Teachers’ involvement in high-stakes language assessment reforms: The case of Test for English Majors (TEM) in China

•Teachers had generally positive perceptions of the new Test for English Majors Grade 4 (TEM4).•Teachers commented favourably on the various reform measures taken by the TEM Committee.•Teachers’ views on the TEM4 reform mostly converged with those of the TEM Committee representatives. As important stakeholders in language assessment, teachers’ perceptions of language test design and implementation are key factors influencing test impact. This study investigated how English teachers perceived the recent reform of Test for English Majors Grade 4 (TEM4) - a high-stakes English proficiency test targeting English-major undergraduates in China. Furthermore, this study explored the convergence and divergence between teachers’ perceptions of the reform and the intentions of the TEM4 Committee. Findings of this study indicate that teachers in general commented favourably on the revised TEM4 and felt that most of the reform measures were appropriate; however, some divergence between teachers’ perceptions and the intentions of the TEM4 developer was uncovered, particularly in relation to the listening section. This study underscores the importance of soliciting teachers’ perspectives on high-stakes assessment reforms and signals the need for building more effective communicative mechanisms between language assessment providers and stakeholders.