The high cost of placing university students in the wrong English program
University students usually join English language programs because they need to attain a certain level to be accepted on their chosen courses. A placement test is the first step on this journey. Before starting an Intensive English Program (IEP) or an English as a Second Language (ESL) program, students are assessed for their levels in speaking, listening, reading, and writing. This allows administrators to carefully assign them to a group where they will study English at the right level, alongside people with similar needs. But what happens when this goes wrong and students are not placed in the correct levels? The consequences can be extremely costly for students, universities and administrators alike. Here are the challenges universities face and the solutions they can implement. WWhat happens when students are not placed correctly on an IEP course? When it comes to misplacement on a course, it’s students who suffer the most. If they are allocated to a group that’s too low for them,...