This fall, the Canadian Association of Language Assessment (CALA/ACEL) brings Canada’s leading event in language assessment research and practice to Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU). Organized by co-chairs Dr. Christine Doe, Dr. Elizabeth Jean Larson and Dr. Johan Woodworth from MSVU’s Faculty of Education, and Dr. Suzanne Spring from Université du Québec à Montréal, this year’s CALA conference will take place on October 3 and 4, 2025, in the McCain Centre at MSVU.
The CALA/ACEL 2025 Fall Conference will bring together educators, researchers, practitioners and policy makers from across Canada to explore, challenge, and advance our understanding of language testing and assessment. This year’s theme focuses on innovations and challenges in the Canadian context, including the evolving role of artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI technologies in educational assessment.
Conference organizers note that Canada’s linguistic diversity — shaped by bilingualism, Indigenous languages, and immigration — makes language assessment an important topic of discussion. Assessment has the potential to create more inclusive, fair, and effective language learning environments. At the same time, it’s important to be mindful of how tests can be misused and may unintentionally reinforce inequality.
Spiros Papageorgiou from Educational Testing Services (ETS) will deliver the keynote address that will consider the challenges when mapping test scores to language proficiency frameworks and the potential implications for language assessment practice in Canada. Drawing on his extensive knowledge and experience with the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and his research with ETS on the assessment of English as a foreign language, Spiros will provide a unique insight into this field. He will also host a workshop during the conference titled “Methodologies for mapping test scores to external standards in the Canadian context”.
There will also be a panel discussion featuring four leading scholars, Dr. Heike Neumann (Concordia), Dr. Shahrzad Saif (Laval), Dr. Beverly Baker (Ottawa) and Dr. Eunice Jang (Toronto), who will reflect on the state of language assessment in Canada. The programming will also feature paper presentations and offer a collaborative space for early-stage research, innovative ideas, and open dialogue—reflecting on CALA/ACEL’s commitment to fostering growth, mentorship, and constructive feedback.
Dr. Christine Doe, Associate Professor in MSVU’s Faculty of Education and President of CALA/ACEL notes, “It is exciting to host the CALA/ACEL conference at MSVU, bringing together professors, graduate students and language testers working in the private sector from across Canada and the US.”
The Faculty of Education at MSVU offers graduate programs in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), which prepares graduates with the skills to facilitate the learning and teaching of English as an additional language. It also offers the MEd (Curriculum Studies) Technology Education program, which explores the intersection of artificial intelligence, technology, and education, with a focus on developing critical AI literacy and supporting learners.
For more information on the CALA Conference, visit https://www.cala-acel.org/events/2-25.