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The British Council and the BRAZ-TESOL Assessment Special Interest Group are pleased to invite you for the webinar: "English Assessment & EDI (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion).
Workshop 1: Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion in Practice: Candidate Reactions to Global English Accents in a Listening Test, by Gemma Bellhouse.
The British Council is a leader in promoting equality, diversity and inclusion, important themes for our products around the world, whether in the arts, society, inclusive education, teaching English for in the exams that we offer.
In 2020, the test production and quality assurance teams of Global Assessments began to implement a new EDI policy for item writing and quality review. This policy has since helped to ensure that our test content is accessible to and representative of our test candidates. The policy provides regulations on creating tests that are impartial and inclusive of a global candidature and for an international speaker of English.
This EDI item writing policy has been implemented with an intention to create long-term washback on classroom learning and teaching and surrounding materials. By making the test content more relatable and accessible to a global population, Global Assessments aims to create a more inclusive experience for English language learners and test takers.
Workshop 2: Moving Up and Beyond: A Journey from Reality to Liberation in Language Assessment, by Dr. Miriam Retorta.
How could assessment inclusively consider the diversity of students? This question, originally posed by Nieminen in 2022, serves as the catalyst for the exploration into the realm of inclusion within language assessment. Embracing the broader context of ableism and departing from Nieminen’s (2022) critical socio-political approach to inclusive assessment, this discussion aims to promote Assessment for Inclusion (AFI) in the language assessment environment.
Leveraging insights from Nieminen's research, this presentation will juxtapose theoretical constructs with findings from a study conducted by Patitucci (2018) at UTFPR, a federal university in Curitiba, Brazil. This study examined the construct validity of the English reading exam required for visually impaired applicants taking the Enem (Exame Nacional do Ensino Médio - National High School Exam). Addressing important issues that educators and test-makers should consider before proposing any assessment methods, whether classroom assessments, final examinations, or high-stakes exams, the discussion seeks to bridge the gap between theoretical ideals of inclusion and practical realities.
Additionally, the presentation will conclude by posing critical questions that students, whether they have Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLDs) or Disabilities, should address before engaging in any testing process. Through this comparative analysis, the objective is to foster a deeper understanding of inclusive language assessment practices.
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