Assessing Swahili

Swahili is a second language for the majority of its users both within East Africa and beyond, creating a great need for adequate teaching, learning, and assessment resources. Outside of Africa, it is the most widely taught African language. While Swahili has been assessed through standardized tests within East Africa for decades, only recently have those involved in teaching Swahili as a foreign language begun developing standardized tests for Swahili assessment. Different assessments used in East Africa and the USA, as well as existing challenges and needs, are considered in this chapter.