This paper provides information on the use of referential communication tasks (tasks that structure speaking and listening behaviors so that participants need to interact to achieve accurate comprehension) in evaluating students' comprehension and listening skills. An introduction discusses interactive listening and the referential communication task as listening assessment. The next two sections of the paper explain referential communication tasks and their use in the classroom. The final section of the paper describes listening checklists as they relate to referential communication tasks, the developmental stages of children's active listening strategies, classroom observation, and formal assessments of speaker-listener interactions. Sample checklists and a list of references are attached. (RL)