Peace Corps, 2005 - 150 pages.
Authors: Anonymous.
In order lo test the effectiveness of language acquisition, interviewers are trained to assess trainees' and Volunteers' oral proficiency with an assessment known as the language proficiency interview (LPI). The interview consists of a conversation in which, through a process of level checks and probes, the interviewer establishes the level in which a speaker is able to perform linguistic functions consistently, and the level in which the speaker begins to demonstrate patters of errors and weaknesses in functional performance. With this information, the interviewer determines the level of functional language ability attained by the person interviewed.
With the language proficiency interview, the Peace Corps joins a group of educational, governmental, and private institutions who rely on a language proficiency assessment to evaluate and inform its members regarding their linguistic functional ability. By training interviewers all over the world, the Peace Corps provides a reliable assessment for all trainees and Volunteers that can be compared to other assessment tools in the United States. This program enables the organization 10 colled and interpret information about the level of linguistic preparedness of trainees and Volunteers, and the quality of the language program that trained them.
