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Since the birth of testing and evaluation as a scientific discipline in the 1950s, the prevailing trends in the teaching of language and culture have always been reflected in the forms that language assessment has taken. Discrete-point testing (Lado, 1961) was inspired by the structuralist approach to linguistics and behaviorism in psychology and cognitive sciences. Then, communicative language testing (Morrow, 1979) put forward the textual unity of written and oral texts, as well as the ability to convey an understandable message beyond its formal acceptability and the assessment of reception and productive skills.

In the last few decades, the scientific community has focused on new important key concepts, such as situational and interactional authenticity in task-based testing, learning oriented assessment, evaluation for diagnostic purposes, just to mention a few (Hamp-Lyons, 2016). Today, candidates are increasingly presenting plurilingual language profiles, are or will resort to international mobility, and are more and more competent in the area of information and communication technology (ICT), regardless of the formative and evaluative context of education (schools, universities, certification centers, language centers, languages for specialists in other disciplines centers, etc.).

At the same time, the dissemination of tests and certifications, which often have a strong impact on the lives of candidates and even institutions, has led to a greater awareness of the need to design valid, reliable, and fair language assessments.

Axis 1: Validity applied to language assessment: Theoretical reflections and/or feedback on experience.

Axis 2: Evaluation of inter-comprehensive and plurilingual approaches.

Axis 3 : Evaluation and language interaction