Issues in Placement Survey [443k pdf]

Abstract

The survey reported here is part of a larger project targetting placement practices in language programs. The overall goal of the project is to develop a manual of best practices in placement testing that would be of use to those people involved in the placement process. Although in one sense good testing practices transcend specific testing purposes and any training in test development would be useful for placement testing, we wanted to tailor the manual as much as possible to concerns and issues common in assessing language for placement decisions. In order to begin the tailoring process, it was necessary to first get some information on what programs are currently doing for placement. A survey seemed like the most efficient way to accomplish this initial goal, and this paper reports on the development and results of that survey.