PERFORMANCE-BASED ASSESSMENT FOR YOUNG LEARNERS: REDEFINING VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY IN CEFR-ALIGNED TESTING

Abstract

In recent decades, the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) has become a cornerstone for language assessment worldwide. While it provides descriptors for communicative competence across proficiency levels, applying CEFR principles to young learners raises unique challenges. Traditional standardized tests often fail to capture children’s developing skills authentically, resulting in questions of fairness, motivation, and validity. This study investigates the potential of performance-based assessment (PBA) as a more child-centered approach to measuring young learners’ language abilities while maintaining psychometric soundness. Through a mixed-methods design that combined classroom-based performance tasks with statistical analysis of reliability measures, the research examines whether PBAs can provide both valid and reliable outcomes when aligned with CEFR descriptors. Results reveal that PBAs, when carefully designed and scaffolded, enhance construct validity by reflecting communicative competence in authentic contexts. However, ensuring inter-rater reliability remains a challenge, requiring rigorous rubrics and assessor training. The study concludes with pedagogical and policy implications for integrating performance-based assessment into CEFR-aligned testing frameworks for young learners.