Assessment Training in the Use of Portfolios: Voices from Writing Teachers

Despite the benefits of writing portfolios, scholars remain unclear about how assessment training influences teacher use of portfolios for writing assessment in China. The chapter investigates the role and effectiveness of assessment training when Chinese teachers attempt portfolio assessment. The study was conducted in a doctorate degree programme in Hong Kong. Three informants from Mainland China registered an 11-session content course on English language assessment. The assessment training consisted of three lectures and two workshops on the principles of language assessment and writing portfolio assessment respectively. Data were collected by an open-ended questionnaire, post-workshop individual interviews and reflection papers, and analysed by qualitative methods. Implications are drawn to suggest future directions of developing teacher assessment literacy in China and beyond.