Whitehead, DavidReed, Yvonne2009-11-242009-11-242008Whitehead, D. & Reed, Y. (2008). Editorial: Plotting new courses in assessment. English Teaching: Practice and Critique, 7(3), 1-3.1175-8708https://hdl.handle.net/10289/3406The articles in this issue foreground some of the tensions inherent in the use of “global” summative, norm-referenced measures of literacy on the one hand, and “local”, site and classroom specific literacy assessments on the other. At a theoretical level these tensions may seem without basis given that “global” and “local” assessments seem to serve different masters and achieve different purposes. However, in reality the wash-back effect of high stakes systemic assessment on classroom work is widely accepted. Furthermore, these tensions are palpable in countries in which the results from high-stakes, high status “global” assessments can lead to the closure of schools. Several of the articles in this issue describe how teachers in schools and universities are attempting to steer a course around and between the omnipresent impact of high stakes assessments and their influence on curricula.application/pdfenThis article has been published in the journal: English Teaching: Practice and Critique. Used with permission.assessmentprofessionalisminnovationeducationJournal Article