Spanish Level Evaluation

Evaluating the Language Competency Level

One of the most arduous tasks that the ELE Spanish teacher takes on is that of correctly evaluating the language competency level of those new students that enter the classroom. Of course, in the majority of ELE language schools a level test is given when these new students arrive. But these tests are normally geared towards determining ones knowledge and understanding of grammar while questions based on vocabulary (which are always subjective and vary depending on the location of the learning center as well as the origin of the student) are normally not given priority.

Teachers, along with our natural professional process of de-training, have a certain tendency to suffer an illness that we can call gramatiquitis. This is the "inflammation" of our grammar and causes us to frequently value more the descriptive and grammatically-orthodox knowledge of our students instead of their communicative capacity—the ability to understand and survive in Spanish.

In many schools they also give, at the moment a new student arrives, a written test and possibly an oral test as well. This is fantastic and approaches what is most desirable, but it also presents a problem that is particularly difficult to solve. These level tests are done on the first day the student arrives at the school—which brings us to some things that we should keep in mind.

The first day is a day of class the student is normally stressed since they are new to the city or town and have yet to find their bearings. Traveling also produces its own different kind of stress like Jet Lag which can affect the student negatively and has surely affected us at one time or another. While these are just a few factors to keep in mind, we must remember that they impact the performance of the student. Even though we want them to be brilliant and understand everything we throw their way, it is unlikely they will perform at the level they are capable of.

A problem with a difficult solution! Something that would be helpful for these tests would be plenty of time and a calm atmosphere. But we can't always offer that because the student, often, doesn’t want to waste valuable course time on these types of tests (of course they are within their rights to demand the maximum course time but a good language evaluation also requires its time. TIME, just what we don't have on the first day of class—early morning, catching up with friends and colleagues and the director of studies waiting for to put the new arrivals into their corresponding classes.

It would be interesting to see how the Instituto Cervantes is confronting this issue. They prepare their examiners in oral competency with some exhaustive and well organized courses. These centers also have a viable method to realize an evaluation of language competencies. Although it is subject to the errors we spoke of earlier, they have taken steps to offer the student the best test possible that will permit the teacher reach a level of effectiveness and excellence that we all desire to attain.