Running Head: A REVIEW A THREE STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENTS

A Review of Three Standardized Assessments

Tegan Waters Colorado State University

A REVIEW A THREE STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENTS Assessment is an important aspect of the instructional process, and as such it is worth being informed about appropriate and effective methods for creating assessments, as well as to be a critical consumer of assessments created by others. As a classroom instructor, I tend to focus on assessments designed to measure progress and achievement with classroom curriculum. However, I am currently teaching at an intensive English program (IEP) in the U.S., and as such, Ive become interested in the standardized published assessments that are used worldwide to assess overal English language proficiency. These types of tests are often used to provide English-speaking institutions with information about candidates proficiency levels, in conjuntion with their admittance to study at those institutions. I had not thought much about the tests required of students to show their proficiency to study at an IEP (such as INTO CSU, where I teach), but I know that they teach proficiency assessment preparation courses for exams such as these. After speaking with my students, I realize that certain scores on tests such as these measures of proficiency will qualify them to study at an IEP, and that they need to study and retest in order to achieve scores high enough to qualify them for admittance into a degree-seeking program at an English-speaking university. For the purposes of this test review, I chose the two most widely used and widely accepted assessments of English language proficiency. The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the International English Langauge Testing System (IELTS) are well-known and widely used throughout the United States and English-speaking institutions around the world. The program where I teach accepts scores from either of these exams in order to establish the baseline English language proficiency level of applicants. By way of contrast, I chose to look into the Pearson Tests of English Academic (PTE Academic). Pearson is a leading publisher in the field, and they have published a

A REVIEW A THREE STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENTS computer-based integrative assessment in the last decade which is a strong competitor for both the TOEFL and the IELTS in terms of options for examinees hoping to establish their English language proficiency level. My hope is that I will be able to find concrete information about each assessment, and using this information, determine which proficiency test I deem most apporpriate for my purposes as an instructor at a U.S. IEP. Adetailed analysis of each test follows below.

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL): iBT (Internet-Based Test) Publisher: Educational Testing Service; TOEFL Services, Educational Testing Service, P.O. Box 6151, Princeton, NJ 08541-6151, USA; telephone: 1-609-771-7100 or 1-877-863-3546; http://www.ets.org/toefl (ETS contact information, 2014).

Publication Date: This version of the test was published in 2005. According to information about this particular version of the test on the ETS website, when they revised the framework for the redesigned test that debuted in 2005, the creators of the TOEFL iBT applied state-of-theart research (ETS designing the TOEFL iBT test, 2014).

Target Population: This test is designed for non-native speakers of English who want to demonstrate their English-language proficency (ETS for test takers, 2014), usually at the intermediate or advanced level. Students use these test scores for a variety of reasons, including as a component of admission packets for applying to study at English-speaking institutions, or to

A REVIEW A THREE STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENTS get student visas for studying in countries other than their native one. Because this test is required primarily by English-language colleges and universities or institutions such as government agencies (Phillips, 2007) it is most suitable for adult learners of English.

Cost of the Test: According the website for the TOEFL test, www.ets.org, the test costs anywhere from $160.00 - $250.00. The cost depends on the country of test administration (ETS for test takers, 2014).

Overview: The TOEFL test is a reputable assessment of English language proficiency from a well-known testing company, Educational Testing Service. They remain competitive not only due to their reputation, but also because they assess academic skills, they make an effort to be cost-effective and time-efficient, and because their scores are widely accepted in many countries around the world. A review of the TOEFL: iBT test follows (See table 1).

Table 1 Purpose of the Test: The TOEFL test is an assessment of proficiency in integrated communicative English language skills. Scores on the TOEFL test are commonly used in admittance procedures for English speaking universities and government agencies. The internet based version of the test has been modified from the original version, but the purpose remains the same despite the change in format. The original

A REVIEW A THREE STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENTS research indicates that the test will measure examinees English-language proficiency in situations and tasks reflective of university life (Jamieson et al., as cited in ETS TOEFL iBT research volume 1) The test is internet-based, and requires students to integrate two or more language skills for each question. The language skills addressed are reading, listening, writing, and speaking. According to the Test Framework and Test Development document, the reading portion of the test has anywhere from 36-70 questions, and test takers are allowed 60-100 minutes to take it. The listening part of the test is made up of 34-51 questions, with 60-90 minutes allotted. At that pointduring the testing, examinees are given a 10 minute break. Then they have 20 minutes to complete 6 speaking tasks, then 50 minutes to complete 2 writing tasks. The total testing tiem runs approximately 4 hours. (ETS TOEFL iBT research volume 1 table 1 the structure of the TOEFL iBT test, 2014) Each of the four portions of the test have a score scale from 0-30. Total test score is 120 points. Scoring is discussed in the Test Framework and Test Development document, writing and speaking portions are assessed using rubrics. The rubrics were designed by teams of people with experience in evaluating the speaking and writing abilities of secondlanguage learners (ETS TOEFL iBT research volume 1, 2014, 7). Qualified and highly trained raters score the test in a centralized location away from the test administration site. In this way, the integrity of the exam is not compromised. (ETS TOEFL iBT research volume 1, 2014, 7) The Test and Score Data Summary for TOEFL iBT tests document provides a table of percentile ranks for the total group, broken down by skill area. In the highest percentile, (e.g students scoring 30 points,) the reading and listening percentile ranks are both 96, and the speaking and writing are both 99. The lowest percentile is 1 for each skill area, but

Structure of the Test:

Scoring of the Test:

Statistical Distribution of the Scores:

A REVIEW A THREE STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENTS the scores vary: for reading the lowest score was a 2, for listening a 3, and for speaking and writing, a 6. The mean and standard deviation for reading and 20.1 and 6.7, respectively. For listening, they are 19.7 and 6.7, 20.1 and 4.6 for speaking, and 20.6 and 5.0 for writing. The mean for the percentile rank is 81, and the standard deviation for the percentile rank is 20. (ETS test and score data summary, 2014). The Reliability and Comparability of TOEFL iBT scores document provides a table of Standard Errors of Measurement. The information is presented below: Reliability SEM Assessment 0-30 0.85 3.35 Reading 0-30 0.85 3.20 Listening 0-30 0.88 1.62 Speaking 0-30 0.74 2.76 Writing Total 0-120 0.94 5.64 (ETS TOEFL iBT research volume 3, 2014, 5) Evidence of Reliability: With regard to reliability, the Reliability and Comparability of TOEFL iBT scores document iterates that the Total score provides the best information, both because it reflects all four language skills, and because it is the most reliable (ETS TOEFL iBT research volume 3, 2014, 5). The reliability score of the overall test is 0.94. For each individual domain, the reliability score is slightly lower than that. The speaking score is the second most reliable, with a score of 0.88. Both reading and listening have a score of 0.85, and the writing score has the lowest rate of reliability among these four, with a score of 0.74. The research accounts for this lower rate of reliability, however, saying this is a typical result for writing measures composed of only two tasks (Breland, Bridgeman, and Fowles as cited in ETS TOEFL iBT research volume 3, 2014, 5). They claim that this type of task can result in lower realiability, as it means a Score Scale

Standard Error of Measurement (SEM):

A REVIEW A THREE STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENTS smaller number of tasks which all take longer to complete. (ETS TOEFL iBT research volume 3, 2014, 5) The TOEFL test was not always an internetbased test, so as test devlopers began to work on this specific version, validity was a key issue for them. According to the Validity Evidence Suporting the Interpretation and Use of TOEFL iBT scores document, the validation process began with the coneptualization and design of the test (Chapelle, Enright, and Jamieson as cited in ETS validity evidence, 2014, 2). The document states the recognized need for ongoing research, as the TOEFL iBT test is relatively new, but they still claim to have a strong case for the validity of porposed score interpretation and uses (ETS validity evidence, 2014, 10). Using such methods as empirical, pilot, or field studies, rubric development, analysis of test taker strategies, self-assessment, etc., the test developers present evidence of validity for a variety of proposals about the TOEFL iBT. These include relevant and representative content, scoring criteria, test structure, language (e.g. vocabulary level) or the input, use of scores, etc. (ETS validity evidence table 1, 2014, 3).

Evidence of Validity:

A REVIEW A THREE STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENTS International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Publisher: British Council; IDP: IELTS Australia; Cambridge English Language Assessment; http://www.ielts.org/default.aspx (IELTS Partners about, 2009-2013).

British Council; Bridgewater House, 58 Whitworth Street, Manchester M1 6BB UK; telephone: +44(0)161-957-7755 (IELTS guide for teachers, 2012). IDP: IELTS Australia; Level 8, 535 Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia; telephone: +61(0)3-9612-4400 (IELTS guide for teachers, 2012). University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations; 1 Hills Road, Cambridge CB1 2EU, UK; telephone: +44(0)1223-553355 (IELTS guide for teachers, 2012). IELTS International; 825 Colorado Boulevard, Suite 201, Los Angeles, CA 90041, USA; telephone: +1-323-255-2771 (IELTS guide for teachers, 2012).

Publication Date: 1989, based on the IELTS 25 Years claim on the website (IELTS partners, 2009-2013).

Target Population: According to their website, this test assesses the English language proficiency of people who want to study or work where English is used as the language of communication (IELTS test takers what is IELTS, 2009-2013).

A REVIEW A THREE STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENTS

Cost of the Test: The cost of this test depends on where a student is taking it. The IELTS website offers a menu to select the country where the test taker will be, then a way to find a test center in various cities for each country. In Denver, CO, the test costs $205.00. (IELTS Partners test takers registering for the test, 2009-2013).

Overview: IELTS is a well-established organization for testing English language proficiency. They pride themselves on offering a test with many international accents from native speakers of Enlgish. IELTS exam results are accepted as confirmation of English language proficiency all over the world. (IELTS partners, 2009-2013). A review of the IELTS: Academic version of the test follows (See table 2).

Table 2 Purpose of the Test: The IELTS assessment is a test of English language proficiency which can be used worldwide. It tests all four langauge skills, listening, raeding, speaking, and writing. Additionally, it boasts that it is as close to a real-life situation as a test can get since the speaking portion is conducted as a face-toface interview with a certified Examiner (IELTS Partners why choose IELTS, 20092013) According to IELTS test takers who accepts IELTS, scores from this proficiency exam are accepted by more than 9,000

A REVIEW A THREE STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENTS organisations in over 135 countries (IELTS Partners test takers who accepts IELTS, 2009-2013) as proof of English-language proficiency. The IELTS Academic test targets each of the four language skill areas: reading, listening, writing, and speaking. The first three target areas are assessed on the same day; the speaking portion of the exam is taken at another time. Depending on the place of the test administration, it can be as much as a week before or a week after the other skill areas are assessed (IELTS Partners test takers test format, 2009-2013). This allows the IELTS to offer the one-on-one oral interview that they do, which makes the speaking assessment more authentic than if it were not between two interlocuters. The speaking portion of the test can take anywhere from 11-14 minutes, and consists of three parts. In the first part, students are asked to spend four or five minutes providing basic biographical information. In the second part of the oral inteview, examinees are given a topic to speak about. They are allowed one minute to prepare, then asked to speak on that topic for two minutes. The interviewer asks follow up questions about the topic after the two minutes. The final part of the speaking exam lasts about 4 or 5 minutes, and presses test takers to exlpore more abstract ideas realted to the topic from part two of the interview. Students are given 30 minutes to complete the four sections of the listening exam. In section one they listen to an everyday conversation two people are having; section two is a speech about an everyday topic; section three is a conversation in an academic setting, between more than two interlocuters; section four is an academic lecture. The reading and writing exams are each allotted 60 minutes. The reading exam includes 40 questions of varying types. Students read for main ideas, to recognize opinions, details, purpose, etc., and to understand. The academic reading assessment uses authentic texts from

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Structure of the Test:

A REVIEW A THREE STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENTS several sources. The writing assessment requires test takers to respond to two tasks one visual, which they must explain in their own language, and the other: a prompt they must read and respond to. The focus of these tasks is on description, explanation, and formal writing style (Paraphrased from IELTS Partners test takers test format, 2009-2013). According to IELTS Institutions IELTS Scores Explained, test takers are awarded an overall score, which is a rounded average of the scores assigned for each of the four individual language skill areas. The listening, reading, speaking, and writing components of the IELTS assessment are scored on a scale from 1 to 9, with 1 representing the lowest proficiency level and 9 representing expert-level use. The test does allow for scores between cardinal numbers, so scores of for example 6.5 are prefectly acceptable. Each score from 1-9 is associated with a raw score on that portion of the assessment. For instance, in order to get a score of 6 on an academic reading assessment, a test taker would need a raw score of 23 out of 40 points. To achieve a 7, the same user would need 30 out of 40 points. The 2012 test performance results display the SEM for the listening assessment and the academic reading assessment. This information is provided below. Mean Std. Dev. 1.3 1.0 SEM

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Scoring of the Test:

Statistical Distribution of the Scores:

6.0 0.390 Listening 5.9 0.316 Acad. Reading (IELTS Partners researchers test performance 2012 table 1, 2009-2013) The score distribution is not provided for the writing or speaking assessments in this table, because they are scored differently than the other two components of the assessment.

A REVIEW A THREE STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENTS Highly trained, experienced examinees interview, then score the test takers speaking portion, and they use developed rubrics to assess the writing tasks (IELTS Partners researchers test performance 2012, 20092013) The information in the score distirbution above lists the SEM for two of the four components of the IELTS Academic. With regard to the SEM for the test scores overall, the only published SEM I could find was a comparison from Pearson: presenting the IELTS SEM as 0.22 (Pearson accept scores accurate, 2013). In terms of inter-rater reliability, IELTS ensures that all of its raters are trained and certificated examiners, all of whom are qualified and experienced English-language specialists (IELTS Partners researchers examiner information, 2009-20103). In addition, estimates of reliability from 2012 data are published on the website. They use an internal consistency measure Cronbachs alpha, to determine reliability. There are several versions of each component of the assessment, that is of the listening test, the reading test, the writing test, and the speaking test. For the Academic test, the average alpha score across all versions of the listening exam is 0.91. The academic reading assessment has an average alpha of 0.90 across all versions. As stated above with regard to the statistical distribution of scores, the scoring methods for the writing and speaking tests are different, and thus those tests are not included in the information available from this page. All information about reliability scores taken from IELTS Partners researchers test performance 2012 (2009-2013). The IELTS institutions information assures the validity of the assessments, based on the rigor of their test development. They claim, your institution can rely on an IELTS score to be a trusted and valid indicator of English language ability (IELTS Partners institutions

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Standard Error of Measurement (SEM):

Evidence of Reliability:

Evidence of Validity:

A REVIEW A THREE STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENTS highest academic quality, 2009-2013). Several studies regarding the potential validity of the IELTS exam are available on the website. One I looked at was researching the correlation between IELTS scores and the academic success of students studying English abroad, during their first semester of study. Th ereported that in the total sample, significant correlations were found between the reading and writing tests and GPA (Kerstjens and Nery, 2000). They also state that there was a small-tomedium predictive effect of academic performance from the IELTS scores for the total sample but that the reading test was found to be the only significant predictor of academic performance in the total sample (Kerstjens and Nery, 2000). This study does indicate a certain level of predictive validity of the IELTS test, but I was unable to find data about construct validity, other than infomraiton stating that each test is different for everyone, and the process of ensuring security for each test, examinee, and institution can be an arduous process. (IELTS institutions the proven test with ongoing innovation, 2009-2013).

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A REVIEW A THREE STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENTS PEARSON TEST OF ENGLISH ACADEMIC Publisher: Pearson; telephone: +44 (0) 845-543-0243; http://pearsonpte.com/Pages/Home.aspx (Pearson, 2013)

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Publication Date: 2012, based on the PTE Academic Test taker handbook, published in 2012, which presents it as a new, international, computer-based English langauge test (Pearson Education Ltd, 2012).

Target Population: According to the Pearson website, PTE Academic is for non-native speakers of English who need to demonstrate their English language ability In addition, test takers must be at least 16 years old, and test takers under the age of 18 are required to provide a parental consent form (Pearson faqs, 2013). According to some research into the validity of The PTE Academic, it measures English language proficiency for communication in tertiary level academic settings. It is targeted at intermediate to advanced English language learners ( Zheng and De Jong, 2011).

Cost of the Test: The cost of this test depends on where a student is taking it. The Pearson website lists each country, the price by country, and specific locations within that country where the test is administered. In Westminster, CO, the test costs $200.00. A late fee is assessed to test takers who register less than 48 hours before their test time (Pearson PTE Academic test centers and fees, 2013).

A REVIEW A THREE STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENTS Overview: Pearson is already a well-established publisher for English language learning materials. The Pearson Tests of English are relatively new, and include an academic English test, as well as a general English test and a test for young learners of English (Pearson English tests from Pearson, 2013). A review of the PTE Academic follows (See table 3).

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Table 3 Purpose of the Test: The Pearson Tests of English (PTE) include an Academic version, which is primarily designed to test the English language proficiency of non-native speakers of English. It is a much newer test than those it aims to compete with; namely the TOEFL iBT and the IELTS Academic exams. The PTE Academic test is an adaptive computer-based test which targets all language skills in an integrated format. Pearson advocates for the relevance of their assessment, claiming to have 11 integrated task types, and as many as 55 integrated tasks in an assessment. They argue that this makes their test relevant to the actual way in which students use their language skills in academic institutions (Pearson accept scores relevant, 2013). The PTE Academic is computer-based. It consists of three parts: Part I Speaking and Writing; Part II Reading; and Part III Listening, as well as an introduction. The intro is not timed, but students are allowed 77-93 minutes for Part I, 32-41 minutes for Part II, and 45-57 minutes for Part III. The entire test is delivered in one session of roughly three hours, and students are allowed a 10-minute break between Part II and part III (Pearson Education Ltd, 2012).

Structure of the Test:

A REVIEW A THREE STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENTS Each part of the test has multiple and various task types. Listed on the Pearson website, the speaking section consists of Read Aloud; Repeat Sentence; Describe Image; Retell Lecture; Answer Short Question, the writing section includes both Summarize Written Text; Write Essay, Multiple Choice, Choose Single Answer; Multiple Choice, Choose Multiple Answers; Re-order Paragraphs; Fill In The Blanks; Reading and Writing, Fill In the Blanks constitute the reading part of the assessment, and the listening section is comprised of Summarize Spoken Text; Multiple Choice, Choose Multiple Answers; Fill In The Blanks; Highlight Correct Summary; Multiple Choice, Choose Single Answer; Select Missing Word; Highlight Incorrect Words; Write From Dictation (Pearson PTE academic task type videos, 2013). According to the PTE Academic Score Guide, the test reports an overall score, communicative skills scores, and enabling skills scores (Pearson Education LTD PTE Academic score guide, 2012). All three of these scores range from 10 points to 90 points. When test takers perform on an integrated task, the score affects each communicative skill that that task targets. Additionally, the website offers information about the amount of credit availabel for eazch answer. The opportunity for partial credit varies based on the question type. Some tasks are limited to correct (full points assigned) or incorrect (no points assigned), and other items allow a test taker to receive full credit for a wholly correct response, no credit for a wholly incorrect response, or some credit for an answer that is not perfect but has some components of the correct answer (Pearson Education LTD PTE Academic score guide, 2012). Pearson also advocates for their high level of reliability based on the objective scoring system they use. All tasks are scored by machine, rather than human raters, and when compared with TOEFL and IELTS, the overall

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Scoring of the Test:

A REVIEW A THREE STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENTS reliability of the PTE Academic is 0.97, whereas the IELTS overall reliability is 0.96 and the reliability of the TOEFL is 0.94. (Pearson accept scores objective, 2013) There is very limited data regarding the statistical distribution of the scores, possibly because the test is still quite new. Min. Max. Mean Listening Reading Speaking Writing Total 37 30 10 33 36 90 84 90 88 90 S.D.

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Statistical Distribution of the Scores:

64.65 14.66 60.33 14.73 66.92 17.10 60.50 13.27 63.42 14.10

Standard Error of Measurement (SEM):

Evidence of Reliability:

Concurrent and predictive validity of Pearson Test English Academic (PTE Academic) (Riazi, 2014) The PTE Academic reports its Standard Error of Measurement in comparison with those of the TOEFL and IELTS tests, in an effort to establish their competitive edge with the two more established tests. They report the SEM for the PTE Academic as 2.32, and, after converting scores to a single, like-with-like scale, the show that the SEM for their test is 10 points, while its 16 points on the TOEFL and 21 on the IELTS. (Pearson accept scores accurate, 2013) The PTE Academic lists its reliability, citing that the objectivity of machine-scored items gives them a higher level of reliability than either the TOEFL or the IELTS, since both of those assessments include human scored portions. PTE Academic 0.97 IELTS 0.96 TOEFL iBT 0.94

Overall Reliability

A REVIEW A THREE STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENTS Comm. Skills Reliability Reading Listening Writing

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0.92 0.91 0.91

0.90 0.91

0.85 0.85

0.810.74 .089 Speaking 0.91 0.830.88 0.86 (Pearson accept scores objective, 2013) Evidence of Validity: In his research about the validity of PTE Academic, Riazi (2014) found that there is significant moderate to high correlation between participants PTE Academic and IELTS Academic scores. (Riazi, 2014). According to Riazis report, there is another study of validity for the PTE Academic: that is the 2011 study from Zheng and De Jong, which sought validity evidence using field test data (Riazi, 2014). Zheng and De Jong (2011) acknowledge that a great deal more research needs to be done with regard to validity on the PTE Academic, simply because it is such a new test. But they claim validity has been established from the beginning of the test development process by mapping onto the CEF and by comparing results from other tests of a similar nature (Zheng and De Jong, 2011).

Each of the tables above presents detailed about the various aspects of assessment most crucial to selecting a valid test for specific assessment purposes. These aspects of assessment include reliability, validity, purpose, scoring methods, and ways scores are used. By gathering this information about each of the three proficiency assessments I reviewed, I have determined that all three of these tests are excellent assessments of English language proficiency. The IELTS

A REVIEW A THREE STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENTS exam has been in use for many years, and is widely recognized and accepted all over the world. The TOEFL test is a popular assessment to provide information about examinees Englishlanguage proficiency levels, and I can see the value in familiariazing myself with it, primarily because INTO CSU also offers its students optional TOEFL preparation classes, if they find those appealing. These students work diligently to improve their scores on the TOEFL in hopes of being admitted to study at Colorado State University. I am also convinced, through the research Ive conducted, that the PTE Academic is a contender in terms of proficiency assessment selection. It is a relatively new standardized exam, but it is accepted in institutions throughout Australia and it is beginning to gain popularity in other English speaking countries around the world. (Pearson English tests from Pearson, 2013). Based on what Ive learned, and disregarding (for the moment) the popularity of the TOEFL test, particularly, at INTO CSU, I would select the PTE Academic as my proficiency assessment of choice. My reasoning behind this is primarily motivated by the ease with which I found information about the Pearson tests of English. There website was clear, concise, and very user-friendly. I explored information presented for potential test takers, information designed for people who might be interested in becoming test administrators, and information targeted to English-speaking institutions. My role in writing this review is mostly as a researcher or representative of an institution, but I found the site user-friendly, informative, and helpful. I felt confident that I found much of the most relevant information, but none of the material presented was verbose, and everything was clear to me as a graduate student still learning about assessment and all it entails. By way of comparison, I found a lot of information from both the TOEFL and IELTS websites about how reknowned they are as assessments of English language proficiency, how widely accepted the

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A REVIEW A THREE STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENTS scores are around the world at all types of institutions, and how they provide extensive study materials for potential test takers. This was good information to have for both assessments, but I struggled to find the more pertinent information about why the tests are such excellent choices for examinees to display their proficiency. The reports about reliability, validity, statistical distribution of scores, and standard errors of measurement were more difficult to find, and more difficult to interpret, from my perspective. I appreciated how clearly the PTE website presented this information. Despite my preference for the clarity and comprehensibility I perceived from looking into the PTE Academic, I believe that all three of these proficiency exams hold merit, and an Englishspeking institution will not go wrong, regardless of which they choose. Like INTO CSU, institutions may benefit from accepting scores from multiple exams, and allowing their candidates have a choice. Furthermore, each test has different appealing aspects. For instance, the IELTS exam has been a leading assessment in testing English-language skills for 25 years, and they also boast an interview process for the speaking assessment that closely mimics authentic interactions. The TOEFL test is popular in the United States especially, and has been recently updated and revised to be entirely internet based. The Pearson strives to be the most accurate, objective, and reliable test of its kind, though it is still a new test. All of these quaities can be valuable, so just like with any test, a user or administrator must carefully consider their own purposes for assessment, and select the test that best fits their individual needs.

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A REVIEW A THREE STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENTS References

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Educational Testing Service. (2014). Contact Information. Retrieved from http://www.ets.org/toefl/contact/region1 Educational Testing Service. (2014). Designing the TOEFL iBT test. Retrieved from https://www.ets.org/toefl/research/topics/design Educational Testing Service. (2014). For test takers: what does the TOEFL iBT test cost? Retrieved from http://www.ets.org/toefl/ibt/about?WT.ac=toeflhome_ibtabout2_121127 Educational Testing Service. (2014). Test and score data summary for TOEFL iBT tests. Retrieved from http://www.ets.org/s/toefl/pdf/94227_unlweb.pdf Educational Testing Service. (2014). The TOEFL iBT test: Your passport to study abroad. Retrieved from http://www.ets.org/toefl Educational Testing Service. (2014). TOEFL iBT Research Insight Series 1 Volume 1: TOEFL iBT Test Framework and Test Devlopment. Retrieved from http://www.ets.org/s/toefl/pdf/toefl_ibt_research_insight.pdf Educational Testing Service. (2014). TOEFL iBT Research Insight Series 1 Volume 3: Reliability and Comparability of TOEFL iBT Scores. Retrieved from http://www.ets.org/s/toefl/pdf/toefl_ibt_research_s1v3.pdf Educational Testing Service. (2014). TOEFL iBT Research Insight Series 1 Volume 4: Validity Evidence Supporting the Interpretation and Use of TOEFL iBT Scores. Retrieved from https://www.ets.org/s/toefl/pdf/toefl_ibt_insight_s1v4.pdf IELTS. (2012). Guide for teachers. Unknown publication location: www.ielts.org (printed copy of online materials) IELTS Partners. (2009-2013). IELTS. Retrieved from http://www.ielts.org/default.aspx IELTS Partners. (2009-2013). IELTS copyright notice. Retrieved from http://www.ielts.org/copyright_notice.aspx

A REVIEW A THREE STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENTS IELTS Partners. (2009-2013). IELTS institutions the proven test with ongoing innovation. Retrieved from http://www.ielts.org/institutions/about_ielts/the_proven_test.aspx IELTS Partners. (2009-2013). Researchers test performance 2012. Retrieved from http://www.ielts.org/researchers/analysis_of_test_data/test_performance_2012.aspx IELTS Partners. (2009-2013). Test Takers: Registering for the test. Retrieved from http://www.ielts.org/test_takers_information/test_takers_faqs/registering_for_the_test.asp x IELTS Partners. (2009-2013). Test Takers: What is IELTS? Retrieved from http://www.ielts.org/test_takers_information/what_is_ielts.aspx Kerstjens, M. and Nery, C. (2000). Predictive validity in the IELTS test: A study of the relationship between ILETS scores and students subsequent academic performance. Retrieved from https://www.ielts.org/PDF/Vol3_Report4.pdf Pearson. (2013). Accept Scores: Accurate. Retrieved from http://pearsonpte.com/institutions/institutions/Documents/AccurateFactsheet.pdf Pearson. (2013). Accept Scores: Objective. Retrieved from http://pearsonpte.com/institutions/institutions/Documents/ObjectiveFactsheet.pdf Pearson. (2013). Accept Scores: Relevant. Retrieved from http://pearsonpte.com/institutions/institutions/Documents/RelevantFactsheet.pdf Pearson. (2013). Contact us: For PTE Academic corporate queries. Retrieved from http://pearsonpte.com/contact/Pages/contact.aspx Pearson. (2013). English tests from Pearson. Retrieved from http://pearsonpte.com/Pages/Home.aspx Pearson. (2013). Pearson faqs. Retrieved from http://pearsonpte.com/TestMe/FAQ/Pages/FAQs.aspx

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A REVIEW A THREE STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENTS Pearson. (2012). PTE Academic score guide. Retrieved from http://pearsonpte.com/PTEAcademic/scores/Documents/PTEA_Score_Guide.pdf Pearson. (2013). PTE Academic task type videos. Retrieved from http://pearsonpte.com/TestMe/Preparing/Pages/Task_type_videos.aspx Pearson. (2013). PTE Academic test centers and fees. Retrieved from http://pearsonpte.com/TestMe/Taking/Pages/TestCentersandFees.aspx Pearson Education Ltd. (2012). PTE Academic test taker handbook. Retrieved from http://pearsonpte.com/Testme/Documents/PTEA_Test_Taker_Handbook_EN.pdf Phillips, D. (2007). Longman preparation course for the TOEFL test: iBT (2nd ed.). White Plains, NY: Pearson Education, Inc. Riazi, M. (2014). Concurrent and predictive validity of Pearson Test English Academic (PTE Academic). Retrieved from http://pearsonpte.com/research/Documents/Riazi_M_2014.pdf Zheng, Y. and De Jong, J. H. A. L. (2011). Establishing Construct and concurrent validity of Pearson Test of English Academic. Retreived from http://pearsonpte.com/research/Documents/RN_EstablishingConstructAndConcurrentVal idityOfPTEAcademic_2011.pdf

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