Next Generation TOEFL to Premier in September 2005
Princeton, NJ (Feb 27, 2003) Educational Testing Service will introduce the next generation of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) in September 2005, a company official announced today.
Mari Pearlman, ETS vice president of Teaching and Learning, made the announcement during a presentation at the University of Texas in Austin. She also announced that in July 2004, TOEFL's 40th anniversary, ETS will begin offering full-length practice versions of the test along with related learning tools on the company's Web site. The practice tests will be unproctored and scores will be reported only to the test taker.
The official new TOEFL will be offered starting September 2005 at secure ETS test centers worldwide.
When the new version is introduced, test takers and English language instructors will see a whole new approach to TOEFL. It's more than just a test," said Pearlman. "Test takers will get diagnostic information on their strengths and weaknesses and guidance on improving their scores. We will offer learning tools to help people improve English language proficiency." "But most important," she explained, "the world will finally have a test that provides information about a student's real-life ability to integrate English speaking, listening, writing and reading - the language skills essential to functioning successfully in higher education settings."
ETS officials will meet with colleges, universities and other score users to introduce the new approach and to discuss how the transition to next generation TOEFL will impact their institutions.
The current computer-based and paper-based versions of the TOEFL test will continue to be used for admission purposes through August 2005. Officials have not yet determined the price of the new TOEFL test but it will be comparable to other English language proficiency tests widely used for higher education admissions.
In September 2002, ETS unveiled the innovative classroom learning product, LanguEdgeTM Courseware. Accessed via network server, LanguEdge helps teachers build academic English skills and prepare students for current and next generation TOEFL testing.
Pearlman says a new TOEFL Academic Speaking Test (TAST), a practice stand-alone version of the speaking portion of the new test, will be introduced as early as March 2003.
What is Next Generation TOEFL?
Next generation TOEFL is more than just a new version of theTOEFL test. It is ETS's commitment to English-language teaching, learning and assessment and is comprised of an array of products and services to help students, teachers and institutions. Students will be asked to demonstrate how well they can use English to communicate by reading, writing, listening and speaking. The test will include questions that involve integrated skills. For example, a student may be asked to read a passage and write about it, or listen to a lecture and speak about it. This will provide more and better information about the student's ability to use English.
Why is the Speaking Test being introduced so much earlier than other portions of the test?
ETS realizes that there are certain benefits in taking a phased approach to the next generation TOEFL. We recognize that the addition of a speaking component in many respects will be the most challenging of all the changes. Introducing the speaking test at this time will ensure that students have adequate time to familiarize themselves with its format and expectations.
How will the new scores be reported?
Next generation TOEFL will report a score for each of four skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking). In addition, there will be a three-digit composite score for the skills of reading, writing and listening so that score users can make meaningful comparisions to scores on the current versions of TOEFL.
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