Assessing English proficiency for university study John Read

"English-medium institutions around the world face challenges in coping with the diverse language backgrounds of their students. This book focuses on strategies and procedures for assessing the academic language ability of incoming students so that those with significant needs can have opportunities to enhance their language skills. It draws upon a variety of contexts, with a particular focus on initiatives at universities in Australia and New Zealand to introduce post-entry language assessment (PELA) programmes. The book discusses the relative merits of the constructs of academic language proficiency and academic literacies as the basis for the assessment and also considers the diagnostic nature of such assessments. On a practical level, there is a wealth of advice on appropriate test formats, and a framework for evaluating the validity of assessments of this kind. It will be of great interest to academics and administrators concerned with the quality of teaching and learning in their institutions, as well as lecturers and tutors in EAP and academic learning programmes".

1. The Context: Students in English-medium Universities2. Post-entry Language Assessments in Australia 3. The DELNA Programme at the University of Auckland 4. Post-entry Assessments in Other Countries5. The Case for Introducing a Post-entry Assessment6. Defining and Assessing Academic Language Proficiency7. Defining and Assessing Academic Literacy8. A Diagnostic Perspective on Post-entry Assessment 9. The Design of Academic English Assessments10. The Validation of a Post-entry AssessmentPostscript.