Article published in:
The Language Testing Cycle: From inception to washback
Edited by Gillian Wigglesworth and Catherine Elder
[Australian Review of Applied Linguistics. Series S 13] 1996
► pp. 55–79

Developing rating scales for the assessment of second language performance

| McGill University, Montreal
| Concordia University, Montreal
The two most common approaches to rating second language performance pose problems of reliability and validity. An alternative method utilizes rating scales that are empirically derived from samples of learner performance; these scales define boundaries between adjacent score levels rather than provide normative descriptions of ideal performances; the rating process requires making two or three binary choices about a language performance being rated. A procedure, that consists of a series of five explicit tasks, is used to construct a rating scale. The scale is designed for use with a specific population and a specific test task.A group of primary school ESL teachers used this procedure to make two speaking tests, including elicitation tasks and rating scales, for use in their school district. The tests were administered to 255 sixth grade learners. The scales were found to be highly accurate for scoring short speech samples, and were quite efficient in time required for scale development and rater training. Scales exhibit content relevance in the instructional setting. Development of this type of scale is recommended for use in high-stakes assessment.
Published online: 01 January 1996
https://doi.org/10.1075/aralss.13.04tur
References
Alderson, J.C.
(1991) Language testing in the 1990s: How far have we come? How much further have we to go? In S. Anivan (ed.) Current Developments in Language Testing. Singapore, SEAMEO Regional Language Centre.Google Scholar
Alderson, J. C., C. Clapham and D. Wall
(1995) Language test construction and evaluation. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Bachman, L.F.
(1990) Fundamental considerations in language testing. Oxford, Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
(1991) What does language testing have to offer? TESOL Quarterly 251:671–704. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Chalhoub-Deville, M.
(1995) Deriving oral assessment scales across different tests and rater groups. Language Testing 121:16–33. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Cohen, A.
(1994) Assessing language ability in the classroom. 2nd Edition. Boston, Heinle and Heinle.Google Scholar
Columbia Broadcasting System (Producer)
(1990) Arnold of the ducks [Videotape].Google Scholar
Fulcher, G.
(1987) Tests of oral performance: The need for data-based criteria. EST Journal 411:287–291.Google Scholar
Henning, G. & Cascallar, E.
(1992) A preliminary study of the nature of communicative competence. TOEFL Research Reports, Report 36. Princeton, NJ, Educational Testing Service. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Matthews, M
(1990) The measurement of productive skills: Doubts concerning the assessment criteria of certain public examinations. ELT Journal 441:117–121. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
McKay, P.
(1995) Developing ESL proficiency descriptions for the school context: The NLLIA bandscales. In G. Brindley (ed.) Language assessment in action. (Research Series 8). Sydney, NCELTR, Macquarie University.Google Scholar
Ministère de l’Éducation
(1984) Elementary school curriculum: English as a Second Lanugage (#16-2204 A). Québec, QC, Gouvernement du Québec, Ministère de l’Éducation.Google Scholar
Shohamy, E.
(1983) Rater reliability of the oral interview speaking test. Foreign Language Annals 161:219–222. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
(1992) New modes of assessment: The connection between testing and learning. In E. Shohamy and A.R. Walton (eds) Language assessment for feedback: Testing and other strategies. Dubuque, IA, Kendall/Hunt.Google Scholar
(1995) Performance assessment in language testing. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics 151,:88–211. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Skehan, P.
(1988) State of the art article: Language testing I. Language Teaching 211:211–221. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
(1989) State of the art article: Language testing II. Language Teaching 221:1–13. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
(1991) Progress in language testing: The 1990s, in J.C. Alderson and B. North (eds) Language testing in the 1990s: The communicative legacy. London, Modern English Publications and The British Council.Google Scholar
Underhill, N.
(1987) Testing spoken language: A handbook of oral testing techniques. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Upshur, J. A. & Turner, C. E.
(1995) Constructing rating scales for second language tests. ELT Journal 49,1:3–12. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Cited by

Cited by 5 other publications

Ducasse, Ana Maria & Annie Brown
2009. Assessing paired orals: Raters' orientation to interaction. Language Testing 26:3 ► pp. 423 ff. Crossref logo
Hidri, Sahbi
2018.  In Revisiting the Assessment of Second Language Abilities: From Theory to Practice [Second Language Learning and Teaching, ], ► pp. 1 ff. Crossref logo
O’Grady, Stefan
2018.  In Revisiting the Assessment of Second Language Abilities: From Theory to Practice [Second Language Learning and Teaching, ], ► pp. 49 ff. Crossref logo
O’Grady, Stefan
2019. The impact of pre-task planning on speaking test performance for English-medium university admission. Language Testing 36:4 ► pp. 505 ff. Crossref logo
Plakans, Lia
2013. Writing Scale Development and Use Within a Language Program. TESOL Journal 4:1 ► pp. 151 ff. Crossref logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 03 april 2022. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.