The Comparability of English and Spanish Versions of Oral Language Proficiency Instruments

Abstract

The Assessment of limited English speaking children usually includes the administration of instruments in both English and the primary language to establish dominance and/or handicaps of the child. To preclude misdiagnosis, the underlying assumption is that the instruments tap parallel aspects of proficiency in terms of technique or areas of language assessed. The objective of this paper is to acquaint users with the comparability of five commonly used language assessment instruments in English and Spanish according to their linguistic and psychometric qualities. Specifically, they will be compared across English and Spanish along the following parameters: 1) area of language measured: syntax, phonology or semantics; 2) domain assessed: home, school or neighborhood; 3) developmental comparability of items; 4) language variety or dialect. Technical qualities examined will include: information provided on proficiency classification, validity, reliability and norming. The following instruments will be compared: BINL, BOLT, BSM I and II, LAB I, II,III and LAS I and II. Conclusions will be made which relate to the use of these instruments for entry to and exit from bilingual services and assignment to special education.

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