Hi Jeff,

By "methods" (15 hours ago [n.d.]), I take it you were referring not just to proficiency scales or reference levels (CEFR), but also to procedures for applying them for individual assessment purposes, e.g. by interviewing or otherwise collecting speech performance samples, and then evaluating such samples with respect to pre-existing or emerging criteria.

The first to spring to mind was the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Oral Proficiency Interview, or OPI, which relies upon trained and certified testers to rate 20-30 minute target language performances.

http://www.actfl.org/professional-development/assessments-the-actfl-testing-office/oral-proficiency-assessments-including-opi-opic

http://www.actfl.org/publications/guidelines-and-manuals/actfl-proficiency-guidelines-2012

http://www.govtilr.org/Skills/ILRscale2.htm

http://www.actfl.org/professional-development/training-certification

The OPI has been around for decades.

The second was EnglishCentral's Level Test, introduced in June 2015. It's an online, Skype-mediated interview and performance test extended recently from 10 to 20 minutes.

http://blog.englishcentral.com/2015/06/09/englishcentral-gets-even-better/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ID9RBQc7Qww

https://englishcentralblog.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/englishcentral_v30_level_test_english.pdf

Shortly after the Level Test is over, "[s]tudents get a full report detailing their abilities across 5 competencies" (http://goo.gl/NPE9H6). Teachers utilising premium services may be able to download reports with details of students' Level Test performances (http://goo.gl/CBcXrT).

Experienced online teachers who conduct Level Tests also provide content and course recommendations for students planning to continue using EnglishCentral.

Hope that helps!

Paul

Hi Paul, thanks for your answer. I do indeed mean both proficiency scale and procedures for individual assessments. I'm just becoming familiar with the OPI, and I appreciate the links. I am a bit familiar with the EC level test, and I'm wondering how adaptable it is for use in the field. 

As you already may have envisioned, you'd need reliable Internet access (cellular, wifi, or wired) plus user registrations, both EnglishCentral (EC) and Skype, in order to use the EC Level Test in the field.

I would recommend you:

Sari Luoma (2003). Assessing speaking. Cambridge University Press.

http://assets.cambridge.org/97805218/00525/sample/9780521800525ws.pdf

The patented Language Bridge Technology offers android application (http://bit.ly/1thUqLg) with a built-in testing module.

The learners test themselves after they complete each lesson by putting on earphones and saying a few sentences relating to the word that drops down randomly from the word cloud. The learner continues testing for at least twenty words before starting work on the next lesson. Performing testing at the end of the course you will use about 2000 words for testing active vocabulary of students. We recommend using this testing at the beginning of your course, regularly after your lessons and at the end of the course to measure quantitatively the active vocabulary of students and their ability to speak automatically.

The built-in reading and speaking fluency tests, along with testing of the active vocabulary, provide gamification elements that learners are accustomed to from the games they play on their devices. This drill helps learners develop the habit of automatic speech by thinking directly in English.

The LBT testing software and the method behind it, described here (www.lbtechnology.net), are very important throughout the process of active learning of English skills. Passing test after test strengthens students’ faith in the method and gives them a positive feeling of success.

Here in the US, many states of adopted the WIDA ACCESS, W-APT and WIDA MODEL tests for initial and on-going progress monitoring. The assessments consists of multiple choice questions (for listening and reading), writing response and an online speaking assessment. They measure a student's academic language acquisition level. If this interest you and your ESL/EL or even TESOL department, please consider the link posted below:

https://www.wida.us/index.aspx 

Jeff, both the SPEAKING framework from Hymes (1972) and the bit about predictive validity on the last two pages of the sample that Marta pointed out may be particularly relevant to your fieldwork. This, for instance, "[A]ssessment developers probably want to predict examinees' abilit[ies] to cope with … non-test situations…" (Luoma, 2003, p. 25) may lobby against direct utilization of the EnglishCentral level test.

Thank you for the PDF Marta. In addition, thank you for your link, Andrew. I checked the page briefly and will get to it more soon. Paul, you're right, it is quite relevant in that I'm using the assessments in the field...in a non-test situation...

Here is an oral proficiency rubric that my colleagues and I have used.

Data Oral Proficiency Rubric

I think the ALTE Standards - alte.org, as well as the Cambridge exams (IELTS, CPE, CAE, FCE ETC) as well as the TOEFL can be useful at that, it depends on what your objectives are.

Oral proficiency is a subjective judgment.  See the attached.rubric my colleagues and I have developed to help quantify subjective evaluation.

Data Oral Proficiency Rubric

This is about French in particular, but the elicited imitation task format may give you new ideas.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/lang.12157/epdf

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/lang.12157/epdf

This is only a note to the discussion: when we are rethinking global Englishes (especially in an ELF context), we need to be critical of standards that we are positing - which tend to be based on native English speakers. In fact, by assessing students only to the standards of NES, we could be creating a dangerous environment in Global English scenarios (See Kim, 2009 Understanding aviation English as a lingua franca). That being said, formative assessments that monitor the students progress in communicating are best. Our major concerns as English instructors is that our students are developing their communicative abilities in a variety of situations - not necessarily being native-like in all situations.

Thank you all for these answers. Very helpful and insightful. 

Oral Proficiency Assessment prepared by Dr. Natan Ophir, [email protected], Dec. 13, 2016. This Oral Proficiency Assessment provides criteria to assess an individual’s performance in fluency, vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar.

In 2012, ACTFL, The AMERICAN COUNCIL ON THE TEACHING OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES, defined five major levels of proficiency for “Speaking”:

A. Distinguished, B. Superior, C. Advanced, D. Intermediate, and E. Novice.

Each level shows a specific range of abilities.  A further distinction is drawn between high, mid and low for the three levels of Advanced (C1, C2, C3), Intermediate (D1, D2, D3) and Novice (E1, E2, E3).

http://d2k4mc04236t2s.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/ACTFL-Proficiency-Guidelines-2012.pdf

A.  Distinguished Level speakers use language skillfully, with accuracy, efficiency, and effectiveness.

B.  SUPERIOR Level Speakers communicate with accuracy and fluency to participate effectively in conversations in formal and informal settings from both concrete and abstract perspectives. Speakers at the Superior level demonstrate no pattern of error in the use of basic structures, although they may make sporadic errors, particularly in low-frequency structures and in complex high-frequency structures.

C. ADVANCED Level Speakers engage in conversation in a clearly participatory manner. Topics are handled concretely by means of narration and description in the major time frames of past, present, and future. Advanced-level speakers have sufficient control of basic structures and generic vocabulary to be understood by native speakers of the language, including those unaccustomed to non-native speech.

D. INTERMEDIATE Speakers are distinguished primarily by their ability to create with the language when talking about familiar topics related to their daily life. They are able to recombine learned material in order to express personal meaning. Intermediate level speakers can ask simple questions and can handle a straightforward survival situation. They produce sentence-level language, ranging from discrete sentences to strings of sentences, typically in present time. Intermediate-level speakers are understood by interlocutors who are accustomed to dealing with non-native learners of the language.

E.  NOVICE level speakers can communicate short messages on highly predictable, everyday topics that affect them directly. They do so primarily through the use of isolated words and phrases that have been encountered, memorized, and recalled. Novice-level speakers may be difficult to understand even by the most sympathetic interlocutors accustomed to non-native speech. Novice High Speakers at the Novice High sublevel are able to handle a variety of tasks pertaining to the Intermediate level, but are unable to sustain performance at that level. They are able to manage successfully a number of uncomplicated communicative tasks in straightforward social situations. Conversation is restricted to a few of the predictable topics necessary for survival in the target language culture, such as basic personal information, basic objects, and a limited number of activities, preferences, and immediate needs.

Simplicity and ACTFL can-do statements came up in this post by Paul Sandrock on Oral Proficiency Evaluation Strategies

http://my.tesol.org/communities/community-home/digestviewer/viewthread?MessageKey=206cfd86-79d5-4726-8ebe-f4ce13479c83&CommunityKey=a4e6ad60-89a2-4c3f-9e37-cb7e3acad5fe&tab=digestviewer#bm3

Thanks for your answer, Paul! I will check the OPES. Cheers