Interpreting OEAI Scores

Examinee OEAI score access:

Within two weeks after an OEAI exam, examinees will receive an email with their scores and information on how to interpret the scores. If you do not receive the email within two weeks after your OEAI exam date, contact oeai-illinois@illinois.edu. If you took the English Proficiency Interview (EPI) before 2023 and need your score report, please contact your department.

Academic unit EPI score access:

Academic units will also receive their students' OEAI scores within two weeks after the exam date. Starting in June 2023, the scores will also be accessible through the OEAI registration form by whomever completed the initial registration for a student. Academic units needing assistance locating a specific score should contact oeai-illinois@illinois.edu.

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The OEAI assesses oral English proficiency using a global rating scale that addresses overall communicative ability for teaching. To arrive at a global score, the OEAI evaluates examinees' speaking ability in terms of the following five features:
Fluency: delivery is smooth, and frequency of hesitations and re-starts is minimal. Speaker can speak beyond the phrase and sentence level without needing to collect thoughts.
Pronunciation: degree to which a speaker displays a full and consistent sound system, utilizes intonation and prosody for communicative effect, and give stress and prominence to appropriate syllables and words.
Language Control: grammatical accuracy, vocabulary range, and academic register awareness are appropriate for teaching.
Discourse and Comprehension: speaker displays the ability to develop and organize ideas and to speak at length, while understanding the questions of the interviewer.
Pragmatics and Negotiation: the ability to understand the flow of conversation and negotiation skills for communication

Possible global scores are 2, 3, 4, 4CP, 5, and 6. Scores of 5 or 6 are passing scores and the applicant is then cleared to teach. A score of 4CP is a “conditional pass” which allows the student to be a TA provided he or she successfully completes ESL 508 during or before the first semester of teaching. Students who receive a 4CP, 5, or 6 on the OEAI must attend the Graduate Academy for College Teaching prior to teaching their first semester. All scores are final and not subject to appeal.

Score Interpretation
Level	Description	Result
6	Communication is consistently effective, causing little listener effort	Passed; student is permitted to be a TA with no restrictions
5	Communication is generally effective, and weaknesses do not distract from listener comprehension.
4CP	Communication is generally effective, though there may be isolated weaknesses which can and should be strengthened in ESL 508 concurrently with teaching.	Conditional Pass; student is required to successfully complete ESL 508 during or before the first semester of teaching
4	Communication is somewhat effective but difficulties which cause listener effort are noticeable.	Did not pass. Student is not permitted to be a TA. Student must engage in oral English improvement initiatives and retake the OEAI, or obtain a qualifying speaking score on the TOEFL or IELTS
3	Communication is marginally effective but requires substantial listener effort.
2	Communication is generally not effective.