[NLA] ACTFL Oral Proficienty Testing

Tue Nov 27 11:48:06 EST 2001

Responding to the question below:
The publication listed here is very useful, in that it not only presents the ACTFL oral proficiency assessment strategies in several sample case studies, it also includes cassette recordings of actual assessmment interviews at various levels in various languages including ESOL. There is nothing more effective for evaluating an oral interview strategy than to listen to one... and this publication has quite a few for review/analysis, on tape and in print. It also includes intelligent and clear background information.
I'd be interested connecting in others who think it's  worthwhile to develop and field test a clear and effective strategy to support "crosswalking " the ACTFL oral proficiency tools in ESL with the requirements of reporting adult  ESOL learners in terms of SPL....for obvious reasons.

Check out:
Lisken-Gasparro,Judith, TEACHING AND TESTING FOR ORAL PROFICIENCY (Boston, 1987) 

Roger Hooper

>You made a reference to an evaluation instrument called "ACTFL's oral
>proficiency instrument" could you please give me some more information on
>it?
>Thanks    
>Gustav Kocsis
>ESL Coordinator
>Santa Fe Community College
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Bermanpo at aol.com [mailto:Bermanpo at aol.com]
>Sent: Sunday, November 18, 2001 9:47 PM
>To: nla at lists.literacytent.org
>Subject: Re: [NLA] Questions/Discussion: How is NRS follow-up going?]
>
>
>Dear Colleagues,
>
>At the Riverside Language Program, an intensive ESOL program for 
>newly-arrived documented immigrants and refugees in New York City,  we coded
>
>students last year according to their stated goals at registration.  Since 
>our program is intensive -- 160 hours over a 6.5 week period -- and since 
>most of our students do want and need to get a job, we wrote what they said 
>about their goals.
>
>We did extensive follow-up for those students whose next steps were unknown 
>at the time they left the school.  We sent letters and e-mails but had our 
>greatest success in reaching former students by calling them at home at 
>night.  That meant that some of our full-time daytime staff had to work at 
>night to make those calls.  We had more than a 50% response.
>
>A great number of students who said that they wanted to get jobs were 
>successful: our percentages are around 90%.  It's also true that most of the
>
>students who said that college or training was their goal were successful in
>
>being accepted into and beginning such education and/or training.
>
>We have several general concerns about NRS and our program.  First, there's 
>no place to record the achievement of goals AFTER three months past
>students' 
>exit quarter.  It's our experience that, for new immigrants and refugees, it
>
>often takes more than three months after the exit quarter for students to 
>take the next step.  We're very interested in what happens to our students 
>and how long it takes.  If we're going to do the arduous job of followup, we
>
>want it to be meaningful to us and not just to the government.
>
>Second, the NRS report doesn't show when students progress more than one 
>level.  In an intensive program in which it's possible for students to study
>
>in four (or more) different sequential 6.5 week cycles, our students often 
>complete more than one level during a 10-month school year.  Yet, that's not
>
>shown at all.
>
>Third, there's no place that indicates, at the end of a program year, which 
>students are expected to reenroll during the next fiscal year because they
>hav
>en't completed their studies even though they may have finished a 6.5 week 
>cycle.  Therefore, we're expected to followup students on the goals that are
>
>related to finishing their studies when at least 50 students every June 
>reopen their registration in August or September.
>
>It's our feeling that students, especially those who can't speak English and
>
>are newly-arrived, cannot actually say in a realistic way what their goals 
>are when they register: they may not be able to distinguish between a 
>long-term goal (eg: a job) and a short-term goal (e.g.: a training program).
>
>This is much too subtle a question to be asking at the point of
>registration. 
> It would make more sense to check only educational goals at the start and
>to 
>check other goals -- employment, training, higher education -- once students
>
>have actually achieved them.
>
>Finally, of course, the test that's used to measure progress according to 
>NRS' six levels is very significant.  We have received permission to use 
>ACTFL's Oral Proficiency Instrument which is far better than the New York 
>State Placement Test required of most ESOL programs in New York State.
>
>Hope this is helpful to those of you reading.
>
>Sincerely,
>Phyllis Berman
>_______________________________________________
>NLA mailing list: NLA at lists.literacytent.org
>http://lists.literacytent.org/mailman/listinfo/nla
>LiteracyTent: web hosting, news, community and goodies for literacy
>http://literacytent.org
>_______________________________________________
>NLA mailing list: NLA at lists.literacytent.org
>http://lists.literacytent.org/mailman/listinfo/nla
>LiteracyTent: web hosting, news, community and goodies for literacy
>http://literacytent.org

-- 

__________________________________________________________________
Your favorite stores, helpful shopping tools and great gift ideas. Experience the convenience of buying online with Shop at Netscape! http://shopnow.netscape.com/

Get your own FREE, personal Netscape Mail account today at http://webmail.netscape.com/