[NLA] Questions/Discussion: How is NRS follow-up going?]

[Bermanpo@aol.com]

Dear Gustav,

ACTFL (American Council for the Testing of Foreign Languages), located in 
Yonkers, New York (phone number 914-963-8830; http://www.actfl.org) has 
designed a test called the Oral Proficiency Instrument which is useful for 
determining placement and growth of non-native speakers in any? language, not 
just English.  It is widely used by universities and businesses to assess 
language competency.  

Essentially, a tester and test-taker sit around a tape recorder having a 
skillfully directed  (but spontaneous and unrehearsed) interactive 
conversation in which the tester tries to determine the test-taker's 
"ceiling" (capacity for the speaker to speak with accuracy at least some of 
the time) and the test-taker's "floor" (capacity for the speaker to speak 
with accuracy regularly).

The tester then makes a determination of the speaker's oral proficiency level 
according to nine levels (in ABE, we rarely see people beyond the lowest six 
levels) ranging from Novice Low, Novice Mid, Novice High, Intermediate Low, 
Intermediate Mid, Intermediate High, two Advanced levels, and Superior.  

ACTFL provides a one-day introduction to OPI for school systems to determine 
whether or not they want the full training and a four-day training so that 
teachers can learn to use OPI accurately and consistently.

At Riverside we invested in this training about five years ago and made a 
switch from the state-mandated test (NYSPLACE) to OPI after a year of 
experimentation and correlation between the two tests.  At this point, we 
intend to do another four-day training to hone our skills and give proper 
training to those of our newer teachers who have learned from one of us over 
the last few years rather than from an ACTFL trainer.

It is a highly sophicated and complex test and is consistent with a whole 
language model of teaching.  The training is expensive.  It would make sense 
for several programs or an entire system (city/county/state) to make the 
investment together.

Sincerely,
Phyllis Berman
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