Fellow Kevin J. Spence participated in the 2014 National Olympiad oral proficiency jury to help select premier high school student English speakers, at a local public high school. 20 students from the Basic English track and 10 students from the Advanced track participated. The student gender balance was roughly equal between boys and girls.
Spence created a rubric to assess students in terms of fluency, complexity, accuracy and content. The event marked the first time the jury for oral proficiency used a rubric to assess student performance. In addition to performing as a juror, the fellow also helped to field an appeal, providing detailed feedback for the student. The rubric provided objectivity for assessment and the fellow represented an American native, English speaker to ensure a fair, balanced and transparent assessment.