Abstract:
The Test of English Proficiency Level (TEPL) is a criterion-referenced placement test which assigns LEP students (secondary and adult) to one of seven instructional levels defined by the publisher. These levels can be collapsed to accommodate smaller language programs with fewer levels. The test's four sections measure proficiency in speaking, recognition of correct English structure, reading comprehension, and writing. The oral portion of TEPL uses a series of 30 questions and accompanying pictures to elicit an examinee's best performance level. The structure section of the test requires the examinee to choose the best grammatical component to complete a sentence. The reading comprehension section uses a multiple-choice cloze format. Both the structure and comprehension sections can be scored either electronically or manually and include five response options for each item. The writing sample portion of the test is scored based on the number of errors produced and offers three scoring categories. Students may be accurately categorized at either of the extreme ends of the scale, but only one category includes all writers who are judged better than "unacceptable" but not yet "clear and correct" with less than three errors. While TEPL has face validity, no real studies that assess predictive or content validity have been done, nor is cross-validation with other tests or a lack of bias related to language of origin, gender, or age of examinee established. A claim of a .94 reliability factor is unsupported in the documentation. A bibliography of suggested teaching materials for each of the seven placement levels is included.