CLEAR 2008 Annual Conference

Anchorage, Alaska

Testing Considerations for English as a Second

Language (ESL) Candidates

Nisha Mittal

Anthony R Zara

Paul D Naylor

CLEAR 2008 Annual ConferenceAnchorage, Alaska

Topics for this Session…

• Why is the ESL issue more important now than ever before?

• What challenges are faced by ESL candidates? • What are the common requests made by ESL

candidates? • What are the general strategies for assisting

ESL candidates? • What accommodations are currently used for

ESL candidates in the United States?• How do you decide on the level of

accommodation for your exam?

CLEAR 2008 Annual ConferenceAnchorage, Alaska

Why is the ESL issue more important now than ever before?

• Changes in the immigrant population in the United States

• Increase in the need for professional/nonprofessional workers from developing countries

• Enforcement of strict laws by employing agencies to provide authentic proof of knowledge, skills, and abilities required for jobs (certification/licensure tests)

• Strict legal/governmental regulations in assessment while being fair to all– test security– costs

CLEAR 2008 Annual ConferenceAnchorage, Alaska

What challenges are faced by ESL candidates?

• Knowledge of common English vocabulary is limited• Knowledge of “idiomatic phrases that occasionally occur in some test

items” is limited• Knowledge of specialized vocabulary or jargon used in professional

settings is limited• Grasp of moderately complex English grammar used in test questions is

limited• They are challenged to simultaneously think in a second language while

applying cognitive strategies and prior knowledge to determine correct answers

• They are challenged to select the “best” answer to a test item when the candidate’s sociolinguistic background suggests that other answers may be appropriate

• They may experience increased test anxiety resulting from any or all of the reasons cited above.

CLEAR 2008 Annual ConferenceAnchorage, Alaska

Challenges continued…

Like other candidates, ESL candidates may also score low on an exam because of the following:

• they are unfamiliar with the test blueprint and what is required to prepare for the test;

• they may need additional practice to feel comfortable taking a multiple-choice test, especially if they have been out of school for some time;

• they may need additional practice to feel comfortable taking a computer-based test; or

• they may lack the minimal competence.

CLEAR 2008 Annual ConferenceAnchorage, Alaska

What are the common requests made by ESL candidates?

• Translated exams

• Oral interpretation of test questions

• Waivers

• Provisional licenses

• Special accommodations– Dictionaries– Extended time

CLEAR 2008 Annual ConferenceAnchorage, Alaska

What are the general strategies for assisting ESL candidates?

• Test translation

• Oral interpretation of test questions

• Printed language aids

• Modifications to the English used in the test questions

CLEAR 2008 Annual ConferenceAnchorage, Alaska

Test Translation

• Accuracy of translation

• Equivalence of the translated exam to the original exam

• International Test Commission (ITC) provided 22 test adaptation guidelines

• Costs (large versus low-volume exams)

CLEAR 2008 Annual ConferenceAnchorage, Alaska

Further Considerations for Test Translation

• How many potential languages and dialects would require translation?

• If one language is to be translated, do all others need to be translated?

• Would the cost of translation be passed on to all candidates or just ESL candidates?

• If ESL candidates bear the cost, should individual candidates from small linguistic groups bear a greater cost than candidates from larger linguistic groups?

CLEAR 2008 Annual ConferenceAnchorage, Alaska

Differences in Approaches to Test Translation

• National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER)

• Nursing (NCLEX)

CLEAR 2008 Annual ConferenceAnchorage, Alaska

Oral Interpretation of Test Questions

What? Professional bilingual interpreters recruited to translate any item text that the candidate feels unsure of, from individual words to entire sentences.

Advantages• Reduced expenses by limiting use of interpreters to just

those candidates who demonstrate a need• Could translate any text the candidate feels unsure of• Provides instantaneous assistance, as requested,

allowing the candidate more time to focus on answering the questions instead of looking up the words in the dictionary

CLEAR 2008 Annual ConferenceAnchorage, Alaska

Continued…

Disadvantages

• May threaten the security of the examination

• May increase the number of examinations administered under nonstandard conditions

• Who should determine the credentials of interpreters?

• Who should pay the oral interpreters?

CLEAR 2008 Annual ConferenceAnchorage, Alaska

Printed Language Aids

What are these? • English and/or bilingual dictionaries• Quick reference dictionary of English vocabulary

for each exam• Bilingual versions of quick-reference dictionaries• Standardized English language glossary of

professional terminology which could be provided as examination study guides

• Bi-lingual versions of the standardized professional glossary

CLEAR 2008 Annual ConferenceAnchorage, Alaska

Continued…

Advantages• Inexpensive• Standardized format

Disadvantages• Maybe insufficient aid to help examinees

with very limited English proficiency

CLEAR 2008 Annual ConferenceAnchorage, Alaska

Modifications to the English in Exams

What? Phrase the test questions so that ESL candidates understand them more easily.

Readability of test questions• Assess readability by using formulas devised for

measuring the complexity of written text• Simplify vocabulary, sentence length, and

grammatical complexity

CLEAR 2008 Annual ConferenceAnchorage, Alaska

Continued…

The sociolinguistic biases in test questions• Assess test items for idiomatic phrases or professional

jargon unfamiliar to ESL examinees• Avoid test item content that reflects judgments about

appropriate actions or decisions that reflect the majority culture

• Avoid test item content that contains any implicit beliefs that reflect only the majority culture

PresumptionCandidates have some 8th to 10th grade reading level English proficiency

CLEAR 2008 Annual ConferenceAnchorage, Alaska

What accommodations are provided in the United States?

• Undergraduate admission tests

• Professional school admissions

• ETS higher education tests

• Certification programs

• Licensure programs

• Others

CLEAR 2008 Annual ConferenceAnchorage, Alaska

In conclusion, testing accommodation for ESL

candidates in the United States

• is ambiguous (there are no clear guidelines for qualifying for an accommodation).

• differs from state to state.• is better established for candidates with disabilities.

More common accommodations are:– use of up to two dictionaries– extended time

Less common accommodations are: – oral interpretation – translated exams

CLEAR 2008 Annual ConferenceAnchorage, Alaska

Clearly there is a need to:

• Establish clear policies for ESL candidates• Provide clear and well-documented

guidelines to determine ESL eligibility for accommodations

• Make these policies consistent across all states

• Evaluate ESL accommodations made in other countries

CLEAR 2008 Annual ConferenceAnchorage, Alaska

How can you determine the level of accommodation for your exam?

• Determine the knowledge, skills, and abilities required in a profession

• Evaluation of the need for English language skills in the profession should be based on the skills needed to function at minimum competency within the profession

• Consider costs associated with accommodations• There can be no ONE consistent policy across all

professions