Comparative Validity of Three English Oral Language Proficiency Tests

Abstract

Abstract The validity of three English oral language proficiency tests was examined in terms of Cummin’s BICS/CALP distinction. The tests studied included the Idea Oral Language Proficiency Test (IPT-I; Ballard, Tighe, & Dalton, 1989), the Language Assessment Scales (LAS; De Avila & Duncan, 1991), and the Woodcock Language Proficiency Battery--Revised (WLPB-R:Woodcock, 1991). An examination of test content and pattern of correlations between subscales is used to describe the way oral language proficiency has been conceptualized and operationalized for each of the three oral language proficiency tests. These three tests measure similar and dissimilar aspects of oral language proficiency. Some of the similar and dissimilar aspects support the BICS/CALP distinction. Implications for evaluating oral language proficiency tests are discussed.