Standards aligned with TOEFL and IELTS?

Hello Colleagues, I received a request for information about standards for reading, writing, listening and speaking as well as for language/grammar that are aligned with the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and/or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). These assessments are typically required of English learners who apply to colleges and universities.. Is anyone aware of such a set of standards?

Many thanks,

Susan

Moderator, Assessment CoP

Comments

Hello! I think many of us are working with students who could benefit from a set of standards aligned to TOEFL. If there are tools out there that have already been developed, I'm hoping these materials could be shared with the field. Otherwise, it would be great if a group of teachers could work on this together!

Cheers, Susan

Moderator, Assessment CoP

There may be someone out there who has created this, but I wouldn't be surprised if there wasn't. The TOEFL was created before the push for more exact standards and objectives was the trend. I'd suggest visiting their website ets.org/TOEFL for more information. In my experience, students can get obsessed with the TOEFL, but they need to understand this is an advanced language proficiency test and unless they are within 10-20,points of the score they need, anything and everything they do to improve their English is preparing for the TOEFL. Once they get close, then doing a specific class or study materials can then be helpful.
It's also important that students actually know what test if any they will have to take. At many colleges, especially community colleges, resident students do not have to take the TOEFL, just F-1visa students. At the community college I work at only students outside of the U.S. are required to take the TOEFL. All other students take the COMPASS. People have nursing degrees from other countries also need a certain TOEFL score to get their degree evaluated. Most TOEFL tests are done on the computer, but some colleges use what is called an institutional TOEFL which is the old paper version. On the old paper version being able to read academic English quickly and well was the advice I would give my students. On the new version more stress is put on listening to longer lecture-like  passages that students then have to summarize, so being able to understand longer listening passages has become more important.

 

 

Hi Terry, Thanks for your comments on the Test of English as a Foreign Language. For those who are not familiar with this assessment, the official test (TOEFL iBT -- internet-Based Test) is internet-based and has four components: Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing. As you suggest the ETS website is a good place to get details  about the test http://www.ets.org/toefl?WT.ac=toeflhome_why_121127 as well as free study materials.  The test questions are contextualized around an American college or university, so the reading and listening passages are about academic subject matter and life on a college campus.

Test takers are expected to read and listen to passages and answer mostly multiple choice questions, although there are a few click and drag type questions, too. The speaking part of the test includes six tasks, two of which are called "Independent" and four of which are "Integrated." The Independent speaking tasks require the test taker to respond to prompts about things of personal significance. The four Integrated tasks require one to read and listen or simply listen to a conversation or an academic lecture and then respond to a question prompt about the reading and listening excerpts. The test taker's spoken response is recorded by the computer. The writing section has two parts. The Independent writing prompt is related to personal experience. For the Integrated prompt, writers respond in writing to a question after listening to an academic lecture.

If anyone has further insights or questions about the TOEFL, please offer them here. I know that many academic programs do require TOEFL, so this assessment is very relevant to many of the learners we serve in adult ESL programs.

Cheers, Susan

Moderator, Assessment CoP