ESL Entrance Proficiency Assessment

Instructor: Multiple (Example provided by Dick Tucker)
Scope: Department – Modern Languages, College of Humanities & Social Sciences
Assessment Tool: ESL Entrance Proficiency Assessment

Motivation:

The number of international students entering the undergraduate program has increased tremendously. While the university admissions requires a certain level of proficiency on standardized tests that assess language proficiency, this criteria is not always used to determine admissions decisions. Departments and programs make admissions decisions internally, and they will often admit students who score low on standardized language tests but who have other exceptional credentials. However, once admitted, all students must take general education courses like introduction to world history, cognitive psychology, introduction to arguments, etc., which require high levels of English proficiency. But many of these international students do not possess sufficient cognitive skill or spoken proficiency in the English language to succeed in these courses.

Goal:

To assess English proficiency and to determine the potential of entering international students to succeed in general education classes that require English proficiency; the assessment is conducted in order to place students in the courses that best suits their level of proficiency.

Methods/Tools:

A web-based English proficiency assessment.

Implementation:

Students take the web-based assessment during the summer prior to their arrival.

Participants

Freshmen international students admitted to CMU.

Current status

Ongoing

Impact/Results:

Based on their performance on the assessment, students are directed into the appropriate freshman-writing course. Those with high proficiency are directed into the traditional freshman-writing course, 76-101. Those who score low on proficiency are streamed into a basic English course, 76-100, that they are required to pass before continuing onto 76-101.

By identifying low English proficiency students we are able to provide them with the opportunity to gain proficiency in the language before they take on courses that require high English proficiency. This has helped non-native English speakers thrive in the classroom.

Challenges:

The students who are assessed at lower proficiency and directed into basic courses have additional courses to complete, thus extending their time to graduation.