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in all government and non- government English language assessment models in
schools “to help break the current divide school education also reflect the same
between the economic elite and the rest patterns of testing where maximum
of the country, in addition to teaching focus is given on content knowledge,
Indian languages” with the focus on the grammar and the writing skills of
functionality and fluency (p. 82). the students. The speaking skills of the
students remain ignored throughout
There’s a huge dissimilarity in terms
of English language proficiency the school education both in teaching
between the different types of schools and assessment. Most common
(NCERT, 2006, p.2) which are primarily reasons cited for the absence of English
categorized on the basis of two factors language oral or speech assessment
such as teachers’ English language in the English language curriculum
proficiency (TP) and English in the is the lack of time and effective oral
environment for language acquisition assessment tools. As a result, the
(EE). Ignoring these two factors, the state speaking skills of the students to a large
government of Tamil Nadu prescribes a extent develop implicitly depending on
common English language curriculum the amount of language input they are
for students from the English and exposed to inside and outside English
Tamil medium schools. There is no language classrooms.
compromise done in terms of syllabus There is a need for establishing
planning and textbook designing for the most suitable English language
the lack of both exposure to the target production assessment tool for applied
language and opportunities to use the linguistics research purposes to
language among the students from facilitate the examination of language
the Tamil medium schools. With the teaching approaches or methods. In
given conditions of limited teachers’ the present curriculum of Tamil Nadu
proficiency and students’ exposure to State Syllabus, the idea of testing the
English language, it needs to be made production skills is non-existent. It is
sure that the amount to which the the need of the hour to explore the
students are exposed to the target available speaking assessment models
language and the amount to which and to find if they can be adapted and
they are made to produce the target be simplified to later develop something
language inside the classroom space is that would suit the English language
optimum. classroom requirements. To achieve
this, the assessment models need
A general review of the Tamil Nadu
Government’s English language to be researched and piloted in the
curriculum, syllabus and textbooks respective contexts. It is also important
reveal that the teaching and learning to establish the reliability and validity
processes are inclined towards of these assessment tools to look for
developing the English language adaptation ways. This paper presents
receptive skills. Under productive skills, the piloting of CALF: An Automatic
writing skills are given more importance Analytic Tool for Complexity, Accuracy,
when compared to the speaking skills. Lexis and Fluency developed by Gavin

240 Indian Journal of Educational Technology
Volume 3, Issue 2, July 2021