Warm-up. In a minute or so of preliminary small talk, the Level check . Through a series of preplanned questions, the

mind at ease, and provides information about when and where to obtain the results of the interview. This part is not scored. DESIGNING ASSESSMENTS: EXTENSIVE SPEAKING Extensive speaking tasks involve complex, relatively lengthy stretches of discourse. They are frequently variations on monologues, usually with minimal verbal interaction. Oral Presentations In the academic and professional arenas, it would not be uncommon to be called on to present a report, a paper, a marketing plan, a sales idea, a design of a new product, or a method. A summary of oral assessment techniques would therefore be incom- plete without some consideration of extensive speaking tasks. Once again the rules for effective assessment must be invoked: a specify the criterion, b set appropriate tasks, c elicit optimal output, and d establish practical, reliable scoring procedures. And once again scoring is the key assessment challenge. For oral presentations, a checklist or grid is a common means of scoring or evaluation, Holistic scores arc tempting to use for their apparent practicality; but they may obscure the variability of performance across several subcategories, especially the two major components of content and delivery. Following is an example of a checklist for a prepared oral presentation at the intermediate or advanced level of English. Retelling a Story, News Event In this type of task, test-takers hear or read a story or news event that they are asked to retell. This differs from the paraphrasing task discussed above pages 161-162 in that it is a longer stretch of discourse and a different genre. The objectives in assigning such a task vary from listening comprehension of the original to production of a number of oral discourse features communicating sequences and relationships of events, stress and emphasis patterns, ”expression” in the cast of a dramatic story, fluency, and interaction with the hearer. Scoring should of course meet the intended criteria. Translation of Extended Prose Translation of words, phrases, or short sentences was mentioned under the category of intensive speaking. Here, longer texts are presented for the test-taker to read in the native language and then translate into English. Those texts could come in many forms: dialogue; directions for assembly of a product, a synopsis of a story or play or movie, directions on how to find something on a map, and other genres. The advantage of translation is in the control of the content, vocabulary, and, to some extent, the grammatical and discourse features. The disadvantage is that translation of longer texts is a highly specialized skill for which some individuals obtain post-baccalaureate degrees To judge a nonspecialists oral language ability on such a skill may be completely invalid, espe- cially if the test-taker has not engaged in translation at this level. Criteria for scoring should therefore take into account not only the purpose in stimulating a translation but the possibility of errors that are unrelated to oral production ability. § § § § § One consequence of our being articulate mammals is an extraordinarily complex system of vocal communication that has evolved over the millennia of human existence. This chapter has offered a relatively sweeping overview of some of the ways we have learned to assess our wonderful ability to produce sounds, words,