Abstract:
The Language Assessment Scales - Oral (LAS - O) in Spanish are used to evaluate the native language proficiency of Spanish-speaking students enrolled in public schools in this country. An evaluation of native language proficiency is considered necessary by educators who believe that native language proficiency must already exist before it is possible to learn a second language. It is used to identify students who can benefit from bilingual and ESL programs, to place students into the proper program, to diagnose specific linguistic problems, and to assess students who may need to be reclassified. The resulting classifications are Fluent Spanish Speaker, Limited Spanish Speaker, and Non-Spanish Speaker. Level 1 of the LAS - O is for grades 1-6 and Level 2 is for grades 7-12. Two equivalent forms are available at each level. The Oral Language Component of the test has three parts: 1) Vocabulary, which contains Name That Picture in which students produce labels for concrete nouns commonly found in the public school environment, and Action Words which assesses the ability to produce the -ing form of commonly used verbs; 2) Listening Comprehension which contains one dialogue and 10 yes-no questions; and, 3) Story Retelling in which the student listens to a story which is supported with four cartoon-type drawings and then retells the story in his own words. The Pronunciation Component has two parts: 1) Minimal sound Pairs, which tests auditory discrimination of minimal-pair items, and 2) Phonemes, in which the student is tested on his ability to pronounce specific phonemes embedded in words, phrases, and short sentences. Scoring of the objective sections of the test is done by the test administrator while the test is in progress, but some parts of the scoring require more deliberation. The Story Retelling section must be scored by proficient, literate speakers of English who have participated in a reliability exercise and have attained a reliability level of 90%. Coefficient alpha reliability estimates for various sections of the LAS -O in Spanish range from the high .70s to the .90s. 1,264 students from Mexico, California, and Texas who were native Spanish speakers participated in the norming study.