Oral Proficiency Assessment (OPA)

The OPA is administered via Zoom.

Virtual OPA via Zoom – When we conduct the virtual OPAs via Zoom, students will receive further information after they have signed up for the OPA. Students should check all equipment before the test (sound test microphone and speakers, check webcam and internet connection). If technical difficulties arise during the test, making it impossible for raters to assign a score, the test will be stopped and the student may be asked to take the test on-site. Please refer to Oral Proficiency Assessment Policies below.

The OPA is designed to elicit language that represents a prospective Graduate Teaching Associate’s range of language ability as well as language necessary to successfully perform the duties of teaching assistants at OSU. Intelligible pronunciation, fluency, grammar, vocabulary, listening, communicative strategies, and elaboration skills will be among the areas rated.

The OPA is a 15-minute testing session with two raters from The Ohio State University’s Spoken English Program. The first minute is used to introduce the raters and test procedures. The remaining time is divided into two parts:

• 1. Part 1 (4 minutes): An interview with questions about the student’s background, work experience, academic interests and/or research interests.
  2. Part 2 (8 minutes): A task which requires the student to teach and explain introductory concepts from his/her field in a clear and organized way.
     • The student will list six topics from their field of study (three Extended Definition topics, three Comparison and Contrast topics) on the OPA online registration form. A link to this form will be e-mailed to students after they are scheduled for their OPA.
       
       • Each Extended Definition topic should be a concept/term from their field of study on which they can elaborate (e.g., through stories, analogies, examples). Each topic should be at a beginning level and typically taught in an introductory undergraduate class. Students should be able to explain the topic clearly by speech alone within 3 minutes.
       • Each Comparison and Contrast topic should include two different but related concepts (or terms) in their field of study on which they can elaborate through comparison and contrast. These concepts should be at a beginning level and typically taught in an introductory undergraduate class. Students should be able to explain the topic clearly by speech alone within 4 minutes.
       • Notes: The six topics should be distinct and not overlap with each other. No visual aids can be used during the OPA so each student should select terms/concepts that can be explained clearly without pictures and written words or equations.
     • During the OPA, the raters will choose one extended definition topic and one comparison and contrast topic for the student to teach and discuss.
     • The student will explain these concepts as if he/she were teaching American undergraduate students with very limited background knowledge in the given field of study. The prospective ITA should prepare daily life examples, analogies, and/or anecdotes related to these concepts to help clearly explain the concepts.
     • Students will not have the use of notes, PowerPoint, a blackboard, or any other kind of visual aid, therefore they must rely on clear language to explain their concepts. During a Virtual OPA, students should look directly into their webcam when speaking. If the student appears to be reading notes/scripts, the raters will ask the student to stop. Dependence on a written text does not allow the raters to accurately assess the oral proficiency of the student and the test may be stopped or the score lowered.

During both parts of the OPA, the raters will ask follow-up questions about the explanations and information the student provides. The raters may ask questions about any information the student discusses related to Part 1 interview questions or Part 2 topics. The student can request clarification or restatement of a question at any time.

Cancel OPA – Following are the policies regarding cancelling or rescheduling an OPA:

• • The test registration fee is not refundable except in cases where a student discovers that he/she is exempt from taking the test.
  • Students may cancel a scheduled OPA by the payment deadline; however, cancellation will result in a credit for future OPA registration rather than a refund back to the card on file.
  • Students who cancel a scheduled OPA after the payment deadline will forfeit their testing fee and must pay again to reschedule unless proof of an emergency* is provided.
  • Students who arrive late or do not appear for their test (“no-show”) without proof of an emergency* will forfeit the test fee and must pay the fee again to reschedule.
  • To cancel, reschedule, or submit documentation of an emergency, students should contact the Spoken English Program at SEP-Assessment@osu.edu.
  • Students should keep in mind that there are limited testing sessions available each semester. Failure to attend or cancellation of a scheduled test may result in having to wait until the following semester to reschedule.

*An emergency is considered an unforeseen illness or situation and requires medical or legal documentation (e.g., a doctor’s note, police report, court summons).

Retake OPA – Students may only take the test once per semester.

• • Autumn: test dates between the first day of Autumn semester and the last day before Spring semester begins (i.e., September-early January)
  • Spring: test dates between the first day of Spring semester and the last day before Summer semester begins (i.e., late January-early May)
  • Summer: test dates between the first day of Summer semester and the last day before Autumn semester begins (i.e. late May-August)

Checking OPA Scores – Results will be posted in Buckeye Link within approximately one or two weeks after the exam.

Students: Log in to BuckeyeLink. In Student Center, under “Academics”, click on “Generate Advising Report”. The top left corner of the report has “Test Results”. Examples:

Placement – Students placed into a spoken English class (for Level NC1, NC2, or CC3) should take the course as soon as possible to begin working towards certification. There is an additional assessment, the Exit Interview for EDUTL 5040 or the OPCA for EDUTL 5050, at the end of each course.

If you have been diagnosed with a communication disorder, such as stuttering or a hearing loss, or have concerns with your communication ability in your primary/first language, please contact the OSU Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic at 614-292-6251 or email at slhclinic@osu.edu for information on evaluation and support services.

The OPA is not the same as other general English speaking tests. It assesses ITA Candidates’ overall English speaking communicative use in the US classroom teaching contexts. Students’ OPAs are conducted and rated by professionally trained assessment team members. There are many categories to be evaluated to form the final holistic placement results.

Because of the volume of test takers, students are not allowed to request test review. However, during the first week of all required courses (EDUTL 5040/5050/5055), each instructor will review student’s testing file and arrange an individual meeting to give detailed feedback and set student’s learning goals for that semester.

If department representatives (e.g., Department Chair, Associate Department Chair, Chair of Graduate Program, TA Coordinator, etc.) would like an OPA review, please fill out the SEP Test Review Request Form and email it to SEP-assessment@osu.edu.