Study Guide

Field 130: American Sign Language CST 
Expressive Production

Recommendation for individuals using a screenreader: please set your punctuation settings to "most."

These assignments allow time for you to prepare your recorded responses. You may monitor your preparation and recording times by referring to the on-screen countdowns. Voice-over announcements will play to alert the test administrator to preparation and recording times. See the sample timer below:

Assignment 1: Narrative

Sample Narrative Assignment Directions

**YOU HAVE  start underline 3 MINUTES end underline  TO READ THE INFORMATION ON THIS SCREEN.**

 start highlighted text At the conclusion of 3 minutes, the screen will automatically advance and your preparation time for this assignment will begin. You cannot advance until the 3 minutes are up. Monitor your time by referring to the countdown on the right side of your screen. end highlighted text 

 start bold DIRECTIONS FOR ASSIGNMENT 1: NARRATIVE end bold 

For Assignment 1: Narrative, you will have  start underline 3 minutes end underline  to review the assignment and prepare your response.

You may take up to  start underline 2 minutes end underline  to record your response.

Your response to this assignment will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

•  start bold APPROPRIATENESS: end bold  The extent to which the response represents the candidate's own discourse, addresses the assigned topic presented in the prompt, and uses effective communication, including sociocultural appropriateness for the assignment
•  start bold FLUENCY: end bold  The extent to which the response communicates clear and coherent ideas delivered with fluency and ease of expression
•  start bold GRAMMAR: end bold  The handling of syntax and use of a variety of grammatical constructions, including space, classifiers, and constructed actions
•  start bold VOCABULARY: end bold  The extent to which the response uses a range of appropriate vocabulary and expressions
•  start bold SIGN PRODUCTION: end bold  The clarity and accurate formation of signs, including effective use of the signing space and accurate facial and body articulators

This assignment includes several suggestions to help direct your response. It is not necessary that you address every point in the list, nor are you limited to the points provided. However, what you sign must be relevant to the situation with which you are presented, and part of your score will be based on the degree to which you elaborate on the topic by addressing either the suggested points or points of your choosing.

You must respond to this assignment in American Sign Language. Use of non-ASL non- A S L  signing, including non-ASL non- A S L  grammar, vocabulary, and sign production, may result in an unscorable response.

Sample Narrative Assignment

Competency 0004 
Expressive Production

 start italics [The examinee will see on left side of screen the following directions:]  end italics 

ASSIGNMENT 1: NARRATIVE

 start bold You will have 3 minutes to study the assignment below and prepare your response. Then the screen will automatically advance and you will move to the recording area.  end bold 

 start bold You may take up to 2 minutes to complete your response.  end bold 

 start bold Begin reviewing the assignment and preparing your response now.  end bold 

_______________________

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Imagine that you are discussing favorite plays and performances with friends who are in an ASL A S L  course with you. One of your friends asks you to describe one of your favorite plays or performances. Using American Sign Language, describe for your friend a play or performance that you particularly enjoyed. You may wish to include, but are not limited to, the following topics:

• a summary of the play or performance;
• aspects of the play or performance that you particularly liked;
• what you learned from the play or performance; and
• why the play or performance was memorable for you.

[The examinee will see the following on video on right side of screen:]

[The examinee will then move to the recording area. The examinee will see the assignment on the left side of the screen and the countdown on the right side of the screen as shown below.]

screencapture of sample test prompt on the left side of the screen it will have the assignment information on the right it will have a clock showing the time remaining to prepare your response and says do not click the next button unless you have finished recording your response bottom right corner they have the previous and next button

Sample Strong Response to Narrative Assignment

Rationale for Sample Strong Response to Narrative Assignment

The response effectively addresses the assigned topic and develops the topic using clear ideas and elaborates on several specific points. The response is delivered with a consistent flow of signing, few pauses, and correct articulation of signs.

The response uses the candidate's own words and effectively uses a range of vocabulary and ASL A S L  expressions, as well as stylistic and sociolinguistic conventions that are appropriate for the assignment. The candidate effectively uses a range of appropriate grammatical constructions, time frames, and sentence structures. Errors are minor and do not interfere with comprehensibility. Examples of such errors include inconsistency among the signs used to describe Pippi Longstocking’s hair, and some awkwardness and incorrect classifier use when introducing the topic of how they staged Pippi to look like she was running a long way by using a treadmill.

Assignment 2: Persuasive

Sample Persuasive Assignment Directions

**YOU HAVE  start underline 3 MINUTES end underline  TO READ THE INFORMATION ON THIS SCREEN.**

At the conclusion of 3 minutes, the screen will automatically advance and your preparation time for this assignment will begin. You cannot advance until the 3 minutes are up. Monitor your time by referring to the countdown on the right side of your screen.

 start bold DIRECTIONS FOR ASSIGNMENT 2: PERSUASIVE end bold 

For Assignment 2: Persuasive, you may take up to  start underline 12 minutes end underline  to review the assignment and the associated video and prepare your response. You may watch the video as many times as you wish during the preparation time.

You may take up to  start underline 4 minutes end underline  to record your response.

Your response to this assignment will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

•  start bold APPROPRIATENESS: end bold  The extent to which the response represents the candidate's own discourse, demonstrates engagement with the video provided, establishes a position on the issue presented in the question, and uses effective communication, including sociocultural appropriateness for the assignment
•  start bold SUPPORT: end bold  The extent to which the response supports the established position with information (appropriately cited details, quotations, and paraphrases) from the video provided and the candidate's own ideas and examples
•  start bold FLUENCY: end bold  The extent to which the response communicates clear and coherent ideas delivered with fluency and ease of expression
•  start bold GRAMMAR: end bold  The handling of syntax and use of a variety of grammatical constructions, including space, classifiers, and constructed actions
•  start bold VOCABULARY: end bold  The extent to which the response uses a range of appropriate vocabulary and expressions
•  start bold SIGN PRODUCTION: end bold  The clarity and accurate formation of signs, including effective use of the signing space and accurate facial and body articulators

Your response will be evaluated on the criteria above,  start bold not end bold  on the position you take. In your response, you must use your own words. With the exception of appropriately identified quotations and paraphrases from the video, the response must be your own.

You must respond to this assignment in American Sign Language. Use of non-ASL non- A S L  signing, including non- ASL non- A S L  grammar, vocabulary, and sign production, may result in an unscorable response.

Sample Persuasive Assignment

Competency 0004 
Expressive Production

 start italics [The examinee will see on left side of screen the following directions, assignment, and video:]  end italics 

ASSIGNMENT 2: PERSUASIVE

You may take up to 12 minutes to study this assignment and the video provided and prepare your response. You may watch the video as many times as you wish during the preparation time. When the preparation time is over, the screen will automatically advance and you will move to the recording area.

You may take up to 4 minutes to complete your response.

Begin reviewing the assignment and preparing your response now.

_______________________

Should children have their own smartphones?

Imagine that you are addressing an audience of college-educated adults. Using American Sign Language, respond to the question above. In your response, you must:

• state your position on the issue presented in the question; and
• support your position by:
  • citing relevant information from the video, and
  • providing your own relevant ideas or examples.

In your response, you must use your own words. With the exception of appropriately identified quotations and paraphrases from the video, the response must be your own.

To play this video, click the Play icon (). You may also use the Pause (), Stop (), and Replay () features and use the slider on the progress bar to navigate to a specific section of the video.

[The Stop and Replay features are not available in this study guide, but they will be during the actual test.]

[The examinee will see the following on video on right side of screen:]

 start italics [The examinee will then move to the recording area. The examinee will see the assignment on the left side of the screen and the countdown on the right side of the screen as shown below.] end italics 

screencapture of sample test prompt on the left side of the screen it will have the assignment information on the right it will have a clock showing the time remaining to prepare your response and says do not click the next button unless you have finished recording your response bottom right corner they have the previous and next button

 start bold  start uppercase DO NOT end uppercase  click the Next button unless you are ready to record your response. end bold 

 start italics [If examinee clicks "Next" before the preparation time is over, the following warning appears in a pop-up in the actual test: "Raise your hand to alert the test administrator that you are ready to record your response. Wait until the test administrator is ready to record  start bold and uppercase BEFORE end bold and uppercase  clicking 'Yes' below. Click 'No' to return to your preparation time. Yes / No."] end italics 

Sample Strong Response to Persuasive Assignment

Rationale for Sample Strong Response to Persuasive Assignment

The candidate establishes a clear position on the issue presented in the passage and effectively supports the position with relevant information from the passage, as well as his or her own relevant ideas and examples. The response is delivered with a consistent flow of signing, few pauses, and correct articulation of signs. Overall, the response demonstrates a strong engagement with the topic.

The response is signed using the candidate's own words and effectively uses a broad range of vocabulary and ASL A S L  expressions, as well as stylistic and sociocultural conventions that are appropriate for the assignment. Ideas are effectively expressed and connected through the use of a broad range of appropriate grammatical constructions, time frames, sentence structures, and cohesive devices. Errors are minor and do not interfere with comprehensibility. Examples of such errors include setting up the location for discussing Norman Rockwell on one side then incorrectly switching to the other side, using two hands instead of one when signing about getting someone’s attention, and using the incorrect mouth morpheme CHA C H A  that was incompatible with the meaning of limited growth that was being signed.

Performance Characteristics for Expressive Production Assignments

The following characteristics guide the scoring of responses to Assignment 1: Narrative.

APPROPRIATENESS	The extent to which the response represents the candidate’s own discourse, addresses the assigned topic presented in the prompt, and uses effective communication, including sociocultural appropriateness for the assignment
FLUENCY	The extent to which the response communicates clear and coherent ideas delivered with fluency and ease of expression
GRAMMAR	The handling of syntax and use of a variety of grammatical constructions, including space, classifiers, and constructed actions
VOCABULARY	The extent to which the response uses a range of appropriate vocabulary and expressions
SIGN PRODUCTION	The clarity and accurate formation of signs, including effective use of the signing space and accurate facial and body articulators

The following characteristics guide the scoring of responses to Assignment 2: Persuasive.

APPROPRIATENESS	The extent to which the response represents the candidate’s own discourse, demonstrates engagement with the video provided, establishes a position on the issue presented in the question, and uses effective communication, including sociocultural appropriateness for the assignment
SUPPORT	The extent to which the response supports the established position with information (appropriately cited details, quotations, and paraphrases) from the video provided and the candidate’s own ideas and examples
FLUENCY	The extent to which the response communicates clear and coherent ideas delivered with fluency and ease of expression
GRAMMAR	The handling of syntax and use of a variety of grammatical constructions, including space, classifiers, and constructed actions
VOCABULARY	The extent to which the response uses a range of appropriate vocabulary and expressions
SIGN PRODUCTION	The clarity and accurate formation of signs, including effective use of the signing space and accurate facial and body articulators

Score Scale for Expressive Production Assignments

A score will be assigned to each response to the Expressive Production assignments according to the following score scale.

Score Point	Score Point Description
4	The "4" response demonstrates effective expressive production skills.
3	The "3" response demonstrates generally effective expressive production skills.
2	The "2" response demonstrates partially effective expressive production skills.
1	The "1" response demonstrates ineffective expressive production skills.
U	The response is unscorable because it is merely a repetition of the assignment, not related to the assignment, not primarily in ASL, A S L,  or not of sufficient length to score.
B	There is no response to the assignment.

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