Journal Article

American sign language level 1 assessment: What is out there?

Leffler, Brian W., Simmons, Paul K., Venable, Tabitha, Soza, Karen, Buchanan, Beverly J., Ballentine, Pauline M., Pirone, John S., Pudans‐Smith, Kimberly K., Cohen, Brad S.

2023

Overview

American Sign Language (ASL) education is a relatively new field. Thus, further research is necessary, especially regarding developing assessment tools. The goal of this study was to determine the types of assessment tools ASL level 1 teachers use in the classroom and how those teachers measure students' language progression. This study is critical because no standard ASL level 1 assessment tool measures students' skill levels to advance to the next level. The survey was created to build a better understanding of what tools ASL instructors use to assess their students' language performance. Data were collected from 93 ASL level 1 teachers. The results demonstrated a need for additional training for ASL teachers to improve their knowledge of language assessments and skills in using assessment tools, especially to support ASL students' language progress and proficiency. The results of this study provide suggestions for future assessment tools to increase the effectiveness of ASL programs across the United States. The Challenge American Sign Language (ASL) is the third most studied language in the United States; however, the types of assessment tools used in ASL classrooms remains unclear. Thus, this study investigated the types of assessments that ASL instructors use to enhance ASL performance results.

• Publisher: Wiley,American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages
• Subject: Academic achievement / American Sign Language / American Sign Language (ASL) / Americans with Disabilities Act 1990-US / ASL education / assessment tools / Classrooms / Competence / Deafness / Education / Educational evaluation / Educational objectives / Effectiveness / Evaluation / Faculty Development / Feedback / Foreign language learning / Language / Language Acquisition / Language assessment / Language Proficiency / Language Teachers / Language Tests / Learning Objectives / Learning Processes / Program Effectiveness / Second Language Instruction / Second Language Learning / Sign language / Skill Development / Skills / Students / Teachers / Teaching