Abstract:
The Basic Inventory of Natural Languages (BINL) is a measure of oral language proficiency in 32 languages for students in grades K-12. It can be used for placement and the determination of language dominance. Test-taking skills are unnecessary for the examinee, since oral language is elicited through the use of large photographic posters. These posters depict scenes from a variety of cultures which can be discussed without reference to cultural specifics. Testing is done individually and takes ten minutes. There are two scoring options: Counting the number of target language words per sentence or calculating a score for linguistic complexity based on a point system. The latter can be done on a computer program if desired. For each grade level, scores are classified as Non-Speaker, Limited-Speaker, Fluent-Speaker, and Proficient-Speaker. Claims of validity are based on theoretical arguments about the nature of language rather than on statistical research. Estimates of reliability are not part of the EAC East collection.