This article examines language assessment from a critical perspective, defining
critical in a manner similar to Pennycook (1999; 2001). I argue that alternative
assessment, as distinct from testing, offers a partial response to the challenges
presented by a critical perspective on language assessment. Shohamy’s
(1997; 1999; 2001) critical language testing (CLT) is discussed as an adequate
response to the critical challenge. Ultimately, I argue that important ethical
questions, along with other issues of validity, will be articulated differently from
a critical perspective than they are in the more traditional approach to language assessment.
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