Testing and Evaluating Speaking at Secondary Level

Issues surrounding the testing and evaluation of speaking in Singapore secondary schools are examined, including the questions of what skills and knowledge a speech evaluator should possess and what model of spoken knowledge--Received Pronunciation (RP) or Singapore English--should be provided. Oral tests, developed for the English language section of the Functional Objectives of Language Learning (FOLL) project by the Institute of Education in Singapore to determine the extent to which students achieve the functional objectives of syllabuses, are also surveyed. Finally, an evaluation study of the opinions and attitudes of some Singapore teachers and pupils towards the teaching and learning of spoken English is briefly summarized. It is concluded that the evaluation of speaking in secondary schools is clearly linked with the evaluation and valuing of spoken language by all teachers and by the school system itself. Techniques for evaluating speaking skills are developing, but there is a great need for administrators to acknowledge the complexity and importance of these skills both for teachers and for pupils. (JL)