May 19, 2026: Adaptive Placement Test (Speaking)
The Adaptive Placement Test now includes Speaking, so teachers can assess speaking proficiency independently in about 10 minutes.
Who this is for: Teachers | Category: Assessments | Type: New Feature 🚀
What changed
Video: In a Minute: Placement Tests
We've added a Speaking section to the Adaptive Placement Test. Like the Writing section, Speaking is a productive assessment. Instead of multiple-choice questions, students complete three tasks that evaluate how clearly and effectively they can express ideas in spoken English. The complexity of the third task adapts based on how the student performed earlier, so the assessment stays level-appropriate. The full section takes approximately 10 minutes. Teachers can assign Speaking on its own or in any combination with Grammar, Reading, Listening and Writing.
With Speaking now available, the Adaptive Placement Test is complete across all five sections: Grammar, Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking.
Why it matters
Speaking has always been the hardest domain to assess at scale. A proper speaking check means sitting with the student, prompting them, and evaluating their response in the moment. That's workable in a 1:1 setting, but in a classroom of 20+ ELs, or across a district with hundreds of newcomers, it's rarely practical. The result is that speaking often gets evaluated through informal classroom observation, which tends to miss quieter students and doesn't produce a comparable data point across a roster.
The Speaking section gives teachers a structured way to get that data point. Because it asks students to actually produce spoken English rather than recognize correct answers, it reflects real productive ability, which often diverges from what a student's grammar or writing scores suggest. That makes it particularly useful when placing newcomers, before assigning speaking-heavy content like WIDA ACCESS Speaking prep lessons, or as a supplement to classroom observation when building a student's learning plan.
With all five sections now live, teachers can run a full proficiency assessment across every domain in around an hour, then reassign any individual section to track growth from level to level over time.
How to use it
Follow the same workflow as the other sections: hover over the Teacher menu, select Placement Test, choose the Adaptive Placement Test, then select whichever combination of sections you want to assign. Speaking appears alongside Grammar, Reading, Listening and Writing in the section picker.
Related article: Placement Test & Learning Plan
Related article: How can I assign the placement test?
See also: Adaptive Placement Test (Grammar & Reading), Adaptive Placement Test (Listening) and Adaptive Placement Test (Writing)
Have questions? Chat with our AI assistant at the bottom right of this page, or reach out to our support team at info@off2class.com.