The Test at the Gate: Models of Literacy in Reading Assessment

For many students throughout the world, success depends not only on the ability to read in English but on the demonstration of that ability through publicly recognized examinations. These exams are based on two separate traditions, one originating in Britain, the other in the United States; they vary considerably in form, yet there is a fundamental similarity in the demands they make and in the kind of reading they effectively teach. We describe this similarity with respect to what Street (1984) calls the autonomous model of literacy , one which assumes that text, reader, and the skill of reading itself can be viewed as autonomous entities. In criticizing this view, we present an alternative approach, described as a pragmatic model of literacy , which treats text as social instrument, readers and writers as embodying social identities, and the skill of reading as extending beyond decoding and use of relevant knowledge to socially structured negotiation of meaning. We utilize these contrasting models of literacy to describe the limitations of reading tests and argue for an alternative approach to assessment that reflects the social dimension of literacy activities. Within such pragmatically oriented assessment, reading and writing are viewed as inseparable.