SPEAK Appeals Information
What are SPEAK Appeals?
SPEAK Appeals are live tests of oral English proficiency which are administered
to prospective ITAs who do not obtain a passing score on the SPEAK Test.
The SPEAK Appeals process requires a prospective ITA to participate in
a short interview, to give a five-minute lecture in his/her discipline,
and to answer some questions about the lecture. The Graduate College
schedules and administers all SPEAK Appeals.
Who is eligible to participate in SPEAK Appeals?
When a department feels that a SPEAK Test score does not accurately reflect
a prospective ITA’s true oral English ability, the unit may request a
SPEAK Appeal on behalf of the student. Prospective ITAs may only appeal
during the semester in which they took the SPEAK Test. TSE, TOEFL iBT,
or IELTS scores may not be appealed through the SPEAK Appeals process. What is the department’s role?
The department must schedule Appeals with the Graduate College. A departmental
representative must accompany each prospective ITA to the SPEAK Appeals.
The presence of a representative helps validate the process, but the
representative does not vote. Representatives may
provide social support to prospective ITAs by their presence, but they
may not speak or ask questions once the Appeals have begun.
Prospective ITAs are evaluated solely on the basis of the criteria described below. Departmental representatives or faculty members should not bring letters of reference or other supplemental materials attesting to a prospective ITA's English speaking ability.
How can prospective ITAs prepare for the SPEAK Appeals?
With the assistance of a faculty representative, select a lesson appropriate
to an introductory course in your department. For example, you might
define and discuss a term as if you were explaining it to a group of
100-level undergraduate students. In this case you could do some combination
of the following:
- Introduce and define the term.
- State its characteristics or classify it into a category.
- Use an analogy or comparison to explain it.
- Give some examples to support the definition.
- Explain its application.
Be prepared to complete your lesson within the five-minute time frame and to answer questions related to the presentation. Although there is a white board and pen available for use during the lesson, do not rely on the board to the exclusion of demonstrating your English speaking ability.
How are SPEAK Appeals scored?
The SPEAK Appeals are scored based on language skills, not teaching skills.
The following components are all considered: linguistic competence (pronunciation,
grammar, and vocabulary), quality of explanation (communication
and organization of ideas), and interaction ability (answering
questions, comprehension of and clarification of questions). Scores
on SPEAK Appeals are either pass or fail, and are binding.
Who are the representatives on the SPEAK Appeals panel?
Panels for the SPEAK Appeals consist of one representative from each
of the following areas:
- The Graduate College
- Division of English as an International Language
- Center for Teaching Excellence
- Undergraduate student population