A CRITIQUE OF AN ASSESSMENT TOOL AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN BY ABEER EL-ANWAR Arabic Proficiency Test For College Level Prepared by Raii Rammuny and Darlene May

Main Argument My main argument in the critique of this APT would be: how far this test, as an assessment tool, reflects a process of language teaching that considers the language learner as an active member of a community. How can assessment guide teaching and learning in a second language environment?

ABOUT THE TEST The Arabic Proficiency Test (APT), developed in , to measure general proficiency in literary Arabic in reading and writing, and in listening and production of standard spoken Arabic. Full text can be accessed at: pb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED096838&ERICExt Search_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED pb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED096838&ERICExt Search_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED The test consists of three booklets (listening/reading comprehension, writing, and speaking). The listening and reading comprehension test contains multiple choice items on a variety of recorded and printed texts. The writing section consists of tasks ranging from writing out short notes and filling out simple forms to letter-writing and original composition. Spelling, punctuation, length, appropriate vocabulary and grammar usage, clarity, organization, and coherence are measured. The speaking test requires oral responses appropriate to specific speaking tasks.

Sounds Good? Read inside!! Although the summary provided in the test description seems fine, you discover the painful truth when you read through the test and particularly the following excerpt: “The test items are intended to assess listening comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, reading comprehension, and writing skills in both Medieval (Classical) and Modern Standard Arabic.” Personally, I was struck by the word “Medieval Arabic” and I need to ask the audience: “Who needs a Medieval version of any language in their learning and more importantly in demonstrating their proficiency?” The test as such reflects language learning as a fossilized process tied to the textbook and hindered by outdated methods of teaching.

What are we assessing? In the “Writing” section, you read: “For the Elementary level the student is given a short paragraph in English and is asked to translate it into literary Arabic, making sure to include all final vowels.” The criteria for assessment specifies that: the language learner should provide a translation that is a “faithful rendering of the passage” provided in English. So, with this Direct Translation Method, I need to ask the audience: “What are we assessing here?” Literal transfer of structures across language? Will that help our students communicate in the TL? Please take a moment to think about it.

Teaching Arabic in the US: The Opposite Fashion! The emphasis of this test on the Modern Standard Arabic highlights one major problem about teaching Arabic in the US. Normally, in an Arabic-speaking country, children start speaking the colloquial language at home and then learn the standard language at the age of 5 when they start school. Sadly, in the US students learn the language in the opposite fashion: they start with the standard version of the Arabic language, then branch out to learn any of the popular dialects. The outcome, major frustrations due to the learner’s inability to function efficiently among the Arabic-speaking community. So, if this test brings forward shortcomings of a teaching process, it also sheds light on a reversed learning process as well. And I think, this point is worth considering.

Points for Consideration Looking at this exam, I would like to ask the audience: “Do you feel that a language learner who passes this test is a someone who can function properly in a native context?” A BIG question mark is raised here. In a real language setting, native speakers would rely on visuals to produce the language. They read letters, write s, or even comments on blogs, twitter..etc. The “USE” language to fulfill “FUNCTIONS.” How many of those native speakers ever laid a hand on a classic book? The classic, or the medieval, as emphasized by this test, can be a great source to learn about the culture. However, they cannot provide a practical tool for us to rely on in teaching Arabic as a foreign language. If this