Aligning National Matriculation English Test For The Deaf With The CEFR

Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning,teaching,assessment(CEFR)has had a positive impact on language education in the world,especially in the field of language testing.Large-scale exams such as IELTS and TOEFL as well as various language school examinations have conducted linking studies with CEFR.These linking studies provide important reference for different countries and regions to verify or establish their own language proficiency assessment systems.However,these linking studies with CEFR have not yet involved the field of language testing for the deaf.For the deaf,language is the biggest problem they encounter when they integrate into society.Language teaching is the key to the success of deaf education.The scientificity of language testing affects the language education of the deaf.In view of this,this paper explored the relationship between the reading test in the National Matriculation English Test for the Deaf(NMETD)and CEFR by taking the English reading test for deaf students in a college from 2018 to2019 as an example and linking the proficiency levels reflected in the test with the corresponding levels in CEFR.The linking study is conducted based on the procedures proposed in Relating Language Examinations to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning,Teaching,Assessment(CEFR),A Manual(Council of Europe 2009),which refers to familiarization,specification,standardization,and empirical validation.The results show that the proficiency level of the reading test in NMETD is equivalent to the A2 level of CEFR.This study can provide a reference for the level setting of Chinese deaf students’ English proficiency,and give a reference for standardizing the English test of the deaf.This paper has six chapters.Chapter 1 introduces the background and significance of the linking study between NMETD and CEFR.Chapter 2 is a literature review of domestic and foreign linking studies.Chapter 3 is the research design.Firstly,in the stage of familiarization,the experts involved in the evaluation learned about the descriptors of each level of CFER through relative activities.Secondly,the experts determined the proficiency level by corresponding the reading test of NMETD with the descriptors of each level in CEFR.Thirdly,in the standardization stage,the cut-off score of the reading test was obtained by using the modified Angoff method.Finally,in the empirical validation stage,the validity of this research was verified through questionnaire and interview.Chapter 4 is the research results.The research data of the four linking stages was described and the preliminary analysis was conducted.Chapter 5 discusses the research results in detail with the research purpose.Chapter 6 is the major findings,implications and limitations of this study.Suggestions are provided for future work in this field.