References
Alamprese, J.A., & Kay, A. (1993). Literacy on the cafeteria line: Evaluation of skills
enhancement training program. Washington, DC: COSMOS Corporation and
Ruttenberg, Kilgallon & Associates.
Buck, K., Byrnes, H., & Thompson, I. (Eds.). (1989). The ACTFL oral proficiency
interview tester training manual. Yonkers, NY: American Council on the Teaching of
Foreign Languages.
Van Duzer, C., & Berdán, R. (1999). Perspectives on assessment in adult ESOL instruction. In J.
Comings, B. Garner, & C. Smith (Eds.), The annual review of adult learning and literacy, pp.
200-242. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Figure IV-1: Tests That Assess Oral English Proficiency
| Tests of Oral English Proficiency |
Availability |
Basic English Skills Test—BEST Oral Interview
Purpose: To assess the survival listening and speaking ability of non-native
speakers of English.
Target: Adult English language learners at the survival-
and pre-employment-skills levels.
Method and format: Individually administered
face-to-face interview with simulated real-life listening and speaking
tasks, including personal questions and directions
Content: Tasks
include telling time, asking for and following directions, counting
money to
buy items, verifying correct change, and conversing socially. Skill
areas tested include communication, fluency, pronunciation, and listening
comprehension.
Administration time: 15 minutes per student.
Levels and scoring: Scores are reported as student performance levels (SPLs) 1-7; and
National Reporting System (NRS) ESL functioning levels , from Beginning
ESL
Literacy
to
High Advanced ESL (into but not out of this level). Individual
scores are given for each skill area.
Reliability/validity: BEST
validity and reliability procedures meet the standards of the American
Education
Research
Association (AERA), American Psychological Association (APA),
and National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) (1999). The
BEST Test Manual contains
detailed information about test validity and reliability. |
Number of forms: Two
Materials available: Interviewer's booklets, scoring sheets, training video
Center for Applied Linguistics
4646 40th Street NW Washington, DC 20016
202-362-0700
http://cal-org.wdi.net/BEST/ |
|