ABSTRACT
It is well recognized that test specifications are “blueprints” or “architectural drawings” for providing guidance on test development and ensuring equivalence between test forms. The usefulness of test specifications in establishing construct validity and enhancing washback and impact, however, is less explicitly articulated in the literature. This chapter begins with a review of “specification-driven testing” in both high-stakes language testing and classroom-based language assessment contexts. The chapter then moves on to a discussion of the role of test specifications in establishing test validity and promoting “effect-driven testing.” The chapter ends with suggestions on future directions on research of test specifications so that they can better serve the interests and needs of stakeholders of language testing and assessment.
