In the reform of English education and assessment in response to this demand, VSTEP tests were developed and introduced by the Ministry of Education and Training as national English assessment instruments. VSTEP tests are meant to be alternative to the existing expensive international standardised English tests (. IELTS, TOEFL). But this requires VSTEP developers to take action to assure test validity. | A STUDY ON THE VALIDITY OF VSTEP WRITING TESTS FOR THE SAKE OF REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL INTEGRATION Nguyen Thi Ngoc Quynh* Center for Language Testing and Assessment, VNU University of Languages and International Studies, Pham Van Dong, Cau Giay, Hanoi, Vietnam Received 03 April 2018 Revised 26 July 2018; Accepted 27 July 2018 Abstract: In the context of rapid regional and international integration, particularly the official establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015, English capacity has become essential for Vietnamese people to create their competitiveness in employment, education and other opportunities. In the reform of English education and assessment in response to this demand, VSTEP tests were developed and introduced by the Ministry of Education and Training as national English assessment instruments. VSTEP tests are meant to be alternative to the existing expensive international standardised English tests (. IELTS, TOEFL). But this requires VSTEP developers to take action to assure test validity. They also need to accumulate and disseminate evidence of validity of the tests to gain international recognition. By doing so, they have taken meaningful action to contribute to the nation’s international and regional integration. The paper highlights the commitment of ULIS-VNU as a VSTEP developing institution in this mission. It reports a recent VSTEP validation study as an example of this commitment1. Keywords: VSTEP, test validation, scoring validity, assessing writing, English for ASEAN integration 1. Background 12 Regional and international integration is nothing new to all Vietnamese citizens. The impact and evidence of this process can be seen in every corner of the country, ranging from the presence of foreigners who come to Vietnam for various purposes with their increasing number and greater access to all parts of the land, to the increasing number of Vietnamese labourers from different areas and professions in the country to work .
