Interactive Speaking Assessment

Grade Level: 4

SOL Standard(s):

VS.4 The student will demonstrate an understanding of life in the Virginia colony by
a) explaining the importance of agriculture and its influence on the institution of
slavery;
b) describing how the culture of colonial Virginia reflected the origins of
American Indians, European (English, Scots-Irish, German) immigrants, and
Africans;
d) describing how money, barter, and credit were used; and
e) describing everyday life in colonial Virginia.

WIDA Standard(s): Standard 4: The Language of Social Studies

WIDA Level: 4 Expanding

Objectives:

Language: Students will be able to verbally discuss main concepts from life in the
Virginia colony.

Content: Students will be able to identify what life was like in the Virginia colony through
their discussion of agriculture, culture, and money and trade.

Directions:

For this task, I will be asking you questions about life in colonial Virginia through an oral
interview. Answer the following questions to the best of your ability, using what we have
been learning about in Virginia Studies.

Assessment Items:
1. Warm-Up
Test-taker hears:
 What is your name? (real name)
 How are you today?
 Can you tell me what are we learning about right now in Virginia Studies?
2. Level Check
Test-taker hears:
 About what time period did colonial Virginia take place in?
 Can you tell me the differences between money, barter and credit?
 What were some of the different cultures that were in colonial Virginia?
 3. Probe
Test-taker hears:
 Why was agriculture so important in colonial Virginia?
 Pretend you are an English settler in colonial Virginia. What might a typical
day be like?
4. Wind-Down
Test-taker hears:
 How did you feel about the interview we just had?
 Do you enjoy learning about life in colonial Virginia?
 Do you have any questions you want to as me?

Thank you for participating in this interview. I really enjoyed hearing what you
had to say.

Scoring:
Each interview will be recorded in case the scorer must refer back to student answers.
The answers to the Wind-Down questions will not be included in the overall score.
Scoring will be based on a range from 1-5 points for six categories:
Grammar
Vocabulary
Comprehension
Fluency
Pronunciation
Content
Then, these scores will be added up to one holistic score out of a possible 30 total
points. Descriptions for each score and category are as follows:

Grammar Vocabulary Comprehension

1 Errors in grammar are frequent,
but speaker can be understood
by a native speaker used to
dealing with foreigners
attempting to speak his
language.
2 Can usually handle elementary
constructions quite accurately
but does not have thorough or
confident control of the
grammar.
3 Control of grammar is good.
Able to speak the language
with sufficient structural
accuracy.
Speaking vocabulary
inadequate to express anything
but the most elementary
needs.
Has speaking vocabulary
sufficient to express
themselves simply with some
circumlocutions.
Able to speak the language
with sufficient vocabulary and
rarely has to grope for a word.
Can understand simple
questions and statements if
delivered with slowed
speech, repetition, or
paraphrase.
Can get the gist of most
conversations of non-
technical subjects.
Comprehension is quite
complete at a normal rate
of speech.
4 Errors in grammar are quite
rare.
5 Equivalent to that of an
educated native speaker.
Fluency
1 Refer to other four language
areas for implied level of
fluency.
2 Can handle with confidence but
not with facility most social
situations.
3 Can discuss particular interests
of competence with reasonable
ease.
4 Able to use the language
fluently on all levels normally.
5 Has complete fluency in the
language such that their
speech is fully accepted by
educated native speakers.
Can understand and
participate in any conversation
within the range of their
experience with a high degree
of precision of vocabulary.
Speech on all levels is fully
accepted by educated native
speakers in all its features.
Pronunciation
Errors in pronunciation are
frequent but can be understood
by a native speaker used to
dealing with foreigners
attempting to speak his
language.
Accent is intelligible though
often quite faulty.
Errors never interfere with
understanding and rarely
disturb the native speaker.
Errors in pronunciation are
quite rare.
Equivalent to and fully
accepted by educated native
speakers.
Can understand any
conversation within the
range of their experience.
Equivalent to that of an
educated native speaker.
Content
Incorrectly answers more
than 5 questions.
Answers 4-5 question
incorrectly.
Answers 2-3 questions
incorrectly.
Answers all questions
correctly except for 1.
Accurately answers all
questions according to