Issues of Validity and Reliability in Second Language Performance Assessment

Abstract

With an increasing practical need for language tests that can provide predictive information about how successfully a candidate will perform in a non-testing setting, second language performance assessment has recently aroused immense interest in the field of language testing. Of the many issues involved in performance assessment, validity and reliability in particular have been of great concern to language testers and educators. In this regard, it is the intent of this commentary to briefly discuss the issues of validity and reliability in the context of second language performance assessment.