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For programs which target students or trainees who are not native speakers of English and are limited-English proficient, the measurement of English language proficiency is important for two reasons. First, it will provide the data for describing how well individual participants are progressing in increasing their English language skills. Second, it will provide the basis for assessing how well the program has been able to increase job-related English language proficiency.
In order to select an appropriate language proficiency instrument, it is important to consider specific project goals and needs. as well as the characteristics of the instrument itself. Thus, the adequacy of any language proficiency measure should be assessed according to the criteria below:
The first criterion requires project staff to assess the appropriateness of the instrument for limited English proficient (LEP) adults. This step is extremely important since there may be the temptation to simply adopt an existing instrument designed for LEP school-age youth. In rare instances, such an instrument could be used. However, in the majority of cases, such use would be inappropriate and the resulting information would be inadequate. If an instrument is not designed for an adult population, it will be critical to evaluate the content of the measures to make certain that it is appropriate for adults.
The second criterion requires that an instrument be selected which measures the language skill areas which need to be assessed. The areas that can potentially be measured include all components of listening, reading, speaking and writing. Before an instrument is selected, the project staff need to decide on the specific skill areas to be measured. This judgment should be made on the basis of project goals and vocational skill area(s) in which training is provided. In projects which train in vocational skill areas that require basic reading and writing (clerical, general office skills, and word processing), assessment of literacy1 is necessary. In projects which focus on instructional areas that do not necessarily require literacy (cosmetology and building trades), oracy skills2 need to be measured.
The third criterion relates to the measurement approach taken by a particular language proficiency instrument. The two possible approaches are discrete-point or integrative. If the focus is on the assessment of individual aspects of language such as grammar, vocabulary, etc, the measurement approach is considered to be discrete-point. However, if the orientation is toward assessing an individual's functional language ability, the approach is integrative. At the simplest level, this latter approach includes the assessment of an individual's capability to listen to a basic conversation and to provide appropriate responses to questions regarding name, home address. listing of family members, etc. At a more sophisticated level, the assessment could require that an individual participate in a simulated job interview or dialogue appropriate to a work setting.
Since a general goal at the local level is to assist participants to communicate in English in a job-related setting, a language proficiency instrument that takes an integrative approach is recommended. However, it should be noted that a discrete-point type instrument may also be appropriately used at the project level once an integrative assessment has been made and specific skills areas that need to be assessed for diagnostic purposes have been identified.
The fourth criterion concerns the technical qualities of the instrument. For example, it will be important to determine whether the testing materials include standardized administration and scoring procedures. Whether it is a published or project developed instrument, it will be important to review validity and reliability data in order to judge its adequacy.
The above four criteria provide a structure for project staff to evaluate and select language proficiency assessment instruments. It is important that any instrument be carefully evaluated in order to ensure the selection of one which is technically sound, and appropriate for the project and the language proficient levels of its students.
1Literacy refers to reading and writing skills.
2Oracy relates to skills related to listening and speaking.
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