SLA Talk: Paula Winke (Michigan State)
Scrutinizing language proficiency measurement: Is it always for the greater good?
Language programs have embraced the practice of developing or adopting national standards--such as the ACTFL's World-Readiness Standards, or the WIDA English Language Development (ELD) Standards; see the National Standards Collaborative Board, 2015, and WIDA, 2020, respectively--to set learning objectives within their programs. Placement tests, interim proficiency and achievement tests, and exit exams can track language development from within the program over time to see if objectives are being met. Scores can be used to gauge the need for curricular reform or adjustments in program policies. In this process, questions can arise regarding how much weight should be placed on standardized test scores versus scores from tests that are based on the local curriculum. Questions also arise as to how qualitative data and expert judgment should help inform decisions. In this talk I discuss test score interpretation and scrutinize language proficiency measurement by overviewing some common misperceptions of what language test scores may show.
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Sources and suggested readings:
- The National Standards Collaborative Board. (2015). World-readiness standards for language learning. ACTFL.https://www.actfl.org/educator-resources/world-readiness-standards-for-learning-languages
- WIDA (2020). ELD standards framework. University of Wisconsin-Madison. https://wida.wisc.edu/teach/standards/eld
- Winke, P., Zhang, X., Rubio, F., Gass, S., Soneson, D., & Hacking, J. (2020). The proficiency profile of language students: Implications for programs.Second Language Research & Practice, 1(1), 25-64. http://hdl.handle.net/10125/69840http://hdl.handle.net/10125/69840
- Winke, P., Zhang, X., & Pierce, S. J. (2023). A closer look at a marginalized test method: Self-assessment as a measure of speaking proficiency. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 45(2), 416-441. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263122000079
