Module 1: Introduction
Scenario - Secondary and Post-secondary Education

Bryan, a student in your class, has come to you with a question about foreign language tests.  He is a graduating senior who studied in Costa Rica last year.  He is applying for jobs that require high-level interpersonal oral communication skills in Spanish.  Bryan wants to know how he can represent his foreign language speaking proficiency level to future employers.  His first job interview is in four weeks. 

 

Get out a sheet of paper and brainstorm one example for each of the following terms regarding how they will influence what language test Bryan should choose:

 

validity  
reliability  
practicality  
impact  

 

When you're done brainstorming, roll your mouse over the picture of Bryan to compare your answers.

 

 


Positive Washback

Do a lot of your students want to use their language for everyday, on-the-job interaction?  Focus class time on developing oral skills, then find a test that shows how well your students can speak.  This will give your students language skills not only to perform well on a test, but also to make them stand out from the crowd when applying for a future job.