Achievement, placement, proficiency, formative, summative, alternative, authentic, Advanced Placement (AP)…these are just a handful of the terms that we tossed around today as we discussed the important role of assessment in world language instruction. Our group debated questions such as: Does assessment drive your curriculum and instruction? Does your curriculum and instruction drive your assessment? What kinds of assessments do you use? How often do you assess your students? Why do you assess your students? How do you know if your assessments are worthwhile? 

It was fascinating to discuss the above questions, and to hear everyone’s responses to these questions. The bottom line is that assessment must be purposeful and should match the curriculum and the instruction. “Purposeful assessment should verify that students know how, when, and why to say what to whom” (D. Clementi 2009). “Meaningful assessment evaluates students on content that helps them understand the world around them and who they are” (D. Clementi 2009).