This is an interesting discussion by Hilary Smith about the proposal to legislate "official language" status to English in New Zealand. She draws attention to debates about English language test scores, calling for a "proper national language policy". theconversation.com/the-debate-n...

New Zealand conservatives copying the US move to designate English as an "official language". Totally unnecessary, but suggesting that that status of English might be vulnerable is an effective populist move that rouses fear and linguicism. www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03...

For most second language speakers, their foreign accent is a source of anxiety. Some turn to accent modification training. In the latest Language-on-the-Move post, Andrea Pešková provides a fascinating glimpse into the world of accent coaching. languageonthemove.com/how-i-worked...

LAP 📚 - "Reconsidering context in language assessment" - tackles the wicked c-word CONTEXT. And Fox & Artemeva do an excellent job! A challenging topic, and a challenging read at times, but worth it for the detailed, multi-perspective discussion. Check out the post-its! LAP 📚

MLA Statement against designating English as the official language of the US www.mla.org/Resources/Ad...

Concordance studies link scores on one test to scores on another. They provide an empirical basis for score equivalence tables, but they do have limitations🚧, e.g., similarity of test constructs, population used, number of test takers at each score level, length of scales. Image: Mediamodifier

ILTA Guidelines for Practice: "basic information about best practice in language assessment to promote fair, valid and transparent uses of language assessments". Includes standardized tests and learning-oriented assessment practices. www.iltaonline.com/page/ILTAGui...

LAP📚 Bernard Spolsky's "Measured Words" is a treasure - describes the rise of tests as a method for sorting people into social, educational and work categories from Han Dynasty Civil Service exams to English language testing industry. LAP📚