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Virtual Information Session about the Test of Oral Proficiency in the Second Official Language
Video Segment 1 of 3
Slide 1:
The Second Language Evaluation or SLE system is the name of the system that consists of three tests: the Test of Reading Comprehension, the Test of Written Expression and the Test of Oral Proficiency, all of which are developed by the Personnel Psychology Centre.
The Quality Control Team will be giving an overview of the content, structure and the administration of the Test of Oral Proficiency. This tool will replace the current Oral Interaction test also known as the OI Test.
Slide 2:Before giving you a general description of the Test of Oral Proficiency, we would like to present the distinct roles of the two main units involved in the development and maintenance of the Second Language Evaluation tests: the Research and Development Division and the Quality Control Unit.
The Research and Development Division is responsible for the development of all Public Service Commission tests, including the Second Language Evaluation tests.It is the Quality Control team’s responsibility to ensure that the Second Language Evaluation tests are administered and rated according to the prescribed standards, throughout the test centres.
The Quality Control language consultants participate in the recruitment and training of Second Language Assessors, and deal with various issues related to the administration of the Second Language Evaluation tests.
Slide 3:The new Test of Written Expression was implemented in October 2007. Development of the test began in 2005.The Test of Oral Proficiency began development in 2006, and will be implemented on June 16th, 2008. The Test of Reading Comprehension is currently in development, and will be implemented in December, 2009.
Slide 4:In order to develop the Test of Oral Proficiency, the Personnel Psychology Centre consulted various stakeholders within the public service, such as: senior managers, Assistant Deputy Ministers; heads of Official Languages in departments, Second Language Assessors; and Quality Control Language Consultants.
The Personnel Psychology Centre also consulted teachers, curriculum developers and students in language schools. The Personnel Psychology Centre studied various second language assessment tools and opted for the Common European Framework of Reference (or CEFR).
The CEFR is considered one of the best frameworks and is widely used to evaluate linguistic proficiency, and to develop language learning curricula.One of the advantages of the CEFR is that it contains a wide variety of scales that describe various aspects of language proficiency (e.g., vocabulary and grammar). Language performance is expressed in terms of transparent; "can-do" statements (for example, "the candidate can participate actively in routine and non-routine formal discussions").
The Personnel Psychology Centre also conducted a needs analysis survey of more than 1500 public servants to better understand the communicative activities that they carry out in the workplace, in their second official language.The specifications for the Test of Oral Proficiency were developed based on the results of the various consultations, on the CEFR, and on the standards set by the Public Service Agency of Canada in relation to official languages.
Two pilot studies were conducted: one in the spring of 2007 and one in the fall of 2007. During these pilot tests, candidates filled out feedback questionnaires. Overall, candidates found that the test reflected what they did at work in their second official language. The test seemed more transparent and objective to them.
Slide 5:We will now look at the format of the Test of Oral Proficiency, its content, structure, and administration. The Test of Oral Proficiency is a test of one’s linguistic functionality rather than one’s knowledge about a language. In other words, the test assesses what a person can do with their second official language, and how they can use the language.
The test assesses the various levels of linguistic proficiency set by the Public Service Agency of Canada, levels A, B and C.A linguistic performance can fluctuate. It is the Assessor’s role to determine the candidate’s maximum sustained level during the test. The language level that a candidate obtains is, therefore, equivalent to the level maintained most of the time during the test.
Slide 6:The test is based on practical skills and communication. It is therefore a test that assesses what a person can do with their second official language.During the test, the Assessor does not add up errors that the candidate makes, but focuses instead on the candidate’s global ability to function in their second language. Unlike tests at the end of a training program, the Test of Oral Proficiency does not test a candidate’s learning progression in their second official language, nor does it examine what a candidate knows about the language, such as grammar or vocabulary knowledge. Instead, the test assesses which communicative activities a candidate can accomplish, and at what the level of precision this is done.
Slide 7:Now we’ll look at an overview of the test: Only the Assessor and the candidate are present for the test, which lasts between 20 and 40 minutes.
The test is digitally recorded and can be administered either in person or over the telephone. During the two pilot studies, tests were administered by telephone, which allowed us to confirm that the sound quality was adequate.During the test, the candidate must carry out a variety of communicative language tasks. In order to do this, the candidate must deal with various subjects, answer questions, and listen to recordings. The types of questions are standardized and varied.
In order to ensure the confidentiality of the test, the Personnel Psychology Centre developed a wide variety of items, and continues to develop test content. The administrative conditions of the test can be adapted for candidates with disabilities. If candidates feel that they need an accommodation for a disability, they should notify the officer in the organization who is responsible for requesting the test. The Quality Control team will evaluate the file in order to allow for the necessary accommodations during the administration of the test. The evaluation of a candidate’s performance is based on predetermined evaluation criteria. We’ll see more about this later in the presentation.
Slide 8:Now we’ll look at the test content. The test is work-related. Candidates are asked to accomplish communicative tasks that are common to most work in the federal public service. In some parts of the test, candidates can talk about their own work, and in other parts of the test, they talk about work in general. For those candidates who are not currently working, who have just begun a job, or who have confidential jobs, they can talk about previous work experience, studies, or other activities such as volunteering.
