Challenge
Meeting student demands for a "real world" test of English
Each academic term, the International English Language Institute (IELI) at Hunter College in New York City, trains approximately 850 students representing 75 countries. This Intensive English Program is organized into five, eight-week terms a year. There are eight different English language levels, from beginner through advanced, in the program.
By 1996, the IELI was struggling with a placement process that had become unnecessarily cumbersome and inaccurate. The existing placement test had also become extremely compromised. In addition, students were much more "business minded" and demanded tests that were relevant to the "real world" and provided an international credential.
Solution
The IELI adopted the TOEIC test in 1996. The test is used at Hunter College to place incoming students into one of the eight class levels and is also used as an exit test. The TOEIC test provides the flexibility to set and re-set learning levels and placement parameters for students so that the program can easily make any changes necessary to remain relevant in the "real world".
Result
The TOEIC test allowed the IELI to create more homogeneous classes, reduce the number of inter-level transfers, strengthen the lower levels, and improve new student morale by providing them with a rationale for placement which they could readily understand and accept.
Use of the TOEIC test in Intensive English Programs, such as the IELI, meets a wide range of needs by providing: management of placement and/or admission into multiple-level language programs, assessment of advancement through pre- and post- testing sessions, quantitative measurement of curricular changes, foundations for certification and accreditation initiatives, enhancement of revenue, and a basis for strategic planning.