Bridging the Gap:

Introducing the Language Assessment Professionalisation Programme (LAPP)

It has long been recognised that initial teacher training often overlooks the crucial aspect of assessment literacy, impeding teachers’ capacity to utilize assessments effectively for evaluating student progress, offering valuable feedback, and guiding instructional strategies. Recognizing this gap, and in pursuit of enhancing language education, Eaquals together with associate member ALTE, have joined forces with Mint Digital and Hueber Publishing as technical partners, to address this gap. This collaboration led to the creation of the Language Assessment Professionalisation Programme (LAPP) which aims to equip teachers with the necessary knowledge and skills, benefiting students by bridging the gap in assessment expertise.

The LAPP is built upon the ALTE Principles of Good Practice 2020 and is structured to align with the Assessment Competency (AC) levels as outlined in the European Profiling Grid (EPG). Participants are guided through their progression from 1.1 to 2.1 on the EPG scale. In their efforts to ensure broad accessibility to LAPP, the team aimed to establish an online, self-directed learning platform. Interested individuals can conveniently access the platform through https://lapp.education/en and complete an application, with the added benefit of the programme being completely free of charge, thanks to the support of mint digital, a subsidiary of Hueber Publishing. Participants will receive a Certificate of Attendance upon demonstrating full engagement with the course, attesting to their completion.

These five modules cover the key principles and issues in assessment, with an emphasis on classroom assessment. The content enables participants to begin to evaluate the fairness and reliability of assessments and will give them confidence in assessing their learners in productive skills. It also gives an overview of assessment outcomes and the importance of feedback in utilising assessment as a learning tool.

The Programme is expected to attract interest from trainee teachers, current educators, and Academic Managers alike. Its appeal extends to individuals across various educational sectors, including those solely dedicated to language education. While it serves as a valuable resource for independent teachers, it also offers support to Academic Managers seeking to integrate a focus on Language Assessment into their professional development programs.

Waldemar Martyniuk, Chair of the Board of Trustees at ALTE, said that “our intention was to create and deliver a tool for language assessment as means of professionalization. In accordance with the MOU re-signed by ALTE and EAQUALS in 2020, we have jointly developed the concept, and initial ideas for content, for a series of training programmes for education professionals in the area of language assessment and we are happy to deliver now an initial training course for a wide audience, largely pre-service and in-service teachers, focusing on basic principles of assessment, best practices and key considerations as reflected in the ALTE Principles of Good Practice 2020 and the European Profiling Grid developed by Eaquals.”

By equipping educators with the necessary knowledge and skills, the LAPP not only enhances their capacity to evaluate student progress effectively but also enriches the learning experience for students and offers a structured pathway for professional growth. As educators engage with the comprehensive modules and gain confidence in assessment practices, we anticipate a positive impact on language education across diverse educational sectors.