USING DEBATE TO
TRACK ORAL LANGUAGE
PERFORMANCE
Sarah Jay
Prospect Hill Academy, Cambridge, MA
Session Goals



Share 3+ year process of creating and refining a
system of performance-based assessment of Spanish
oral language.
Give teachers assessment models, instructional strategies
and data collection methods for oral language
development.
Give instructional leaders a model for a summative
program assessment from which to backwards plan
assessments and instruction.
Resource Packet
Essential Questions

How do we motivate and support
students to speak more in the
foreign language classroom?

How do we assess and track their
oral language development?
Exhibition Night
Exhibition Night

Authenticity
Guest Spanish-speaking

judges
Community
Parents, student
volunteers, educators
Accountability
Graduation requirement
Page 2 and 3
Student
Learning Goals
Data
Collection
and
tracking
Performance
Assessment
Backwards
plan
Instruction
Overall student oral language growth
Begin with the standards
Common
Core
AP
Exam
ACTFL
Authentic performance based
assessment
What do we want kids to DO?
College-ready Spanish proficiency



Interpretive:
Read and discuss authentic texts
Interpersonal: Engage with another’s thoughts in
academic and social conversation.
Presentational:
Support ideas with specific
evidence, sound reasoning and
appropriate cultural perspectives.
What would you like your
students to be able to know
and do?
This is your student learning
goal
Debate fits all the criteria
Interpretive:
 Sources
Interpersonal:
 Argument and
rebuttal
Presentational:
 Opening/ Closing
argument
Flexible
What performance would meet
the goals of your language
program?
This is your performance
assessment
Student
Learning Goals
Data
Collection
and
tracking
Performance
Assessment
Backwards
plan
Instruction
Overall student oral language growth
Assessment design
AP Exam
Page 3
PHA Debates
Presentational Speaking
Two minutes, audio
and written sources
Opening/Closing Argument
Two teams of two,
one opening, one closing
Interpersonal Speaking
Read an outline,
respond to recorded audio
Open Debate
Teams give evidence and
rebut the argument of others
Interpretive Language
Audio and print sources
Sources
Audio, print and video
authentic texts
Pair performance to learning goals
Spanish
level
Spanish 4
(Early
intermediate)
Target skills and
content
Prompt
•Multiple tenses (pastpresent-future)
Where is it better
to live, the city or
•Geography, landscapes, the country?
travel and food
Spanish 6
•Present subjunctive
The passing of
mood, all indicative mood the Dream Act is
(Advanced,
pre-AP)
•Social issues
beneficial for the
United States.
Rubric development
Prepared
Statement
(Opening
or Closing)
Content
Presentational
Speaking
General
Grammar
Page 4
Presentational:
Focus on
memorization and
fluency.
Interpersonal:
Focus on
responding
appropriately to
other team, using
evidence.
Rubric uses


Sub-categories with descriptors provide
specific feedback
Students receive a proficiency-based “grade”
5 = Demonstrates excellence
3 = Demonstrates competence (PROFICIENCY)
1= Demonstrates lack of competence
For the performance that you
have in mind, what would you
want your rubric to assess?
Are there existing assessment
tools that you could modify?
Student
Learning Goals
Data
Collection
and
tracking
Performance
Assessment
Backwards
plan
Instruction
Overall student oral language growth
Pages 5-10
Find
evidence in
written and
oral language
Evidence
notes,
Trifold
Respond to
statements
with
appropriate
information
Speed dating,
Pointcounterpoint
Debate
Define
target
vocabulary
Charades,
Taboo,
Password
What are three oral language
activities that would scaffold up
to your performance
assessment?
Student
Learning Goals
Data
Collection
and
tracking
Performance
Assessment
Backwards
plan
Instruction
Overall student oral language growth
Data collection: Formative assessments
Benchmark performances
Ensure preparation towards learning
goals.
 Allow for early intervention and
support.

Pages 11-15
Benchmark
1
2
3
4
Year-end
7th Grade
Cumulative
Describe
family
Describe house
of your dreams
Pobre Ana
Cumulative
8th Grade
Cumulative
Describe
school
Describe daily
routines
Pobre Ana
Cumulative
Spanish 3
Cumulative
Ordering at
the restaurant
Childhood
memories
Interactions at
a model store
Cumulative
Spanish 4
Cumulative
Hypothetical
situations
Explaining a
health crisis
Debate
Cumulative
Spanish 5
Cumulative
Power of
Peru
Christians/Mo before/after
ors
Conquest
Debate
Cumulative
Spanish 6
Cumulative
Bullfighting
pro/con
Baseball in DR
pro/con
Debate
Cumulative
Spanish 7
Cumulative
Race in
colonial S.A.
Environmental
issues
Student-choice
Cumulative
AP
AP practice
AP practice
AP practice
AP practice
AP Exam
Data collection and tracking
Audacity
Digital recorders
Voice Memo (iPhone)
Edmodo
Google Voice
Flip cameras
iMovie
Data collection and tracking
Excel / Google Drive
Student Learning Growth: Spanish 6
5
4.5
Benchmark 1
4
Benchmark 2
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
Debate
Student Learning Growth: Spanish 6
5
4.5
Benchmark 1
4
Benchmark 2
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
Debate
Student Learning Growth: Juniors
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.6
Benchmark 1
Benchmark 2
Debate
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
Spanish 4
Spanish 5
Spanish 6
Next steps and challenges
Data:
 Track debate scores at each level across years
 Track AP scores
 Track SAT II scores
Instruction:
 Evaluate and refine scope and sequence of
benchmarks
 Focus on in-class formative assessments
What is your next step in putting your
performance assessment plan into
action?
•Who do you need to talk to?
•What resources do you need to gather?
•How will you create your assessment?
Acknowledgments
PHA Spanish Department, past and present:
Allyson Saunders, Yadissa Bello,
Jess Nollet, Dave Cantu,
Lucia Morales, Lauren Davis,
John Carolan , Kate Powell
Family and supporters:
Ian Huntington
Katie Hutchinson
Liz Murray
Chris Douglas
And, of course, all the amazing students of PHA
Contact information
Sarah Jay
sjay@prospecthillacademy.org
sarahejay@gmail.com
What is Prospect Hill Academy?
School Demographics
•K-12 public charter school
•1,100 students
•Cambridge and Somerville, MA
•64% low-income families
•86% minority
Spanish at PHA
• 1 hr per week K-3
• 2 hr per week 4-6
• 5 hrs per week 7-12
Spanish oral
language
graduation
requirement
www.greatschools.org
Systems of Accountability
Junior Year:
Exhibition Night
Debate
Senior Year:
Students who didn’t achieve
proficiency re-debate
Senior Year:
Students who have not reached Spanish 4 OR who have not yet
reached proficiency participate in an OPI-ish interview (or two)
Three years of data
2009-2010: 64 juniors and seniors debated, all
scored proficient or higher
2010-2011: 60 juniors and seniors debated, four
juniors failed and re-debated their senior year.
2011-2012: 65 juniors and seniors debated, two
seniors failed and participated in two OPI interviews
to demonstrate proficiency.