Abstract:
The Language Proficiency Test (LPT) is a criterion-referenced English language test for students from grade 7 though adulthood which assesses a wide range of language ability yet uses materials that are not demeaning to the older student. The test is especially suited to students who use English as a second language, learning handicapped students, and others with low-level language skills. It consists of three major sections measuring aural/oral, reading, and writing skills. Each section consists of subtests of increasing difficulty which provide scores indicating the most appropriate levels of language instruction for the student. The entire test covers nine areas of language functioning including an optional translation section for the ESL student. Administration takes approximately two hours and may be conducted in several short testing sessions. The majority of the nine subtests can be group-administered; two subtests that measure low-level language functioning require individual administration and are optional for native English students. The test can be administered by classroom teachers, remedial specialists, and others who need an easy-to-administer and comprehensive assessment of English language functioning. In the Aural/Oral section, students are given simple commands to follow, are asked about home and school, and are asked some comprehension questions about a paragraph which is read aloud to them by the examiner. In the Reading section, students underline the word that correctly completes a sentence and answer comprehension questions about ten reading passages ranging from 1st grade to 6th grade reading level in difficulty. The Writing section involves a multiple-choice grammar test, a Sentence Response test in which the student responds in writing to ten short questions, a paragraph-writing section, and an optional Writing in Translation subtest which is intended for only the most advanced ESL students and involves translating a paragraph from their native language into English. Correct answers for the objective items are found in the test handbook, as are the scoring guidelines for the more variable parts of the test. For the Writing: Sentence Response section, points are subtracted for each error and no scoring adjustment is made for the length of the sentence so people who write longer sentences (and make more errors due to length) will be penalized. The same scoring method is used for evaluating paragraphs. Scores from each subtest correspond to the following placement levels: Advanced, Intermediate, Elementary, and No Proficiency. A student may place into one level for Aural/Oral skills and another for his written skills. The test-retest reliability estimate for a sample of 46 students was .87, and concurrent validity with the Barnel-Loft Series was established as .77 using the same sample.