Reliability, Validity, and Writing Asse...

Looking at the issue of validity and test validation, the historical and the theoretical progression

has been well described both when it comes to educational assessment in general and language

assessment in particular. A clear progression can be seen starting in the 1920s and culminating

in the late 1980s/early 1990s (with minor notable developments since), and it is an advancement

motivated and driven almost solely by new theoretical and practical considerations. Securing

validity and validation with regard to writing assessment in particular, however, took a more

winding route and was primarily shaped by a power struggle between externally administered

standardized testing (and the supporting administrative bodies) on one side, and the practicing

teachers of writing at higher education institutions on the other. The paper at hand outlines this

evolution and gives a timeline of the events and major developments that have fueled it and

explores the cutting edge of today.