DOCUMENT RESUME FL 026 797 ED 454 738 Oral Language Assessment in the Foreign Language Class TITLE (Planning, Conducting, Managing). The Positive Dream. North Carolina State Dept. of Public Instruction, Raleigh. INSTITUTION Instructional Services. 2001-00-00 PUB DATE 80p.; Produced by Northern Carolina DPI, Second Languages NOTE Instructional Services. Classroom Teacher (052) PUB TYPE Guides MF01/PC04 Plus Postage. EDRS PRICE Classroom Techniques; Evaluation; Evaluation Criteria; DESCRIPTORS *Evaluation Methods; Measures (Individuals); *Oral Language; *Second Language Instruction; Second Language Learning; *Speech Communication; Speech Skills; *Student Evaluation; Teacher Education; Testing North Carolina IDENTIFIERS ABSTRACT The focus of second language education is communication, and oral language is central to the teaching of foreign language at all levels. Oral language in the foreign language classroom is the most problematic of all skills to assess. Teachers' concerns can be divided in the following (2) How to assess: subjectivity (1) What to assess: form or content; areas: versus objectivity; and (3) When to assess and how to manage assessment. These questions form the basis of this guide. The guide is geared toward improving classroom instruction and student learning by focusing on assessing the speaking skill. It defines the differences between oral assessment and testing, outlines the different steps needed to create oral assessment tasks, and offers some possible suggestions for the administration and management of oral assessment in the classroom with many students. Chapter titles include the following: "Steps in Creating Authentic and Performance-Based Assessment Tasks"; "Determine Purpose of Assessment"; "Design the Task"; "Choose the Tools To Use in Assessment"; "Select the Criteria"; "Think about the Administration and the Management of the Assessment"; and "Interpret and Report the Results." (Contains 10 references.) (KFT) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. Oral Language Assessment in the Foreign Language Class (Planning, Conducting, and Managing) U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Improvement Office of Educational Research and INFORMATION EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES CENTER (ERIC) reproduced as This document has been organization received from the person or originating it. to Minor changes have been made improve reproduction quality. in this Points of view or opinions stated The represent document do not necessarily official OERI position or policy. Possible Dream PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS EEN GRANTED BY TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) 1 Public Schools of North Carolina Department of Public Instruction 301 N. Wilmington Street Raleigh, NC 27601-2825 2 [ BEST COPY AVAILABLE__I Oral Language Assessment in the Foreign Language Class (Planning, Conducting, and Managing) The Possible Dream 2001 Second Languages Instructional Services 3 Oral Language Assessment in the Foreign Language Class, 2001 Table of Contents Introduction 1 Steps in Creating Authentic and Performance-Based Assessment Tasks 5 Determine Purpose of Assessment Design the Task 11 Choose the Tools to Use in Assessment 24 Select the Criteria 59 Think About the Administration and the Management of the Assessment 62 Interpret and Report the Results 70 Conclusion 73 Bibliography 75 4 Oral Language Assessment in the Foreign Language Class, 2001 Introduction The focus of second language education is communication, and oral language is central to the teaching of foreign languages at all levels. For many years now, teachers have been moving away from teaching language in isolation in favor of teaching language through authentic tasks reflecting real-life situations. However, assessment practices have not always reflected how language is being taught. Oral language in the foreign language classroom is the most problematic of all the skills to assess. Teachers' concerns can be divided in the following areas: 1. What to assess: form or content 2. How to assess: subjectivity vs. objectivity 3. When to assess and how to manage assessment 1. What to Assess Is it more important to assess the form and accuracy (in both grammar and pronunciation) or to assess the message? This question, which has been puzzling foreign language teachers for many years, will have to be addressed by each individual. However, it is essential to remember that when conversations progress, it is because people respond to what has been said (the message) rather than how it was said (the form). If the actual message is more important than the form, then the assessment 5 Oral Language Assessment in the Foreign Language Class, 2001 2 and the grade should focus on the message and its components. In this case, what matters most is that the message is comprehensible, regardless of the few mistakes in pronunciation, grammar, and word choice. However, there may be times when teachers will want to verify that students are comfortable with basic language structures and will want to assess students on the accurate use of these structures. Overall, what matters most is that students are given the opportunity, on a regular basis, to use language which duplicates as closely as possible language used in real life situations. In addition, if oral language is an important daily component of the foreign language class, then the assessment of oral language should reflect the kind of language used during classroom activities'. Instruction and assessment should be closely linked. 2. How to Assess Subjectivity vs. objectivity Oral language has always been a large component of the foreign language class, and class participation has always accounted for part of the oral grade assigned by teachers. Students have usually received broad guidelines about contributing and participating in the classroom activities, but they may not have been sure of the specific linguistic expectations. Teachers, then, have assigned students a grade based on their combined observations of the students, but because of the lack of time, these observations often have gone unrecorded. Students may, on occasion, have disagreed and confronted the teacher when they felt that the assigned grade.was not fair, since, in their eyes, they had met the requirements for participation. Traditionally, the more formal assessments of oral language have taken several forms. Teachers have graded the language excerpts and have considered them good, average, or poor based on their "gut" feeling. Teachers inherently know when something is good or bad, but they may not be as comfortable in giving students useful feedback. Or teachers have determined that mispronounced words, grammatical mistakes, wrong choice of words, and hesitations were assigned a point value which was 6 Oral Language Assessment in the Foreign Language Class, 2001 3 deducted from the students' oral presentation, and, in doing, so they have devalued the content in favor of the form. 3. When to Assess and How to Manage Assessment The issue of time and management of oral assessment is possibly the biggest hurdle to overcome. Because classes are usually large (especially at the lower levels, where so much of the language is oral), teachers find themselves pulled between the need to assess oral language and the limited time they have with students. Two questions are voiced with regularity by frustrated teachers, "How does one assess oral language when there are 30 students in class? And how does one keep useful records for oral assessment?" The questions listed above form the basis for this document. Oral Language Assessment in the Foreign Language Class is geared toward improving classroom instruction and student learning by focusing on assessing the speaking skill. The document defines the differences between oral assessment and testing, outlines the different steps needed to create oral assessment tasks, and offers some possible suggestions for the administration and the management of oral assessment in a classroom with many students. 7 Oral Language Assessment in the Foreign Language Class, 2001 4 Assess or Test? 0 What is the difference? That is the question. Definitions Testing: Testing is a one-time measure which relies on student achievement and recall on one given day. It is the snapshot picture. It is usually dependent on one correct response per question with no regard for demonstration of knowledge and thought process. After the test has been taken a grade is usually given. Evaluating: Evaluating involves a judgement on the part of the teacher. It usually takes place over a longer time frame and compares past and present learning. It would be the equivalent of two or three snapshot pictures in an album. Assessment: Assessment has been interpreted to mean many things. It refers to the act of documenting the on-going performance of students and of collecting information about individuals or groups in order to understand them better (SERVE). It has been compared to the photo album which gives an overall understanding of what the students can do with the language. Assessment is curriculum-driven and gives feedback to students and teachers. Oral Language Assessment in the Foreign Language Class, 2001 Steps in Creating Authentic and Performance- Based Assessment Tasks Authentic performance tasks are central to oral language assessment, as they allow students to use language reflecting real life situations in a meaningful way. The creation of authentic oral performance-based assessment tasks involves several essential steps. Teachers should: Determine the purpose for the assessment. If the purpose is to 1. place students at the right level of instruction, the assessment will be different than if the purpose is to diagnose the instructional needs of individual students. 2. Select the objectives of the assessment. Teachers have to reflect on what they want their students to know or to be able to do. They must choose whether they want to concentrate on one skill (speaking), or if they want to assess several skills at the same time. It is easier to decide the specific task and to establish the scoring criteria once the objectives are clearly defined. For this reason, it is recommended to select the objectives prior to selecting the activity. 3. Design the task they want to use to have their students show their attainment of the skill(s) and appropriate content. Teachers will need to create an authentic task that students Oral Language Assessment in the Foreign Langu9ge Class, 2001 6 would actually do if they were living or traveling in the foreign country. In addition, it is important to select a task that can be accomplished at many levels, so that it will be accessible to the full range of students in the classroom. Furthermore, the assessment needs to be tailored to show what students are expected to know. If the goal is to know that students have gotten facts, asking simple questions will be sufficient. However, if the goal is to know that students can infer, then they will need to have opportunities to elaborate in some way. 4. Think about the management of the assessment. Teachers will need to select materials, determine if items are to be done individually or in small group, and for how long, determine how to collect responses tapes, written responses, observations, etc. It will be essential to provide an opportunity for students to be familiar with format (CALLA Handbook, p. 105). Establish the scoring criteria for assessing student 5. achievement. Teachers will need to think about the kind of performance they want to observe in order to meet the objective(s). They may create their own scoring criteria. Also, they may want to have self-and/or peer-assessment as part of the overall assessment. 6. Determine point values or grading scales for your scoring criteria. This may involve giving different weights to different criteria. 7 Interpret the results of the assessment activity according to the purpose of the assessment. Results can be used by students and parents to focus on areas for improvement. Since the assessment is broken down into specific criteria, students can see more clearly where improvements could be made. Also, teachers can use the results to determine the focus of future activities. Adapted from the Fairfax County Public Schools Publication A.S.A.P. Alternative Strategies for Assessing Performance. 10 Oral Language Assessment in the Foreign Language Class, 2001