Glastonbury Public Schools World Language
External Assessments
Glastonbury's world language program uses several external tools to assess student progress towards proficiency in languages. Glastonbury also regularly participates in testing opportunities for research purposes (see RFJ test information below).
Below are several external assessment instruments currently being used in the district, and administered in the Language Lab. Many of the listed assessments are used to qualify students for the Connecticut Seal of Biliteracy. Click on each one for a demonstration of the assessment.
The Oral Proficiency Interview by computer (OPIc) is an internet delivered test which provides valid and reliable oral proficiency testing in the target language. It was developed in response to increased worldwide demand for the testing of oral language proficiency. The computer delivered assessment emulates the ‘live’ Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI), but the delivery of questions is through a carefully designed computer program via a virtual avatar. The test can be taken on demand at a convenient time for candidate and proctor.
The Writing Proficiency Test (WPT) is an assessment to measure how well a person spontaneously writes in a language (without access to revisions and/or editing tools) by comparing his/her performance of specific writing tasks with the criteria stated in the Foreign Language Writing Proficiency Guidelines 2012.
The ACTFL Assessment of Performance Towards Proficiency in Languages (AAPPL) assesses Interpersonal Listening/Speaking (ILS) in an online format. AAPPL assesses the language that students have learned and practiced within a classroom setting and provides evidence of the learner’s proficiency level. The AAPPL is about bringing the 5 C’s of the National Standards (Communication, Connections, Cultures, Communities, Comparisons) into a modern performance assessment environment. Students are given a series of tasks in each communication mode -interpersonal, interpretive and presentational.
HSK is an international standardized exam that tests and rates Chinese language proficiency. It assesses non-native Chinese speakers’ abilities in using the Chinese language in their daily, academic and professional lives. Glastonbury Public Schools has been a Chinese HSK test center since 2012. It is now one of the 34 test centers in United States to provide a testing facility for Chinese adult language learners.
This test can also serve as a reference for an educational institution’s decision-making concerning recruiting students, assigning students to different classes or allowing students to advance to certain courses as well as awarding academic credits for previous study. There are six levels of listening, writing and reading tests which are similar to the levels in the Chinese Language Proficiency Scales for Speakers of Other Languages (CLPS) and the Common European Framework of reference (CEF). Currently Glastonbury Public Schools hosts four levels of HSK tests from level 1 to 4 for all students learning Chinese at Smith Middle School and Glastonbury High School, as well as students from neighboring districts.
The ACTFL Latin Interpretive Reading Assessment (ALIRA) is a computer-adaptive assessment of Latin students’ ability to read for comprehension a variety of Latin-language texts that typify those used in an instructional setting. One or two multiple-choice questions accompany each text and gather evidence of understanding of main ideas, supporting details, point-of-view, inferences, or text purpose.
The Test of Reflective Judgment (RFJ) is a set of DiscoTest “teasers” that are based on theories of knowledge. The teasers present what is known as an ill-structured dilemma—a dilemma with no correct answer. Through their responses to a series of prompts, students reveal how they think about inquiry, evidence, learning & the mind, truth & certainty, conflict resolution, persuasion and deliberation. The RFJ is suitable for grades 4-13. For more information on this test, please contact Lectica Inc.