CaMLA English Placement Test

Last updated
CaMLA EPT logo CaMLA EPT logo.png
CaMLA EPT logo

The CaMLA English Placement Test (EPT) is used principally by English language teaching schools to assess students' language ability levels and place them in the right English language course. Organizations also use it as a screening tool to assess applicants' command of the English language.

Contents

The CaMLA EPT is developed by CaMLA, a not-for-profit collaboration between the University of Michigan and the University of Cambridge, and has been in use for over four decades. [1] A major revision of the test occurred in 2013 leading to the launch of CaMLA EPT Forms D, E and F. [2] A further three test forms were released in 2015: Forms G, H and I.

The CaMLA EPT can be used with learners of English as a second language at all levels, from beginners to advanced. It tests the following key skills: listening comprehension, reading comprehension, grammatical knowledge and vocabulary range. The test can be taken on either a computer or on paper.

Test format

There are multiple forms of the test (Forms D, E, F, G, H and I), which are parallel in difficulty. Each form has unique content—no questions are shared across the different forms.

All the CaMLA EPT forms use the same test format:

The CaMLA EPT has the following test sections:

Section of the testNumber of questionsQuestion types [4]
Listening comprehension25Question type 1: test takers hear a question or statement requiring a response and select the most appropriate response from three options.

Question type 2: test takers hear a short conversation between two speakers and answer a question about the conversation by selecting the most appropriate response from three options.

Grammar in conversational contexts20Test takers read a short conversational exchange between two speakers where part of the exchange has been omitted. Test takers are asked to correctly complete the exchange by selecting the most appropriate word or phrase from four options.
Selection of vocabulary to fit the context of single sentences20Test takers read a sentence where one word has been removed. Test takers are asked to correctly complete the sentence by selecting the most appropriate word from four options.
Reading comprehension of sentences and texts15Question type 1: test takers are presented with one sentence, followed by a question concerning its meaning. Test takers must select the correct answer from four options.

Question type 2: test takers are presented with a short reading passage (approx 150 words), followed by 4 to 5 reading comprehension questions. Test takers must select the correct answer for each question from four options.

Question type 3: test takers are presented with a longer reading passage (approx 300 words), followed by 5 to 6 reading comprehension questions. Test takers must select the correct answer for each question from four options.

The computer-based test contains exactly the same items, in exactly the same order, as the paper-based test. [5] Research has shown that the two different delivery methods lead to test takers achieving statistically equivalent results. [6]

Scoring

In the computer-based test, results are available instantly as soon as the test is completed. [1]

In the paper-based test, the institution scores the test using the provided scoring template. Institutions can administer the test, calculate scores and report back to test takers within one day.

Test-takers receive a total score between 0–80. Scores have been allocated into six levels of language ability, although it is up to each institution to determine their exact cut-off points.

Test scores are also linked to the proficiency levels of the Common European Framework of Reference for Language (CEFR).

CaMLA EPT scoreLevel of language abilityCaMLA EPT scoreCEFR Level [7]
0–26Beginner0–30A1
27–40Beginner (High)31–38A2
41–50Intermediate (Low)39–52B1
51–61Intermediate53–60B2
62–68Advanced (Low)61–80C1
69–80Advanced61–80C1

Older versions of the CaMLA EPT Test (e.g. Forms A, B and C) use the same scoring approach. Institutions can use equivalence tables to see how raw scores on the current forms of the test compare to the raw scores on the older version of the test, which had 100 items. [8]

Usage

Typically, the CaMLA EPT is used by language schools to test incoming language learners whose English language level is not known. Test scores are used to place learners in level-appropriate classes.

Institutions may administer the CaMLA EPT again after a period of instruction to assess learners' readiness to advance to the next level course. Alternatively, institutions may choose to use tests specifically focused at a learner's level, such as the MTELP Series to measure the learner's progress.

Many English language institutions use CaMLA EPT to make placement decisions and as proof of English language proficiency. Examples include:

Preparation

CaMLA provides free sample test questions on the official website.

See also

Related Research Articles

Educational assessment or educational evaluation is the systematic process of documenting and using empirical data on the knowledge, skill, attitudes, aptitude and beliefs to refine programs and improve student learning. Assessment data can be obtained from directly examining student work to assess the achievement of learning outcomes or can be based on data from which one can make inferences about learning. Assessment is often used interchangeably with test, but not limited to tests. Assessment can focus on the individual learner, the learning community, a course, an academic program, the institution, or the educational system as a whole. The word "assessment" came into use in an educational context after the Second World War.

The Michigan English Language Assessment Battery was a standardized test, created by CaMLA, which evaluated proficiency in understanding, writing and speaking the English language. It was designed for adults whose first language is not English, and was often used as a university admission criterion to judge whether applicants are sufficiently fluent to follow an English-language study program at a university level.

C2 Proficiency, previously known as Cambridge English: Proficiency and the Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE), is an English language examination provided by Cambridge Assessment English (previously known as Cambridge English Language Assessment and University of Cambridge ESOL examination).

The Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB), or Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadien (NCLC) in French, comprise a 12-point scale of task-based language proficiency descriptors used to guide the teaching and assessment of ESL learners in Canada. Like the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages and the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines, the Canadian Language Benchmarks describe ESL learners' successive levels of communicative achievement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dovid Katz</span> American Yiddish scholar and historian

Dovid Katz is an American-born Vilnius-based scholar, author, and educator specializing in Yiddish language and literature, Lithuanian-Jewish culture, and the Holocaust in Eastern Europe. In recent years, he has been known for combating the so-called "Double Genocide" revision of Holocaust history which asserts a moral equivalence between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. He is editor of the web journal Defending History which he founded in 2009. He is known to spend part of each year at his home in North Wales. His website includes a list of his books, of some articles by topic, a record of recent work, and a more comprehensive bibliography.

The WIDA Consortium is an educational consortium of state departments of education. Currently, 41 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, as well as Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands, participate in the WIDA Consortium. WIDA designs and implements proficiency standards and assessment for grade K-12 students who are English-language learners, as well as a set of proficiency standards and assessments for Spanish language learners. WIDA also provides professional development to educators and conducts research on instructional practices, as well as the results and use of the ACCESS and W-APT English language proficiency assessments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tabor Park Vocational School</span> Vocational high school in Knob Hill, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Tabor Park Vocational School is a public high school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is a Toronto District School Board facility that operated as a public and vocational high school established in 1965 until 1986 to meet the needs of the large baby boom generation in the newly and rapidly developing area of the city operated by the Scarborough Board of Education until its merger with the TDSB in 1998.

A buckling-restrained brace (BRB) is a structural brace in a building, designed to allow the building to withstand cyclical lateral loadings, typically earthquake-induced loading. It consists of a slender steel core, a concrete casing designed to continuously support the core and prevent buckling under axial compression, and an interface region that prevents undesired interactions between the two. Braced frames that use BRBs – known as buckling-restrained braced frames, or BRBFs – have significant advantages over typical braced frames.

The Michigan Test of English Language Proficiency (MTELP Series) is used by institutions to measure the achievement and progress of English language learners within a language program. It is produced by CaMLA, a not-for-profit collaboration between the University of Michigan and the University of Cambridge.

Michigan Language Assessment (MLA), also known as the Cambridge–Michigan Language Assessment (CaMLA) and previously the "English Language Institute Testing and Certification Division at the University of Michigan", has been providing English language assessments, learning resources, teacher development, consultancy and research since 1941.

The Cambridge English Scale is a single range of scores used to report results for Cambridge English Language Assessment exams. It was introduced in January 2015, with Cambridge English Scale scores replacing the standardised score and candidate profile used for exams taken pre-2015. The scale aims to provide exam users with more detailed information about their exam performance than was previously available.

The Michigan English Test (MET) is a multilevel, modular English language examination, which measures English language proficiency in personal, public, occupational and educational contexts. It is developed by CaMLA, a not-for-profit collaboration between the University of Michigan and the University of Cambridge and has been in use since 2008.

The Young Learners Tests of English (YLTE) are a set of English language tests for learners in primary and middle grades. The tests are developed by CaMLA, a not-for-profit collaboration between the University of Michigan and the University of Cambridge.

The Examination for the Certificate in Competency in English (ECCE) is a high-intermediate level English language qualification that focuses on Level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

The Examination for the Certificate in Proficiency in English (ECPE) is an advanced level English language qualification that focuses on Level C2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ministry of Education (United Arab Emirates)</span> Government body that regulates education in the United Arab Emirates

The Ministry of Education(MoE) (Arabic: وزارة التربية والتعليم) is a federal government ministry in the United Arab Emirates that is responsible for regulating all forms of education in the country. Established by through the Federal Law No. (1) of 1972 issued by Sheikh Zayed, it has its main offices in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Ajman.

The Balkan Masters Athletics Championships is an annual international athletics competition between masters athletes aged 35 and over from nations in the Balkans. It is typically held over two or three days in September. It features a full programme of track and field events, plus a half marathon. Organised by Balkan Masters Athletics, it was first held in 1991 and has been held every year since. The competition was the organisation's first regular championships, and was followed by a Balkan Masters Cross Country Championships in 2007 and a Balkan Masters Indoor Athletics Championships in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ernesto Sirolli</span> Italian author and public speaker

Ernesto Sirolli is an Italian author and public speaker with expertise in the field of local economic development. He is the author of two books, Ripples from the Zambezi and How to Start a Business and Ignite your Life (2012).

References

  1. 1 2 "(cb) CaMLA EPT | CaMLA". www.cambridgemichigan.org. Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2015-08-29.
  2. ↑ http://www.cambridgemichigan.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/EPT-Development-Report-2013.pdf Archived 2015-09-23 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 29 August 2015
  3. ↑ "CaMLA EPT | CaMLA". www.cambridgemichigan.org. Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2015-08-29.
  4. ↑ "CaMLA EPT Sample Items - CaMLA". www.cambridgemichigan.org. Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2015-08-29.
  5. ↑ Cambridge Michigan Language Assessments (2015-06-24), CaMLA Computer-Based English Placement Test (CB EPT) , retrieved 2015-08-29
  6. ↑ CaMLA, Comparing the paper-based and computer-based CaMLA EPT, http://www.cambridgemichigan.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/ept-pb-cb-comparison-20141222.pdf Archived 2015-09-23 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 29 August 2015
  7. ↑ CaMLA, Linking the Common European Framework of Reference and the CaMLA English Placement Test, http://www.cambridgemichigan.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/EPT-Technical-Report-20140625.pdf Archived 2015-09-23 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 29 August 2015
  8. ↑ Walter, D. & Hentschel, J., September 2013, CaMLA English Placement Test (EPT) Forms D-F: Development Report, http://www.cambridgemichigan.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/EPT-Development-Report-2013.pdf Archived 2015-09-23 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 29 August 2015
  9. ↑ http://www.aec.edu/sites/default/files/AEC-2015-Catalog-CF.pdf Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 29 August 2015
  10. ↑ www.an.edu(PDF) https://www.an.edu/documents-library/international/eli/ESL-Faculty-Handbook.pdf . Retrieved 29 August 2015.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)[ title missing ]
  11. ↑ http://astarinstitute.org/american-english-culture-programs/placement-tests/Accessed 29 August 2015 Archived 2014-07-19 at the Wayback Machine
  12. ↑ https://www.auc.edu/ICS/icsfs/2015_JULY3_-_AUC_Catalog_-_Final_Online_Version.pdf?target=892cf5e7-3910-49d0-a54d-915ab6ae71d7 Archived 2015-09-05 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 29 August 2015
  13. ↑ "Intensive English Language Programs in the US | Intensive English USA | Carson-Newman University". intensiveenglishusa.org. Retrieved 2015-08-29.
  14. ↑ "Placement and Progress". chicagoivy.com. 2014-02-22. Archived from the original on 2015-08-12. Retrieved 2015-08-29.
  15. ↑ http://www.newamericacollege.org/wp-content/uploads/NAC_handbook_2014.pdf Archived 2016-03-05 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 29 August 2015
  16. ↑ http://www.sacredheart.edu/media/sacredheart/academics/ug2015/admissions.pdf Archived 2015-09-05 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 29 August 2015
  17. ↑ http://www.solex.edu/assets/Docs/SOLEX-College-Catalog.pdf Archived 2015-09-08 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 29 August 2015
  18. ↑ http://www.ucwv.edu/uploadedFiles/University_of_Charleston/Faculty_and_Staff/Faculty_Center/Advisor_Documents/Advising%20International%20Students.pdf%5B%5D Accessed 29 August 2015
  19. ↑ "ESL Placement Exam | English as Second Language | Webster University". 2016-08-23. Archived from the original on 2016-08-23. Retrieved 2018-04-02.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.