Fairfax County Public Schools - PALS: Performance Assessment for Language Students

Explanation of Level 1 Speaking Rubric

Task Completion - Comprehensibility - Fluency- Pronunciation - Vocabulary - Grammar

 

Task Completion

This domain measures how thoroughly the student completes the required task.

Each rating for this domain has particular characteristics:

 

1 point - Minimal completion of the task and/or responses frequently inappropriate

• The student makes an effort but falls very short, possibly missing some required elements.
• Student responses may be unrelated to the assigned task.
• There may be very little ratable material.

2 points - Partial completion of the task, responses mostly appropriate yet undeveloped

• Student answers are relevant but lack appropriate details.
• A required portion of the task may be missing.

3 points - Completion of the task, responses appropriate and adequately developed

• Responses directly relate to the task as given.
• Responses have sufficient information or detail based on learned material.
• Response may show some organization.

4 points - Superior completion of the task, responses appropriate and with elaboration

• All required elements are present.
• Response includes a variety of vocabulary and language structures.
• Response is usually well organized and cohesive.

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Comprehensibility

This domain measures how much interpretation is required by a sympathetic listener in order to understand the student's responses.

Each rating for this domain has particular characteristics:

1 point - Responses barely comprehensible

• Responses almost impossible to understand as spoken, even to a sympathetic listener.
• Errors of vocabulary and grammar may be impossible to decipher.
• Responses require teacher to "figure out" what the student is trying to say.

2 points - Responses mostly comprehensible, requiring interpretation on the part of the listener

• A sympathetic listener should be able to comprehend most of the response but some sections may be more difficult to interpret.

3 points - Responses comprehensible, requiring minimal interpretation on the part of the listener

• A sympathetic listener may have to pause two or three times in order to comprehend the response.

4 points - Responses readily comprehensible, requiring no interpretation on the part of the listener

• Any sympathetic listener should be able to understand all of the response without pausing.

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Fluency

This domain measures the ease with which the speaker delivers the message. Each rating for this domain has particular characteristics:

 

1 point - Speech halting and uneven with long pauses or incomplete thoughts

• There is a lot of hesitation and stopping, and sometimes the student does not complete thoughts or may leave a long period of silence (about 2/3 of the time allotted) after a very short response.

2 points - Speech choppy and/or with frequent pauses, few or no incomplete thoughts

• There are mostly complete thoughts with significant pauses as the student searches for words to complete the thoughts or there may be a long period of silence (about half the time allotted) after a short response.

3 points - Some hesitation but manages to continue and complete thoughts

• The student completes nearly all thoughts but has some pauses. Speech flows naturally most of the time.

4 points - Speech continuous with few pauses or stumbling

• The speech demonstrates ease and comfort with the language and any pausing is natural.

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Pronunciation

This domain measures pronunciation as it affects communication. At this level the intended audience is a sympathetic listener who actively tries to understand the speaker and is accustomed to interpreting sounds for intended meaning (i.e., a foreign language teacher).

 

Issues regarding pronunciation:

• This domain measures the effectiveness of the communication of the message exclusively based on pronunciation. Communication of the whole message is measured in the comprehensibility domain.
• The evaluation of this domain in not based on the number of errors but rather on how the quality of the pronunciation facilitates or impedes the communication of the message.

Each rating for this domain has particular characteristics:

 

1 point - Frequently interferes with communication

• Difficult to understand even by a sympathetic listener.
• Speech is so strongly influenced by first language that message is often incomprehensible.

2 points - Occasionally interferes with communication

• Usually understood by a sympathetic listener.
• Speech is still strongly influenced by first language.

3 points - Does not interfere with communication

• Understood without difficulty by a sympathetic listener.
• Speech continues to be influenced by first language.

4 points - Enhances communication

• Readily understood by a sympathetic listener and usually understood by a native speaker.
• Speech is less influenced by first language and begins to contain elements of a native accent.

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Vocabulary

This domain measures accuracy, variety and quantity of vocabulary in the student response.

 

Issues regarding vocabulary:

• Students who take a risk extending vocabulary should not be penalized for minor errors that do not impede comprehension. For example, a student may want to express "I like something better than something else" without having learned the vocabulary for "better than." The resulting sentence may include the word for "more" to get the point across, which is still understandable to a sympathetic listener.
• In a formative assessment, recently learned vocabulary should be evident in the response where appropriate.
• Responses which contain English words present a challenge at this level. The rater needs to consider the frequency of the use of English and the length of the sample - in other words, the proportion of English words to the number of words in the target language. The rater may want to try replacing the English word with a "BEEP" to determine if that part of the message still gets across.
• If an English word is essential to complete a task (i.e., "party") and the student cannot paraphrase it with ease, the rater will be less strict than for an English word which has been taught in the target language or for where circumlocution is feasible by a Level 1 student
• Titles of films, books, and TV shows can be given in English, but, of course, the response gets no vocabulary credit for the title.

Each rating for this domain has particular characteristics:

 

1 point - Inadequate and/or inaccurate use of vocabulary

• Student response lacks variety of vocabulary.
• Student may frequently repeat words or expressions.
• Vocabulary may be used inappropriately or out of context.
• Student response may include English.
• Student response may include very few words.

2 points - Somewhat inadequate and/or inaccurate use of vocabulary

• Student uses minimal variety of vocabulary.
• There may be some repetition of words and expressions.
• Some vocabulary may be used inappropriately.
• Some English may still be used, but infrequently.
• Response may lack quantity of words.

3 points - Adequate and accurate use of vocabulary

• Student uses a variety of vocabulary and expressions.
• Most vocabulary is used accurately and appropriately.
• Response may include an English word which is difficult to circumlocute in the target language.

4 points - Rich use of vocabulary with frequent attempts at elaboration

• Student accurately uses a rich variety of vocabulary and expressions.
• Student response includes a large quantity of vocabulary and/or expressions.
• Attempts may be made to include less commonly used vocabulary and expressions.
• Student may use known vocabulary to circumlocute unknown expressions.

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Grammar

This domain measures the use and accuracy of basic language structures.

Each rating for this domain has particular characteristics:

 

1 point - Inadequate and/or inaccurate use of basic language structures

• There is a very high proportion of grammatical errors.
• Little or no evidence of the correct use of basic language structures.

2 points - Emerging use of basic language structures

• Basic language structures, as defined above, are used correctly approximately half of the time.

3 points - Emerging control of basic language structures

• Basic language structures, as defined above, are used correctly about three-quarters of the time.

4 points - Control of basic language structures

• Basic language structures, as defined above, are used correctly most of the time, not all of the time.

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Last update: September 1999

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