Language assessment in the new English curriculum in Iran: managerial, institutional, and professional barriers

Background Assessment policies and practices are key to the success of curriculum innovations. Therefore, large-scale ELT innovations always include changes in assessment too. Thinking that Iranian students were not enabled to communicate in English after six years of English education in public schools, educational policy makers have recently embarked on a new curriculum that is thought to be a departure from traditional reading and grammar approach towards a communicative one. This study investigated the impact of a recent language assessment reform (LAR) on Iranian English teachers’ assessment practices.