Abstract
The US government is one of the first and most influential language assessment organizations in the USA. With its foundation being the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) Skill Level Descriptions, the US government has developed and administered tests not only in proficiency skills (listening, reading, speaking, writing) but led the way in performance testing (translation, audio translation, and interpretation) and intercultural competence. The scope of testing in the US government is tens of thousands of tests administered annually in hundreds of languages. Important to the US government is its operational underpinnings; tests are developed and administered to meet the missions of the agencies. US government agency scores are used to make a wide range of high-stakes decisions that can impact not only the careers of the examinees but also the lives of people the world over. Tight deadlines and limited resources, as well as changing needs and complexities in language challenge government test developers. Research regarding US government language-testing examines issues such as the relationship between reading, writing and translation, rater characteristics, standard setting, and other topics meant to improve the quality of language testing. In recent years, the US government assessment programs have increased collaboration among agencies leading to additional resources and helping each agency better fulfill its mission.
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Brooks, R.L. (2017). Language Assessment in the US Government. In: Shohamy, E., Or, I., May, S. (eds) Language Testing and Assessment. Encyclopedia of Language and Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02261-1_4
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