Language AssessmentTesting Speaking

Israel R. Asinas, III-English

What?When?Where?Who?Why?How?

Basic Types of SpeakingImitative. It is simply the ability to parrot back a word or phrase or a sentence.Intensive. It is the production of short stretches of oral language. Examples include directed response tasks, reading aloud, sentence and dialogue completion, limited picture-cued tasks.

Basic Types of SpeakingResponsive. The tasks include interaction and test comprehension but at the limited level of short conversations, standard greetings, small talk, requests, and comments.Interactive. The length and complexity of the interaction are more in interactive tasks than in responsive ones. The task sometimes includes multiple exchanges and/or multiple participants.

Basic Types of SpeakingExtensive. (monologue) The tasks include speeches, oral presentations, and story-telling. Oral interaction from listeners is either highly limited or ruled out altogether.

Imitative Speaking Word repetition taskTest-takers hear:beat/bit bat/vatI bought a boat yesterday.The glow of the candle is growing.Test-takers repeat the stimulus.

Scoring scale for repetition tasks2 acceptable pronunciation.1 comprehensible, partially correct.0 silence, seriously incorrect.

Intensive SpeakingDirected Response TasksDirected responseTell me he went home.Tell me that you like rock music.Tell me that you arent interested in tennis.Tell him to come to my office at noon.Remind him what time it is.

Test of Spoken English Scoring Scale (Read-Aloud Tasks)Pronunciation:Points: 0.00.4 frequent errors and unintelligible.0.51.4 occasionally unintelligible.1.52.4 some errors but intelligible.2.53.0 occasional errors but always intelligible.

Fluency:Points: 0.0 0.4 slow, hesitant, and unintelligible.0.5 1.4 non-native pauses and flow that interferes with intelligibility.1.5--2.4 non-native pauses but the flow is intelligible.2.53.0 smooth and effortless.

Variations on Read-Aloud tasksReading a scripted dialogue.Reading sentences containing minimal pairs. Examples: Try not to heat/ hit the pan too much.Reading information from a table or chart.

Sentence/Dialogue Completion Tasks and Oral QuestionnairesFirst, test-takers are given time to read through the dialogue to get its gist, then the tape/teacher produces one part orally and the test-taker responds.

Advantage: more time to anticipate an answer, no potential ambiguity created by aural misunderstanding (oral interview).

Picture-Cued TasksA picture-cued stimulus requires a description from the test-taker. It may elicit a word, a phrase, a story, or incident.Scoring scale for intensive tasks:2 comprehensible; acceptable target form1 comprehensible; partially correct0 silence; or seriously incorrect

A Scale for Evaluating InterviewsGrammarVocabularyComprehensionFluencyPronunciationTask (the objective of the elicited task)

Responsive SpeakingQuestion and AnswerExamples: 1. What is this called in English? ( to elicit a predetermined correct response) 2. What are the steps governments should take, if any, to stem the rate of de-forestation in tropical countries? ( given more opportunity to produce meaningful language in response)

Questions Eliciting Open-Ended Responses1. What do you think about the weather today?2. Why did you choose your academic major?3. a. Have you ever been to the Baguio before?b. What other places have you visited?c. Why did you go there? What did you like best about it?

Giving Instructions & DirectionsExamples: how to operate an appliance, how to put a bookshelf together, or how to create a dish.Scoring: based on (1) comprehensibility (2) Specified grammatical/discourse categories.

Eliciting Instructions or DirectionsTest-takers hear:-Describe how to make a typical dish-Whats a good recipe for making _____?-How do you access email on a PC computer?-How do I get from ___ to ____ in your city?Test-takers respond.

Interactive SpeakingOral Interview: a test administrator and a test-taker sit down in a direct face-to-face exchange and proceed through a protocol of questions and directives.

Sample Questions of an Oral Interview 1. Warm-up:How are you?/Whats your name?/What country are you from?/Let me tell your about this interview.2. Level check:How long have you been in this city?/tell me about your family./What is your major?/How long have you been working at your degree?/What are your hobbies or interests?/Why do you like your hobby?

What is your favorite food?/Tell me about your exciting experience youve had.3. Probe:What are your goals for learning English in this program?/Describe your academic field to me. What do you like or dislike about it?/Describe someone you greatly respect, and tell me why you respect that person./If you were [president, prime minister] of your country, what would you like to change about your country?

4. Wind-down:Did you feel okay about this interview?/Youll get your results from this interview next week./Do you have any question to ask?/It was interesting to talk with you. Best wishes.

Role PlayIt is a popular pedagogical activity in communicative language-teaching classes.The test administrator must determine the assessment objectives of the role play, then devise a scoring technique that pinpoints those objectives. Examples: Pretend that youre a tourist asking me for directions, You are buying a necklace from me in a flea market, and want a lower price.

Discussions & Conversations As informal techniques to assess learners, D & C offer a level of authenticity and spontaneity that other assessment techniques may not provide.(clarifying, questioning, paraphrasing, intonation patterns, body language, eye contact, and other sociolinguistic factors)Games

Extensive SpeakingExtensive speaking tasks are frequently variations on monologues, usually with minimal verbal interaction.Oral Presentations:Examples: presenting a report, a paper, a marketing plan, a sales idea, a design of a new product, or a method.

Rules for effective assessment: (a) specify the criterion, (b) set appropriate tasks, (c) Elicit optimal output, and (d) establish practical, reliable scoring procedures.

Oral presentation checklist3 excellent 2 good 1 fair 0 poor

Content:The purpose or objective of the presentation was accomplished.The introduction was lively and got my attention.The main idea or point was clearly stated toward the beginning.

The supporting points were clearly expressed and supported well by facts and argument.The conclusion restated the main idea or purpose.DeliveryThe speaker used gestures and body language well.The speaker maintained eye contact with the audience.The speakers language was natural and fluent.The volume of speech was appropriate.

The rate of speech was appropriate.The pronunciation was clear and comprehensible.The grammar was correct and didnt prevent understanding.Used visual aids, handouts, etc., effectively.Showed enthusiasm and interest.Responded to audience questions well.

Picture-Cued Story-Telling

At this level, a picture/a series of pictures is used as a stimulus for a longer story or description.The objective of eliciting narrative discourse needs to be clear. For example, are you testing for oral vocabulary, (girl, telephone, wet) for time relatives (before, after, when), for sentence connectors (then, so), for past tense of irregular verbs (woke, drank, rang), or for fluency in general?Criteria for scoring need to be clear.

Retelling a Story, News EventTest-takers hear /read a story or news event that they are asked to retell.It differs from the paraphrasing task discussed above in that it is a longer stretch of discourse and a different genre.

Israel R. AsinasIII-EnglishThank You!