Abstract

Assessment is a powerful tool which can shape curriculum, teaching and learning. One of the major topics which has been the focus of so much debate among the scholars is the concept of ethics in educational assessment systems. The purpose of this paper is to touch upon the issue of ethics in language assessment from validity perspectives. To ensure effective planning, implementation, and evaluation of learning, certain principles and guidelines for beliefs and behaviors are adopted. These principles and guidelines are identified as ethical standards. The central question to be addressed here is whether any test can be defended as ethical, or moral. This study also examines professional ethics, specifically ethical principles as they relate to educational assessment. And finally, some suggestions and guidelines will be offered for applying ethics in educational assessment to maximize validity and fair application of language test scores.

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