Assessing Oral Language

Proficiency in our students

Learning
about speaking tests

The Lighter Side.

Whats on tap?

What are the principles of good test

design?

Practice making test rubrics and

assessing.

Learn how to deliver and design a

retelling speaking test AND a level
placement test.

The Objective of Education

What do you believe.?

We give tests so that ..
Tests provide teachers with ..
When testing in my class, I usually ..
Tests help students ..
A good speaking test should ..

All tests must ..

My opinion on tests is ..
An example of one kind of test is ..
1

What does speaking consist of?

What should
we assess?

The Alphabet Soup of Assessment

Background: The Purpose of Tests

Andrew Finch, Kyungpook Nat. Univ. of Education , Daegu, S. Korea

Complete the Following..

The

purpose of testing is.

Tests can easily become .
Classroom based tests
should
Also, they should .

Complete the Following..

The

purpose of testing is.

To give information to the

students and teachers (also
parents!)

Complete the Following..

Tests can easily become .

Normative and Comparative.
(but should be Criterion based
and about what the student
CAN do)

Complete the following

Classroom based tests should

- Non threatening
environment
- Focus on real situations
and the process of learning.

Complete the Following..

Also, they should .

Provide big picture.
Emphasize thinking skills and
collaboration.
provide information and be
about the learning.

THE GOLDEN RULE!

Test what the student

CAN do
NOT
What the student cant!

Basics 1 Making a rubric

What is a rubric?
"a scoring tool that lists the criteria for a
piece of work or 'what counts.' "
-- Heidi Goodrich

2-3

Fill in the rubric with descriptors

Fluency

Limited

some

good

Well
Developed

Pronunciation

unclear

Parts clear

Vocabulary

limited

adequate

Effort

poor

fair

Mostly clear

Very clear

sound

extensive

Good

excellent

Assessing through an Interview

Students

know the questions

and have practiced.
Design the rubric.
Select 4 questions to ask a
student.
Score the student based on their
response.

Oral Assessment using retelling

Retelling is a powerful way to fully
assess a students ability to produce
language. It shows with validity that a
student understands the language used
and most importantly, can use it.
______________________________________
1. List the main ideas of the story.
2. Design a rubric or storytelling checklist.
3. Ask the student(s) to retell the story.
4. Check all ideas that the student
successfully retells/relates.
5. Total the score.

Checklist
Major Ideas: Heungbu / Nolbu
Two brothers, one good , one bad.
Heungbu asks for food. Nolbu refuses.
A swallow comes. Heungbu helps.
Gets a seed.
3 pumpkins grow. Treasure comes out.
Nolbu is jealous. Does the same.
Monsters come out.
Heungbu helps Nolbu. Nolbu changes.
They live happily.

Score

Oral Assessment using

sequencing HOW TO.

1.

2.
3.
4.
5.

Explaining how to do something is an

excellent way to assess student speaking
ability.
________________________________
List the main steps. Teach / practice.
Design a checklist.
Ask the student(s) to explain how to...
Check all steps that the student
successfully retells/relates.
Total the score.
4

Checklist
Steps: How to make a P&J sandwich
Get two slices of bread.
Put peanut butter on one.
Put jelly on top of the peanut butter.
Cut the sandwich in half.
Eat the sandwich!

Beware of narrow testing

Be Careful!
Assure all students understand the
criteria of assessment (the rubric)
Pre Test

Did you teach enough, the required

content?
Check for Silent Period

Provide a proper
environment / warm up.
During Testing

Test what you taught!

Give students specific
feedback

After Testing
Flood & Lapp, 1992

allow for a retake. Praise!

Placement Testing

A great Picture

Key Vocabulary
Character 1:

Questions in
increasing difficulty

Vocabulary Rank

Character 2:

Websites to help test speaking

Teacher Evaluation

http://eflclassroom.ning.com

one teaches, two learn.

ddeubel@gmail.com
http://eflclassroom.ning.com