How to Test Speaking Skills in Japan

78 Part 2: How can we mark & administer speaking tests?

tive Students often need a clear purpose to practice English, and a speaking test provides that On the other hand, some students may be so into English that you don’t need to use testing in this sort of manner—the tests are simply tools to gauge progress, so they can be conducted less frequently Finally, another point to consider is the effect test frequency has on overall reliability and validity In short, the more you test, the better Collecting a lot of assessment data will help dissolve any imperfections within your exams This will allow you to relax and feel confident that your best effort is enough A powerful record-keeping tool If you conduct a lot of speaking tests, it’s worth putting some thought into your record keeping system Nation (2013) states that effective record keeping allows you to confirm that particular stu dents are not falling behind and provides positive evidence for re consideration when students do very poorly There are a number of low and high tech ways to go about it You could track marks in a notebook, on a spreadsheet, or use a smartphone/tablet app such as TeacherKit How you go about it is a matter of personal preference, but whatever system you use, strive to keep it organized, transparent, and easy to use Involve your students in the record-keeping process Another issue to consider is the benefit of keeping students con stantly in the loop on their progress throughout a course Usually, learners only have a vague idea of how they are doing as the teacher keeps all the records However, if you bring this process out into the open and involve the students in it, you can realize some prac tical benefits Azra et al (2005) suggest using a progress sheet to keep track of student attendance, test scores, and homework This is a