Correct Response: C. In order for the assessment to be truly accurate of a student's communicative language progress, the assessment should not be based on past effort or classwork but rather should judge the student's language skills by his/her performance at the time of the actual interview. A is incorrect because the teacher should not provide possible responses, which could affect students' responses in later parts of the interview. Also, the teacher should allow for adequate "wait time." Research indicates that second-language learners need time for processing what they hear in addition to time for formulating a response. B is incorrect because using known topics may not provide a fair assessment of a student's ability to communicate effectively in English across a broader spectrum of topics. D is incorrect because it emphasizes student choice in the topic and direction of the interview, whereas the interviews are described as "structured," which implies that the teacher has carefully planned the questions so that they elicit responses that include certain language forms or functions (e.g., past tense).
