Tim McNamara and Carsten Roever's Language testing: The social dimension is the fifth volume in the “Language learning monograph series.” This volume aims to reawaken the consciousness that language testing is and has always been a social practice. Ch. 1 opens up a dialogue on the social and political consequences of language testing, and provides the general structure of the argument of this volume. Ch. 2 sketches out the development of validity theory from the 1950s up to the present, which has set out theoretical foundation for the overall argument. McNamara and Roever hold that, although validity theory has begun to investigate the technical qualities of tests in the interest of fairness, the wider social functions of tests are still not well understood. Ch. 3 considers the theoretical and practical difficulties in the testing of language proficiency and pragmatic competence at the micro level, especially in face-to-face interaction. Ch. 4 lists a range of methods within psychometrics for addressing group-related sources of unfairness in tests, through investigation of bias, differential item functioning, and the impact of variables associated with the rating process in performance assessments. In light of the social dimension of language assessment, McNamara and Roever advocate that the traditional approach should not only consider the test itself, but look beyond the test booklet at the larger sociopolitical contexts. Ch. 5 discusses the development of professional codes of ethics and institutional codes of practice by institutional testing agencies and professional associations of language testers. In Chs. 6 and 7 the authors move to a broader consideration of the effects of language tests on individuals and societies. Ch. 6 analayzes the use of language tests to establish and construct social identity, particularly within a setting involving competition and conflict among social groups. Ch. 7 examines how language assessments in educational systems serve social, cultural, and political goals. This is followed by a comprehensive account of assessment standards at schools in Australia and in the No Child Left Behind Act in the US.

This volume is important in opening a dialogue on the social context of language assessment. The volume reviews recent findings and current theoretical positions regarding language testing and describes the consequences of language testing in society as a whole and in the lives of individuals. McNamara and Roever point out that validity theory in language testing needs to be supplemented by social analysis and cultural critique in contemporary social theory. This volume will certainly appeal to readers with previous exposure to the language testing literature. However, McNamara and Roever's ability to connect these methods results in a timely and comprehensive text also make it accessible to those without a strong background in language testing. Anyone who wishes to broaden their understanding of language testing in general and its social dimensions in particular will definitely benefit from this book.