How to Test Speaking Skills in Japan

62 Part 2: How can we mark & administer speaking tests? One idea is to give points for each level, such as 3 points for an Ex ceeds , 2 points for a Meets , and 1 point for Approaching Alternative ly, you could go with letter grades (A = Exceeds , B= Meets , C= Ap proaching ) or replace these words with a number scale of some sort, such as 1~10, with a range within each (9~10= Exceeds , 7~8= Meets , <6= Approaching ) Whatever system you use, take care not to bog down the inherent simplicity of this format A great idea: Involve your students Be it holistic, analytic, or a combo approach, once you get com fortable with your marking scheme(s), a great way forward it is to involve your students in the development process If you have a capable group, giving them a say in how your marking scheme is constructed can help them think more carefully about what consti tutes successful communication (Davis, 2013) You would need to spend some time on this activity, but it could be well worth it After describing what a rubric is, have the students, preferably in groups, brainstorm various aspects of good performance Once decided, you can guide them on creating definitions across a number of levels Another idea is to have them create performance statements for a simplified combo rubric While not appropriate for every class, such a democratic approach to assessment can help students feel more involved in your curriculum and boost positive washback Decide how to score each construct Underhill (1987) provides a lot of good advice for various category scoring options First, scores can be given in different ways within the same rubric Typically, you give a single impressionistic mark for each one, such as a 7 out of 10 or whatever . This approach can be used for any category, but it works especially well for ones that are