Shiraz University Teaching English as a Second Language Quarterly 2981-1546 31 4 2013 03 06 Power Relations among Different Test Parties from the Perspective of Critical Language Assessment روابط قدرت در میان گروههای مختلف درگیر در آزمون از دیدگاه سنجش انتقادی زبان 103 126 1139 10.22099/jtls.2013.1139 EN Sohila Tahmasebi Ph.D. Candidate, TEFL Shiraz Branch, Islamic Azad University Morteza Yamini Assistant Professor, TEFL Shiraz Branch, Islamic Azad University Journal Article 2012 07 09 Critical Language Assessment (CLA) argues that language testing is a form of social practice and an agent of cultural, social, educational as well as ideological agendas. As such this article scrutinized the power that different groups of people including, teachers, students and their parents own at the levels of developing, administrating and interpreting Iranian University Entrance Examinations (IUEE). The study revealed that tests could be tools of power that serve the empowered parties’ policies and manipulate individual lives. Supported by the findings, the article (1) could be conducive to developing critical thinking among students to see behind the tests, and (2) suggests more democratic testing methods to moderate high-stakes tests consequences so that individual rights get protected. https://tesl.shirazu.ac.ir/article_1139_083a29edc228c8f9c0db633d6f0df452.pdf