One teacher's take on using a ‘test’ for diagnostic purposes in the classroom

•Investigated how one EAP teacher used diagnostic feedback to inform teaching.•The teacher was assessment literate and was able to integrate diagnostic feedback.•Tensions for the teacher were based on curriculum alignment and intuitive judgments.•The CAEL was found not to be the most appropriate assessment for diagnostic use.

More and more large-scale assessments are said to have diagnostic or formative potential for classroom instruction and student learning. However, there is limited research examining how a language teacher actually uses such assessments to inform his or her teaching. An empirically-developed framework on classroom-based language assessment (Hill & McNamara, 2011) frames the study. Using a case study approach this study offers an account of how one classroom teacher used diagnostic feedback, from the Canadian Academic English Language (CAEL) Assessment, to inform her teaching in an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course. This case was considered intrinsic ( Stake, 1995) because of the considerable instructional support offered to the teacher, as well as her integral role in creating the diagnostic assessment profiles. Data collection strategies included three interviews, five classroom observations, and document analysis. The results highlighted the possible tensions for the teacher related to course planning, curriculum alignment, and conflicts with intuitive judgments in the day-to-day assessment of student ability.