Diagnostic assessment in language classrooms

Testing has become the primarymeans to drive educational reforms andmeasure the resulting outcomes for accountability purposes (Jang and Ryan, 2003). However, in classrooms, teachers report little interest in the prototypical information provided by standardized large-scale tests, but seek instead detailed information about individual students’ strengths and weaknesses in specific skills taught (Brindley, 1998; Huff and Goodman, 2007). This type of information that teachers seek is diagnostic.