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Article published In: Teacher Education for Task-Based Language Teaching
Edited by Xavier Gutiérrez, Lara Bryfonski and Greg Ogilvie
[TASK 5:2] 2025
► pp. 257–284

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Validity argument for the use of summative task-based language assessment in a language teaching program for adult immigrants

ORCiD logo with link | Université de Montréal, Canada
ORCiD logo with link | Université de Montréal, Canada
ORCiD logo with link | Université Laval, Canada
ORCiD logo with link | Université de Montréal, Canada
Published online: 5 February 2026
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/task.25007.mic
Abstract
This study investigates how a collaborative, argument-based validation process can support the development of valid, context-sensitive task-based language assessments (TBLAs) while simultaneously fostering teachers’ assessment literacy and competency. Conducted within Quebec’s adult francization programs, the study involved francization teachers in the co-design, piloting, and iterative refinement of 19 summative assessment tasks targeting real-world scenarios such as job interviews and healthcare interactions. Guided by Kane, M. T. (2013). Validating the interpretations and uses of test scores. Journal of Educational Measurement, 50(1), 1–73. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar argument-based validation framework, the process emphasized classroom-based inquiry, reflective practice, and local pedagogical relevance. Drawing on logbooks, focus groups, and observation grids, the findings reveal how engaging with validation concepts — such as domain definition, scoring, and generalization — enabled teachers to make principled decisions about task design and implementation. The collaborative model promoted a reconceptualization of assessment as an integrated component of teaching, enhancing teachers’ confidence, agency, and understanding of communicative competence. This study contributes to both the TBLA and teacher education literature by demonstrating how structured, practice-embedded collaboration can serve as a powerful vehicle for professional learning and sustainable assessment design.
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Task-based language assessment: Definition and challenges in classroom-based implementation
  • Teacher development through collaborative task specification and validation
  • Task specification and argument-based validation in TBLA
  • Synthesis
  • Research question
  • Method
  • Participants
  • Collaborative task development and validation
  • Instruments
    • Logbook
    • Focus groups
    • Observation grids
  • Analysis
  • Ethical considerations
  • Results
  • Logbooks
  • Focus groups
  • Observation grids
  • Synthesis: Teachers’ development of assessment literacy and competency
  • Discussion
  • Teachers as co-constructors of assessment
  • Validation as democratized pedagogical inquiry
  • Situated professional development
  • Implications for practice
  • Limitations
  • Conclusion
  • References
References (34)
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