As both a teacher and test developer I often have the feeling that the seemingly related fields of teaching and testing are in reality worlds apart. Being active in both fields, I try to mediate, to put it in CEFR terms. On one hand, as a test developer I want to measure skills and collect empirical data on my subjects. On the other hand, I am a compassionate teacher (I think) and I really do want all my students to do well.
Amongst the many disruptions caused by the covid-19 pandemic has been the closure of IELTS test centres and widespread postponement of IELTS tests. For most students, schools and universities this has brought the academic application process to a halt – but not for all.
Now more than ever, institutions are finding the need to deliver tests to students who are not able to go to a controlled computer room. What can you do to find the best setup that will make this run as smoothly as possible? This post refers principally to the Dynamic Placement Test, but many of the ideas are relevant to other tests too.
January 2020 saw the release of the new version of Dynamic Placement Test Admin Panel. Sky Chan, Product Manager, talks about what he aimed to achieve with this version, and why he likes it. The Admin Panel is the program teachers and administrators use to set up tests, check results and print certificates.
Universitas Indonesia, the number one ranking university in Indonesia, had their own English placement test — but language centre managers felt that a new generation needed a new approach.
In September 2019, the Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages in Taiwan ran a trial to determine whether they could use the Dynamic Placement Test to test the English of 1,525 new students, using their own devices. This report describes the trial and its outcomes.
At the end of our standard setting event, we asked our panelists for their opinions on the whole experience. Watch this video to find out what they said.
After the Dynamic Placement Test Standard Setting event in May, we invited Mr. Chi Lai Tsang from St. Jospeh College to talk about his experience of being a panelist in Clarity’s first standard setting, and his many discoveries.
Etherton Education, based in Somerset in the UK, provides academic summer courses to students looking to study in a British boarding school or university. They explain why and how they have been using the Dynamic Placement Test for the last two years.
Andrew Stokes asks whether students should be tested via their mobiles — and whether they should even know they are being assessed.