A new standard for measuring speaking proficiency
Introducing the SPARC Score, a first-of-its-kind metric for measuring spoken English proficiency. Seamlessly integrated into Joy School English, the SPARC Speaking Proficiency Score delivers real-time insight into students’ oral language development and tracks their growth over time—giving educators a powerful, precise tool to monitor progress and guide instruction more effectively.
Predict state assessment outcomes with confidence
What's more, a recent independent study suggests that the SPARC Score is a reliable diagnostic tool for predicting performance on high-stakes English Language Proficiency (ELP) assessments—including WIDA ACCESS, TELPAS, and ELPAC.
Turn real-time usage into measurable gains
The research revealed a strong correlation between SPARC metrics and state language assessment scores. This powerful predictability allows us to map equivalent scores and accurately project a student's proficiency growth over time based on their weekly usage of Joy School English.
- Tracks speaking progress – Like Lexile® levels for reading, but for speaking!
- Measures performance clearly – Shows both a proficiency score and benchmark indicator
- Empowers educators – Real-time data to guide instruction and support students
- Predicts English Language Proficiency outcomes – Shown to be a reliable predictor of outcomes on WIDA ACCESS, ELPAC, and TELPAS
How we measure proficiency
- Unlike traditional language assessments, SPARC evaluates spoken English in real time using two key factors: difficulty and performance—rewarding harder words and phrases while evaluating how well they’re spoken to generate a numerical score. This process is constantly running in the background, ensuring the SPARC Score is always up to date.
- More than just a number, the SPARC Score includes a benchmark indicator showing whether a student’s score is below, at, or above the average of all students at the same stage in the program.
- This game-changing tool enables educators to track meaningful progress and ensure every learner is developing confidence in spoken English.
A journey toward confident speaking
Why SPARC?
SPARC stands for Speaking Proficiency Arc—a student’s journey toward confident English speaking. Like a character arc in a story where growth and transformation unfold over time, it begins with just a spark—a moment of curiosity, courage, or effort. From there, students build confidence, vocabulary, and fluency. The SPARC Score maps this transformation, capturing their growth one spoken word at a time.