Navigating complexity

After earning a teacher's diploma from a pedagogical university in Russia, I began my academic career teaching English, German, and Russian in Germany. Following my PhD in applied linguistics from Georgetown University, I served as a professor teaching Russian as a foreign language in Germany and trained future and in-service teachers in different second language acquisition and teaching (SLA/T)-related topics (including testing). I am now Professor of Language Testing and Digital Learning at Ruhr University in Bochum and Director of Research at the Society of Academic Study Preparation and Test Development. In this capacity, I conduct research in language testing and oversee the development and global administration of university admission tests, such as TestDaF, as well as the A2/B1 immigration test Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer (DTZ). This diverse experience has provided me with a comprehensive understanding of the needs and realities of various stakeholders, including learners, teachers, test institutions, universities, and schools as well as ministries. In this commentary, I engage with the ideas in the synergy statement from the perspective of language assessment. The statement's emphasis on the complexity and multifaceted nature of SLA/T resonates strongly with contemporary debates in language assessment, particularly regarding the need to move toward more inclusive, personalized formative practices that reflect the diversity of language learners’ experiences and educational contexts. Language assessment (testing) is often synonymous with high-stakes, standardized tests such as International English Language Testing System (IELTS) or Test Deutsch als Fremdsprache (TestDaF), which are designed to provide valid and reliable measures of learners’ language proficiency for a specific test use. High-stakes tests play a crucial role in various domains, including immigration, university admissions, and professional certifications. However, as the synergy statement suggests, second language acquisition and teaching (SLA/T) has a wider scope and range than the specific concept of high-stakes tests. While these tests are invaluable for specific contexts, they fall short in addressing the diverse and multifaceted experiences of language learners, which are shaped by a multitude of factors—learners’ linguistic repertoires, educational backgrounds, personal motivations, and sociopolitical contexts. At the same time, the primary purpose of high-stakes tests is to measure language proficiency against a fixed, standardized set of criteria—not to account for variations in learners’ trajectories. Norris (2006) broadened the definition of assessment to encompass not just standardized tests but the entire process of gathering information about language learning. This definition aligns well with the synergy statement's call for a more context-sensitive and multidimensional understanding of SLA/T. Norris argued that assessment should provide locally relevant information about learners and their learning to inform educational decisions (p. 579). This perspective supports the distinction between assessment of learning (summative), for learning (formative), and as learning (Earl, 2003). Formative assessments, in particular, should be designed to actively involve students in their development, shifting the focus from measuring outcomes to promoting learning as a dynamic, ongoing process (compare “teach to process versus product” recommendation of the synergy). Carless (2007) identified three critical components of assessment for learning: Using “assessment tasks as learning tasks; student involvement in assessment as peer- or self-evaluators; and feedback as feedforward” (p. 57). The emphasis on feedback as an interactive and forward-looking process resonates with the second conceptual synergy in the statement—language as social action. When learners engage in peer feedback, they are not only reflecting their own progress but also participating in meaningful social interaction, which enhances their agency and facilitates deeper language development. Studies like Paland-Riedmüller et al. (2024) have shown how peer feedback in online language courses transforms learners from passive recipients of evaluation to active agents in their learning. SLA/T's complexity, as emphasized in the synergy statement, requires teachers to possess high levels of assessment literacy, encompassing more than just technical know-how. Teachers need to understand how their assessment practices can be adapted to reflect the diverse needs of their learner populations (Konzett-Firth et al., 2024). The findings of Drackert and Stadler (2017) on Russian language teachers in Germany and Austria highlight this complexity. They illustrated how the need for differentiated assessment strategies can vary significantly even for the same target language, depending on the learners’ backgrounds in language classrooms: heritage speakers versus foreign language learners (compare the Elephants’ implication for pedagogy and practice; Atkinson et al., 2025, this issue). The focus of this synergy statement on the multifactorial nature of SLA/T naturally extends to assessment literacy, which must be contextually grounded. Teachers require ongoing professional development to navigate this complexity effectively. However, many teachers receive minimal training in assessment, both during their studies and in their professional lives. Moreover, the practical constraints of time and classroom management in most educational settings—in particular, in public schools—make it difficult to provide individualized feedback in heterogeneous classrooms. Technological advances, as discussed by Pili-Moss et al. (2022), offer potential solutions, but meaningful reforms in education are required as well to address the practical constraints. The synergy statement highlights how high-stakes language tests can perpetuate inequalities, especially in postcolonial language contexts. However, it is important to acknowledge that such tests, including citizenship exams and university entrance assessments, also serve crucial purposes. Despite criticisms regarding their bias against low-literate learners (Carlsen et al., 2023) and individuals from specific cultural backgrounds (Randall et al., 2022), these tests can empower individuals by encouraging the acquisition of the linguistic and cultural knowledge needed for meaningful participation in the society. To this end, it is essential that high-stakes exams incorporate authentic tasks that reflect real-world language use. Zimmermann et al. (2024) argued that the goal for learners preparing for university admission tests should extend beyond simply passing; it should focus on equipping them to navigate university life effectively. In some instances, high-stakes tests function as gateways to opportunities rather than as barriers. For example, passing the Test for Academic Studies (TestAS) can provide international students, particularly from non-European countries, with faster and more direct access to German universities. It would be unfair to allege that both testing institutions and researchers in language testing do not do enough to ensure that tests are fair and equitable, or disadvantage certain learner groups based on gender, cultural background, or other factors purely as a result of the choice and design of the test format. Reputable testing institutions conduct differential item functioning analyses as a default to ensure that assessment tasks do not discriminate against certain learner groups (Roussos & Stout, 2004). The use of specific test formats for certain learner populations are subject to scholarly scrutiny (e.g., Deygers, 2020; Drackert & Timukova, 2020). Furthermore, guidelines such as the Guidelines for the Large-Scale Assessment of Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Populations (International Test Commission, 2018) and reference guides (e.g., Council of Europe, 2023) are developed to meet the needs of diverse groups of language learners. Even the short commentary reveals that language testing is almost as complex as SLA/T. The discipline is as dynamic and evolving as SLA/T. At the same time, assessment in its inclusive understanding is an essential part of SLAT/T, so that cooperation of the disciplines is very important

Linguistics · Perspective (graphical) · Artificial Intelligence · Computer Science · Educational and Psychological Assessments · Philosophy · Psychology · Second Language Learning and Teaching · Student Assessment and Feedback

• I Treat Everybody the Same, This is Fair”

  Open Access•Anna Soltyska, Toni Mäkipää•Journal of Language Identity &…•2026

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• Learning‐oriented assessment

  David Carle•Innovations in Education and…•2007

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• Elicited Imitation

  Open Access•Bart Deygers•Studies in Second Language…•2020

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• Relationality, interconnectedness, and identity

  Open Access•D Atkinson, Jorge Andres Mejía-Laguna et al.•Modern Language Journal•2025

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• What does the analysis of C-test gaps tell us about the construct of a C-test? A comparison of foreign and heritage language learners’ performance

  Open Access•Anastasia Drackert, Anna Timukova•Language Testing•2020

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