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Quantitative Measures of Expressive Language
The Language Assessment Scale II (LAS II) was used to collect
written and oral language samples of the Cuban participants. Table
4-1 displays the ratings of these samples.
On oral samples in English, the student mean was 1.6, more than
a half point higher than on the written samples. For both the
written and oral ratings in English the scale had to be extended to
include 0, because a total of six students produced so little language
that it could not be measured. Only one of the students was consistent
in producing this limited amount in both the written and oral samples.
The positions of the oral and written measures are reversed in
the Spanish measures. Written expression was rated as being almost
1 point higher than the oral. In comparing English oral sample ratings
with Spanish oral sample ratings, it can be seen that Spanish was rated
only 1 point higher than English. Only the correlation of Spanish
oral scores was significantly correlated with rank on total Spanish
score. On the written samples the students were rated as 1.8 points
higher in Spanish than in English.
Discussion of findings on expressive language
Ratings in English and Spanish using the LAS language samples were
done by two independent groups who, although they were provided in
struction in how to do the ratings and were given the same rating
scales, were working independently of each other. I was present during
all the oral ratings and I agreed almost completely with the ratings
using the language sample available on the tape.