Equitable and Inclusive (Classroom-Based) Foreign Language Assessment Using Universal Design for Learning

Abstract

In increasingly diverse learner groups, it must be ensured that foreign language learners can reach their full potential, so diverse learner needs have to be catered to in teaching and in assessment contexts. Providing accessibility of learning, teaching, and assessment is a matter of equity and has increasingly been embraced as a principle of foreign language assessment. However, accessibility of language assessment has often been seen as a retrospective accommodation rather than a flexible planning of language assessment from the start. The purpose of the chapter is to discuss the potential of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) for (planning) classroom-based language assessment (CBLA) procedures in order to foster equitable and inclusive language assessment. After clarifying relevant terms, the notion of accessibility will be applied to foreign language assessment. UDL as a flexible framework for individualized language learning will be presented and illustrated for a foreign language context before its potential for classroom-based learning assessment (CBLA) is discussed and exemplified.