SBIR-STTR Award

Very few oral English proficiency assessment instruments exist that are appropriate for limited-English-proficient (LEP) adults in vocational education and employment training programs. The available instruments require levels of student staff time and other program resources that are difficult for programs to provide and often are not appropriate for assessment of employment-related oral proficiency. This proposal addresses the need for an assessment instrument through development of the "Adult Rating of Oral English" ("AROE"). In Phase I the draft AROE is developed through (a) adaptation of a rating instrument currently used to assess children's oral English; (b) development of training materials; and (c) pilot tests within adult vocational education and employment training programs. In Phase II the AROE installment and training materials will be finalized, and validity and reliability data collected. The final AROE materials will provide a means for adult vocational education and employment training programs to assess oral English proficiency, diagnose areas needing improvement and measure progress for adult LEP students from various language backgrounds within a range of occupations. The AROE will be especially important for programs where limited resources present significant barriers to assessing student oral proficiency.Summary: Phase I: Development of Draft AROE and Pilot Test of AROE.Phase II: Finalization of AROE; reliability and validity studies Marketing of AROE to vocational education and employment training programs serving LEP adults as an instrument for assessing student levels of oral English proficiency, especially proficiency related to employment. Specific products: AROE instrument, administration and technical manual, training sessions and materials.

Keywords:
Language Assessment, Vocational Education, LEP Adults, Employment Training, Adult Education, Oral Proficiency, EvaluationTopic 10: Development or adaptation of innovative technologies to assess job related English language proficiency of individuals enrolled in vocational or employment training programs.

In Phase I, the Adult Rating of Oral English (AROE) was developed to address the need for an oral proficiency assessment instrument for LEP adults within vocational education/employment training programs and which will be relevant to language use within the workplace. In Phase II, the workshop training session will be finalized and a video training packet, video training guide, and user's handbook will be developed. The AROE matrix and training will be finalized and implemented at three programs. Data on the reliability, validity, and use of the AROE as a diagnostic measure and outcomes measure will be collected and analyzed over two years for both the workshop and video training. The AROE assessment instrument will present a reliable, valid, and useful means of assessing the oral English proficiency of LEP students from various language backgrounds within a range of occupations. Since individual testing sessions with students are not required, the AROE materials will be particularly important for programs where limited staff time and resources present significant barriers to assessing student oral proficiency.Key Words: Language Assessment, Oral Proficiency Assessment, LEP Adults, Employment Training, Adult Education, Vocational Education, EvaluationAnticipated Results, Implications, and Commercial Applications:Phase II: Finalization of AROE; development of training video; reliability and validity studies.Phase III: Dissemination of AROE to vocational education/employment training programs.Commercial Applications: Marketing of AROE, including in-person training workshops and video-training packets, to vocational education and employment training programs serving LEP adults as an instrument for assessing student levels of oral English proficiency, especially proficiency related to employment. Specific products: AROE matrix, user's handbook, technical manual, training video and video training guide.Department of Education Solicitation No. 93-030.Topic: Development or adaptation of innovative technologies to assess job-related English language proficiency of individuals enrolled in vocational or employment train ing programs.