This document provides guidance on assessing oral language skills. It recommends planning rubrics and involving students in self and peer assessment. Activities should provide a representative sample of the oral language tasks expected and elicit valid performance that can be reliably scored. Listening and speaking should be taught and assessed together in context. Oral language assessment includes tasks using familiar language and visual cues for beginners, and note-taking with fewer cues for advanced learners. The goals are to prepare English learners to listen and participate like native speakers in their grade-level classrooms.

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ORAL LANGUAGE ASSESSMENT
Steps for assesing oral language: planning, developing rubrics, involving
students in self-and peer assessment, making time ,selecting assessment
activities, reflect instruction, identifying goals and activities that provide a
representative sample of all oral language tasks that you expect students to be
able to accomplish. Elicit performance that provides a valid picture of your
studentsabilities and can be scored reliably. At finally determine, with student input
, hoe their performance will be evaluated.
NATURE OF ORAL LANGUAGE
Native speakers do not typically use complete sentences when speaking ,and they
use less specific vocabulary ( with many pronouns ) than in written language . They
also use syntax in a loosely organized manner and make frequent use of discourse
markers. Information is packed less densely in oral language than in written
language, with much more use of phrases and simple sentences.
Oral language varies depending on the age, gender, and dialect of speaker. An
implication gender, and dialect of the speaker . An implication for teaching and
assessment includes the need to assess language as it is typically used in
speaking rather than demand an oral representation that resembles formal, written
language.
Part of being a proficient speaker is listening to oral language and understanding
what is said. Listening is an interactive, dynamic, interpretive process in which the
listener engages in the active construction of meaning.
The listener does this buy using knowledge of syntax and of the real world.
Syntactic knowledge allows the listener to ¨chunck ¨incoming discourse into
segments, and knowledge of the world helps listeners determine the most plausible
meaning of spoken language.
Effective listeners used prior knowledge or elaboration, inferencing, and self-
monitoring , while ineffective listeners focused on the meaning of individual words.
Instead of being an all-or-nothing notion listening comprhesion is actually the
process of arriving a reasonable interpretation. Of the speaker´s intended meaning;
this is how native speakers of the language process spoken language input.

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Oral communication invlolves the negotiation of meningbetwwenn two or more
persons , it is always related to the context in which it occurs. Speaking means
negoatiating intended meaningsand adjusting one`s speech to produce the desired
effect on the listener. It means anticipating the listener`s and possible
misunderstanding , clarifying one`s own and the other`s intentions, and arriving at
the closest possible matcdh between intended, perceived, and anticipating
meanings.
Listening and speaking are interdependent oral language processes and need to
be taught and assessed in an integrated manner. Pronunciation and grammar
should be thaught and assessed in context.
Oral language assessment will include tasks using predictable, familiar language
and visual cues, such as listening for the gist, matching descriptions to pictures,
making a physical response, and inferring the meaning or implications of an oral
text. Also, while formal oral reports and public speaking performances may be
appropriate for intermediate or advanced students, they will probably not be
suitable for beginners. Advanced beginners can make oral presentation with plenty
of support or scaffolding they read what they themselves have written, dscribe a
chart they have prepared, describe stepsin conducting a science experiment, or tell
how to solve a problem .
Advanced learners tasks might include summarizing, note-taking, and use of fewer
visual cues. High intermediate and advanced students who are in grade –level,
content area classroom should be engaged in listening and speaking activities
which prepare them to participate in listening for the same purposes as native
speakers, such as listening for the gist of the message, taking notes, analyzing,
and evaluating.

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