Spanish Language Assessment Instruments
for Adult Spanish Speakers Learning English

This section provides names, descriptions, and availability information for language proficiency tests that are designed for adult Spanish speakers who are learning English as a second language. It describes tests of Spanish language proficiency. Adult education programs use these tests to identify students' literacy levels in their native language and the consequent possibility for skills transfer. The section includes only tests that are currently in use in programs in the United States. Tests that have fallen out of common use are not listed.

This section has two parts. Figure IV-3 in the first part lists tests of Spanish language proficiency that are used with adult learners; it does not include tests used at the university level. If test scores are aligned with the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Proficiency Guidelines (http://www.actfl.org/), that information is provided. Figure IV-4 in the second part lists tests used in high school and postsecondary programs.

These tests are not used for accountability reporting for the U.S. Department of Education's National Reporting System (NRS). (See Assessing Adult English Language Learners for discussion of the assessment requirements of the National Reporting System.)

If the test is performance-based, that information is provided. The following definitions are used to describe performance-based assessments:

• "....language performance in terms of the ability to use the language effectively and appropriately in real-life situations" (Buck, Byrnes, & Thompson, 1989).
• Language is used in social interactions to accomplish purposeful tasks (e.g., interacting with another individual in a conversation, writing a text, finding information in a chart or a schedule). Performance is assessed by documenting the successful completion of the task or by using a rubric to assess various dimensions of carrying out the task (e.g., listening comprehension and language complexity in responses to questions in an oral interview) (Alamprese & Kay, 1993; Van Duzer and Berdán, 1999).