present the importance of raising the language proficiency levels of English teachers in Indonesia.  
• Improving English language assessment: The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. In our second session, leading Indonesian ELT practitioners will share examples of how the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) is being used by selected universities in Indonesia, and the need to align the high-stakes English tests in Indonesian schools to the CEFR. The British Council assessment specialists will deliver a practical one-hour workshop outlining several strategies that teachers can use to recognise examples of certain CEFR descriptors and design teaching activities that would enable students to meet the requirements outlined in the CEFR descriptors. Participants will also be shown how students can use the CEFR to self-assess their own levels of proficiency.  
• Future trends: exploring the growing use of A.I. and technology in language assessment. Our third session looks towards the future of language assessment, specifically the growing use of technology in language assessment. This session begins by exploring the current capabilities and future directions of technology-enabled testing, providing examples from British Council projects and global initiatives. While technology is a potential enabler of large-scale, rapid results assessment of language ability, there are threats associated with it. Following this we will present specific case studies on the production and integration of technology in local language assessment tests in Indonesia, including a discussion on potential of technology to help in improving the efficiency of language assessment, especially at this time during the current global pandemic. 
• Practical solutions for online assessment. Our final session will be delivered by ELT technology experts from Indonesia and United Kingdom. During the workshop our speakers will introduce and demonstrate several practical online tools and strategies to support teachers to an integrate use of technology into assessment in the classroom and deliver remote classroom testing. The Covid-19 pandemic has caused enormous disruption to education systems around the world, many conventional face-to-face testing sessions have been cancelled. Our session will end sharing language assessment stories from English teachers working in both higher education and schools. We will hear how educators are adapting to emergency remote teaching & testing, including what steps can be taken to ensure online tests are valid, reliable and fair. 

Objectives 

The symposium will have the following objectives:  

• Influence the introduction and adoption of language standards and frameworks into the education system as a precursor to developing the English language skills of learners and enabling Indonesia to achieve internationalisation aspirations. 
• Enhance understanding of the current opportunities and challenges for language assessment in the Indonesian educational context and providing practical recommendations on how to overcome those. 
• Connect teachers, education and language assessment professionals to facilitate sharing of expertise in their fields and better understanding of the mutual impact between teaching and testing. 

Programme and Speakers 

Detailed information on the event programme and speakers can be found here.

Target Audiences 

This symposium will be of interest to:  

• Academics and influencers 
• Educational professionals 
• Assessment experts and practitioners 

Event details 

The symposium will consist of 4 online events running every Thursday from October 1 until October 22, with each session running for 2 hours from 13.30 – 15.30 WIB.

Registration 

Register online here. 

Participants will not be charged a registration fee. 

The symposium will be accessible online via a link to be provided for each session. You will receive a reminder 1 day before the event date. 

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