STAMP (Standards-based Measurement of Proficiency) STAMP 4S in Arabic Presentation by: Gabriela Ivanova

Test specifics a proficiency-oriented test measures: listening, reading, writing and presentational speaking comparable to the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) proficiency levels Novice through Advanced test-takers: (age 13+) language learners (native English speakers or fluent in English)

administration and scoring procedures Delivered in a proctored environment, such as a computer lab via the Internet without the need for any special software Items in the test are arranged into multi-item testlets or bins of difficulties CASLS reports assessment results on the CASLS Benchmark Scale:

Reliability and validity Expert panels: A comprehensive review of the test items was conducted in June 2008. Reviewers expressed general satisfaction with the test items, though there were discrepancies between the intended proficiency level and the reviewers’ estimation of the level. The most promising items were selected for field testing. Approximately1500 students participated. The field tests was analyzed using a Rasch methodology. The person reliability from the reading item analysis .93 and the person reliability from the listening item analysis was .89. CASLS and Avant Assessment suggest that educators not use Arabic STAMP 4S as the sole basis of making decisions affecting students.

Item types The listening and reading sections consist of multiple-choice items and are scored automatically by the test engine. In the writing and speaking sections, examinee performance data is captured by the computer and saved to a database where a trained external rater from Avant Assessment rates the work according to a simple rubric.

Reading

Listening

Writing

Speaking

Strengths and Weaknesses Strenghts: a valuable opportunity for teachers to monitor their students' progress toward proficiency allowing teachers to easily evaluate their course's curriculum based on how students perform  the students know what they must do to achieve at specific levels realistic language-use situations Weaknesses: the test is not sensitive enough to distinguish the nine levels of proficiency that would correspond to low, mid and high sublevels. For this reason, only major proficiency level distinctions are reported.