As part of the preparation to establish the Pathways to Teach Canada service, and following the pilot testing process of the the Language Competency Assessments for the Teaching Profession (LCATP), it was recommended that coding guides be developed for the speaking and writing items, before implementing the LCATP. (The listening and reading modules comprise multiple-choice tests that are machine scored by the XpressLab testing software.) Response coding, once the LCATP is launched, will be conducted online using an interface in XpressLab. Developing coding guides for the LCATP will align with known effective practices in testing and likely improve item and interrater reliability. Additionally, such guides would provide clarity for standard setters whenever standards are revised. Finally, the coding guides will aim to ensure fair, valid, and bias-free coding of test takers’ assessments.
Please note that the test items were developed independently in French and English by educators from a range of experience and backgrounds (e.g., current teachers, former teachers still working in education, and language-assessment experts). Consequently, two discrete and independent coding guides will have to be developed in French and in English.
