A Work In Progress at the Hialeah Campus: Evaluating EAP Students’ Speaking and Listening Skills for Accuracy and Fluency

By Professors

John Kostovich, Mercedes Mont, Gloria Leon, and
Liliam Behar

Hialeah

Anyone who teaches English as a Second Language, whether for academic purposes or for general usage, knows all too well that constructing a test to evaluate speaking and listening skills is the most difficult type of testing instrument to write. At the Hialeah Campus, the Oral Testing Committee has been writing, grading, making voice recordings, and piloting such tests since August of 2003. The project has evolved into what it is today thanks to the contributions of its original members: Professors John Kostovich, Gloria Leon, Mercedes Mont, and Adrianne Thompson. Professor Liliam Behar has replaced Adrianne Thompson who transferred to InterAmerican Campus at the beginning of the fall 2005 term.

This project consists of four phases:

PHASE 1 (Fall 2003-Summer 2004)

• Format the EAP Speech exit exams. It was decided that students would be tested at the end of the beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels of the EAP Speech program.
• Write Practice and Exit Exams for EAP 1201
  (Listening: Parts 1 & 2; Speaking: Parts 1 & 2)
• Record listening portions of exams in speech lab on Linguatronics Genesis program.
• Provide orientation for all EAP 1201 instructors on use of exam
• Present plan for EAP exit exams to Hialeah Campus faculty.
• Present exit exam project at MDC Conference Day in March 2004.
• Pilot EAP 1201 Speech exit exams in summer 2004.
• Pilot to include a practice exam in the beginning of the semester to familiarize faculty and students with the format and content of exam. Oral Testing Committee to administer and grade both exams.
• Keep and tally records of grades for future research.
• Receive feedback from faculty on survey about EAP 1201 exit exam.

PHASE 2 (Fall 2004-Summer 2005)

• Modify EAP 1201 exit exams: rewrite exam items and re-record listening portion of exam.
• Format the EAP 1401 exit exams.
• Write exams for EAP 1401.
• Record listening portions of exams.
• Present progress report on EAP 1201 exit exam at MDC Conference Day in March 2005.

• Provide orientation for all EAP 1201 and 1401 instructors on use of exam.

• Submit proposal to present at the National TESOL Convention in Tampa, Florida, 2006.

• Pilot EAP 1401 exit exams in summer 2005.
  Pilot to include practice exams administered by the fourth week of the semester. Oral Testing Committee to administer and grade both exams.

• Receive feedback from faculty on survey about EAP 1201 and 1401 exit exams.
• Keep and tally records of grades for EAP 1201 and 1401 for future research.

PHASE 3 (Fall 2005-Summer 2006)

• Modify EAP 1401 exit exams: rewrite exam items and re-record listening portion of exam, and modify EAP 1201 exam as necessary.
• Format the EAP 1502/1600 exit exams.
• Write exams for EAP 1502/1600.
• Record listening portions of EAP 1502/1600 exams.
• Provide orientation for all EAP 1201, 1401, and 1502/1600 instructors.
• Present progress report on oral exit exams at MDC Conference Day in March 2006.

• Present at the National TESOL Convention in Tampa, Florida, 2006.

• Pilot EAP 1502/1600 exit exams in summer 2006.

Pilot to include practice exam administered by the fourth week of the semester. Oral Testing Committee to administer and grade exams (EAP 1201, 1401, 1502/1600).

• Develop recommendations for lab and classroom practice based on student weaknesses identified through the exams.

• Receive feedback from faculty on survey about EAP 1201, 1401 and 1502/1600 exit exams.
• Keep and tally records of grades for EAP 1201, 1401 and 1502/1600 for future research.

PHASE 4 (Fall 2006-Summer 2007)

• Modify EAP 1502/1600 exams: rewrite exam items and re-record listening portions of exam, and modify EAP 1201 and 1401 exams as necessary.
• Provide orientation for all EAP 1201, 1401, and 1502/1600 instructors.
• Present progress report at MDC Conference Day in March 2007.

• Develop recommendations for lab and classroom practice based on student weaknesses identified through the exams.

• Receive feedback from faculty on survey about EAP 1201, 1401, and 1502/1600 exit exams.
• Develop database with MDC’s Institutional Effectiveness Service to track student progress and evaluate project.

From the standpoint of administration, the test has presented opportunities and challenges. On the positive side, the project members have had the chance to experiment with the Genesis computer program available in the Speech Lab and expand its current use. The project members have also learned how to use the new and sophisticated lab equipment. The speaking portion of the test has the advantage of providing students with a meaningful learning-assessment activity. Students and instructors alike have good benchmarks for progress achieved at various levels in the EAP program. On the negative side, it has taken several attempts to smooth out the bumps in the administration of the test. For example, at first there were all sorts of technical problems in the speech lab that would arise as we went through the student log-in process or the volume check, and these delayed the administration of the test. In the speaking portion of the test, for upper level classes especially, the test may take up to 15 minutes to administer per student, and this can become a logistical challenge. Generally, however, the benefits to the students, instructors, and the listening-speaking curriculum outweigh the problems faced in the administration of the test.

We are very excited about the positive feedback we have received from our colleagues and students at the Hialeah Campus. We have been able to measure our students’ strengths and weaknesses in their speaking and listening skills in order to improve their educational needs. We look forward to sharing and discussing how we can expand this valuable instrument to benefit ESL departments college wide. Please join us for our presentation on Conference Day, March 6, 2005. We’ll see you there!

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