Abstract:
The Student Oral Language Observation matrix (SOLOM) is an informal, unstandardized rating tool designed to help classroom ESL teachers rate the oral language proficiency of their students. Each of the five rating scales of the SOLOM may be scored from one to five, yielding a total score ranging from 5 - 25. The five scales are comprehension, fluency, vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar. Ratings should be assigned by either the classroom teacher or by native speakers of English who are familiar with the student to be rated. The SOLOM requires only a few moments of quiet reflection by the examiner, who selects, for each scale, one of five descriptions of performance level. These descriptions are only one sentence long and appear on a grid arranged by level. The examiner simply marks an "X" through the description that most accurately describes the student. The overall score is immediately obvious upon completion of the instrument and can be used to form instructional groups, measure student progress, and provide direction for refining instructional goals. A one-hour training session is recommended. No norms or estimates of reliability or validity had been established as of 1985, although preliminary studies were being planned.