Developing and Trialing the Institutional English Oral Test in a Taiwanese University: Challenges and Future Tasks

This paper explicated the development and trial run of English oral achievement tests administered in oral training courses required of first-year students. During the development stage, the English speaking learning goals of three ability groups were established in terms of three oral ability dimensions: oral English quality, oral production, and oral interaction. The oral learning tasks were tailored for the students and course objectives, drawing on the performance-based assessment guidelines of the Minnesota Language Proficiency Assessments. Also developed was an analytic assessment rubric for English oral ability incorporating five oral ability components: vocabulary use, sentence production, expression fluency, content appropriateness, and communication comprehensibility, and 4 performance levels: not meeting, approaching, meeting, and exceeding the requirements. The test piloting was conducted to calibrate and adjust the oral rating scale and rehearse the 3-step test procedures, with each step rating one or two of the ability components. Panel meetings attended by all affected teacher raters were held to finalize the oral rating scale and the formal administration of the oral test procedures for the midterm. The formal test procedures, which would be audiotaped and coded, would be completed during the two weekly 2-hour class meetings before the midterm and final exam. In the first week, the Step 1 assessment of individual performance would occur, and in the second week, the Step 2 assessment of pair work performance and the Step 3 assessment of group work performance would take place. Three validity constructs were sought and deemed most relevant to the developed domain-referenced oral test. Uses of the IEOT and limitations or challenges as well as future tasks were addressed, and suggestions for further studies on how to implement ongoing test validation to improve test validity and usefulness in the long run ensued.