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Study Guide

Field 169: Bilingual Education Assessment—Spanish
Presentational Speaking Directions, Performance Characteristics, and Score Scale

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This study guide includes three sections for the Presentational Speaking section of the test:

Directions for Presentational Speaking Assignments

For the Presentational Speaking section of the test, you will record a spoken response to two assignments presented on-screen.

For each assignment, you will hear the directions on an audio recording. Listen to the directions carefully and review the assignment presented on-screen during the preparation time provided.

You may take up to 5 minutes to review the assignment and prepare your response. Please note that you are not required to take the entire 5 minutes; however, if you choose to advance to the next screen to begin recording your response before the preparation time is over, you will not be able to go back.

When your preparation time is over, you will be notified that your preparation time is complete and you should be ready to begin speaking. Watch the screen as the test advances and the Recorded Answer box is presented. You may take up to 3 minutes to record your response. Do NOT begin speaking until the screen advances and you see the Recorded Answer box presented on-screen. A sample of the Recorded Answer box appears below.

Recorded Answer Box

Monitor your recording time by referring to the Recorded Answer box. The time in the Recorded Answer box will count down from 180 seconds (3 minutes) and the status bar will fill as your recording time progresses.

When your recording time is over, the current status on the Recorded Answer box will change to "Completed," indicating the conclusion of the assignment. You will automatically be advanced to the next screen. DO NOT click the Next button unless you have finished recording your response with time remaining and wish to advance to the next screen. If you advance to the next screen with recording time remaining, you will not be able to go back.

You may use the erasable notebooklet provided to take notes; however, you will be scored only on the responses that are recorded in the test. You will have only ONE opportunity to record your response to each assignment. Be sure that your microphone is in a downward position near your mouth before you begin speaking.

Your responses will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

Your responses will be evaluated on the criteria above, not on the position you take. In your responses, you must use your own words. You must respond to the first assignment in English and to the second assignment in Spanish.

The first of the two Presentational Speaking assignments will be presented on the next screen. You will respond to this assignment in English. Select the Next button to begin the assignment.

Performance Characteristics for Presentational Speaking Assignments

The following characteristics guide the scoring of the English response and the Spanish response to the Presentational Speaking assignments.

APPROPRIATENESS The extent to which the response uses the candidate's own words, states an opinion on the issue presented in the question, and uses language, style, and sociolinguistic conventions appropriate for the assignment (task, purpose, specified audience, and context or situation)
SUPPORT The extent to which the response supports and explains the stated opinion with the candidate's own relevant ideas or examples
FLUENCY The extent to which the response communicates clear, relevant, and logically sequenced ideas delivered with a consistent flow of speech, intelligible pronunciation, and appropriate intonation
GRAMMAR The extent to which the response uses a range of appropriate grammatical constructions, time frames, and sentence structures
VOCABULARY The extent to which the response uses a range of appropriate vocabulary and/or idiomatic language

Score Scale for Presentational Speaking Assignments

A score will be assigned to the English response and the Spanish response to the Presentational Speaking assignments according to the following score scale.

Score Point Score Point Description
4 The "4" response demonstrates effective presentational speaking skills.
3 The "3" response demonstrates generally effective presentational speaking skills.
2 The "2" response demonstrates partially effective presentational speaking skills.
1 The "1" response demonstrates ineffective presentational speaking skills.
U The response is unscorable because it is inaudible or unintelligible, merely a repetition of the assignment, not related to the assignment, not primarily in the required language, or not of sufficient length to score.
B There is no response to the assignment.