Assessment by means of tests and examinations has a major impact on teaching and learning. The influence may be positive, benign or negative, but when it is the latter the impact is often to distort the curriculum and exert harmful stress or demotivation on students (and sometimes teachers). This paper argues for an alternative perspective by which assessment is geared to promote student learning, in other words the formative aspects of assessment are emphasised. I review relevant literature which places formative assessment within a constructivist teaching approach and reveals the significant, yet largely untapped, potential of assessment for learning. I briefly describe current Hong Kong initiatives in learning-oriented assessment and illustrate them with reference to two case studies of recent innovative practices in schools and teacher education in Hong Kong. I conclude by posing a series of questions which merit further consideration by ELT professionals.
[Copyright © 2002 The Korea Association of Teachers of English.]