Direct and indirect placement test scores as measures of language proficiency and predictors of academic success for ESL students

• Main Author: Christopher, Virginia Louise
• Language: English
• Published: 2009
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/4886

Much valuable research in the area of English as a second language has focused on testing, and though many studies have investigated issues related to test reliability, validity and the predictive ability of indirect test scores, they do not assess the comparative ability of indirect and direct test scores to predict academic success. Work of this kind would inform practice in the area of testing and placement. This study investigates the practical problem of making appropriate placement decisions for students whose test results show wide enough discrepancies to indicate placement in different academic programs, or at different levels within programs. The question of whether scores derived from indirect measures (language proficiency tests) or direct measures (writing samples) are better indicators of academic language proficiency is addressed. The study also explores the usefulness of grade point average (GPA) as a measure of academic success, and proposes the use of average accumulated credit per semester (AACPS) as an additional measure. Several researchers have questioned the use of GPA as the sole measure of academic success for ESL students, and this study adds to existing research. The ability of two types of placement test scores to predict academic success for ESL students in Secondary and University programs is evaluated. Test scores from a) an indirect measure of language proficiency, the Michigan Test of English Language Proficiency, and b) a direct measure, a holistically-scored writing test are assessed as predictors of four measures of academic success: a) GPA for all courses, b) GPA for courses requiring a higher level of language proficiency (English or Humanities), c) GPA for courses requiring a lower level of language proficiency (Math or Sciences), and d) AACPS. Results of correlation analysis indicated that for University students, academic success as measured by GPA showed low correlations to both indirect or direct test scores, but direct test scores and combined (indirect and direct) test scores correlated moderately well to academic success as measured by AACPS. For Secondary students, academic success as measured by GPA for courses requiring a higher level of language proficiency (English or Humanities) showed moderate correlations to direct test scores. Correlations between test scores and any other measure of academic success including AACPS were low for Secondary students.