Yabancı Dilde Ölçme ve Değerlendirmede Kalite Güvencesinin Sağlanması için Avrupa Ölçütlerinin Kullanımı ve Yaygınlaştırılması

The descriptors labelled by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching and Assessment was announced to be used across Europe together with the European Language Portfolio as a self-assessment tool (CoE, 2000). As one of the members of the Council of Europe, Turkey has been using the Common European Framework of Reference descriptors along with the European Language Portfolio to provide a basis for learning, teaching, testing and assessment. The current study aims to frame some European guidelines in order to maintain good practice in language testing and assessment practices. Therefore, the European guidelines set by the European Association for Language Testing and Assessment, the Association of Language Testers in Europe, International Language Testing Association, and the Association for Educational Assessment- Europe, all of which comply with the CEFR (CoE, 2001) are elaborated in detail. In this vein, the benchmarks for goodness in language testing and assessment by the European Association for Language Testing and Assessment (EALTA, 2006), the code of practice by the Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE, 1994), the guidelines for practice by the International Language Testing Association (ILTA, 2007), and the European framework of standards for educational assessment by the AEA- Europe (AEA- Europe, 2012) are taken into thematic analysis to define the core tenets of how quality profiles for language tests are labelled. Accordingly, it is yielded that the European guidelines embrace the core tenets of test construction, test analysis, administration and logistics, test production, communication with stakeholders, marking and grading, and item writing. Besides, connectives as the integrative elements of each tenet are also probed into. Correlatively, some practical recommendations to pursue quality assurance in language testing and assessment practices through the dissemination and exploitation of these European standards are listed, as well.