www.ielts.org the nuts & bolts of being an ielts test center in a college setting 2010 ncta...
TRANSCRIPT
www.ielts.org
The Nuts & Bolts of Being an IELTS Test Center in a College Setting
2010 NCTA Annual Conference Atlanta, GA
www.ielts.org
• Deborah Smith
Testing Center Manager
University of Washington, Seattle, WA
• Akiko Aharonian
Testing Office
University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
• Richard Halstead
Regional Manager - US Test Center Network
IELTS International, Los Angeles, CA
www.ielts.org
What is IELTS?
• Four skills test – Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking
• English as an international language
• 2 modules – Academic and General Training
• Pen and paper delivery, face to face Speaking test
• 3 international test partners – Cambridge ESOL, British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia
www.ielts.org
Speaking1:1 oral interview (11-14 minutes)
General Training Writing2 tasks (60 minutes)
General Training Reading3 sections, 40 items (60 minutes)
Academic Writing 2 tasks (60 minutes)
Academic Reading3 sections, 40 items (60 minutes)
Listening4 sections, 40 items (40 minutes)
Test FormatTotal time = 2 hours 55 minutes
www.ielts.org
Scoring
9 Expert User8 Very Good User7 Good User6 Competent User5 Modest User4 Limited User3 Extremely Limited User2 Intermittent User1 Non User0 Did Not Attempt the Test
www.ielts.org
Recognition
• Over 6,000 organizations globally • 3,000 US institutions and programs
• Test Report Form Verification site
• Electronic score downloads
www.ielts.org
Candidature and test centers
• over 1,490,000 candidates tested globally in 2009
• US candidature:• students applying for graduate and undergraduate study in
the US, Britain, Canada and Australia • applicants for immigration to Canada and Australia • healthcare professionals applying to work in US hospitals
and for US permanent residency
• test locations in 130 countries
• 40 US anchor test centers operating 45 test locations
www.ielts.org
Why become a test center?
• Develop a new income stream - testing at your center and off-site
• Provide professional development opportunities to campus staff
• Open new markets - attract new students to your campus – offer wrap-around products
• Provide a service to your students and the community
www.ielts.org
Application Process
• Application form and computer requirements
• Business case questionnaire
• Site visitaccess / secure storage / staffing / testing rooms /
promotion / candidate processing / customer service
• Service Agreement
www.ielts.org
Set up
• Business plan including marketing plan
• Where will the center be housed and managed? • Provide office and storage space
• Computer with internet, printer, scanner
• Recruit• IELTS Administrator
• Examiners (Speaking and Writing) from faculty and local schools
• Clerical Markers (Listening and Reading)
• Invigilators
• Free on site training for Administrator, Examiners, Clerical Markers, Invigilators
www.ielts.org
Local test administration
• Local promotion of testing services
• Processing and confirmation of candidate online registrations, including collection of fee
• Test rooms to deliver paper based test and face to face Speaking test
• Marking completed onsite and results issued from center
• Candidate customer service
• IELTS staff and materials management
www.ielts.org
Revenue
• Breakdown of income and costs / one candidate (2010)
Test fee collected from candidate: $185.00
Less fee remitted to IELTS International: $ -80.00
Less estimated local costs testing one candidate: $ -63.50
Estimated gross total per candidate tested: $ 41.50
www.ielts.org
Becoming an IELTS Center
• Establishing a Service Agreement Between IELTS Inc. and your institution. This is a contractual document that will need to be reviewed and authorized by the Dean, Director or appropriate governing authority at your institution.
• Key obligations of the Service Agreement:– Establish test dates and capacity– Make all the necessary arrangements and meet all
reasonable costs for IELTS test delivery and administration
– Register candidates and collect all test fees
www.ielts.org
Becoming an IELTS Test Center
• Key obligations of the Service Agreement:– Provide all staffing for administration and delivery of the
test (recruiting, hiring, training).– Adhere to the IELTS Code of Practice with particular
reference to the security arrangements– Attend the mandatory IELTS Annual General Meeting
held every 18 months for updates and training.
www.ielts.org
Staffing your IELTS Test Center
• IELTS Administrator: designated staff person who oversees all facets of test delivery and staffing.
• Administrative Staff: personnel who register candidates, respond to inquiries, enter test scores, issue test results
• Clerical Markers: trained to grade the listening and reading answer sheets
• Proctors (Invigilators): if you have an existing proctor pool, they can be trained as IELTS invigilators
www.ielts.org
Staffing your IELTS Test Center
• Examiners: experienced educators with a recognized qualification in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
– Recruit from ESL/English Language Programs– Application process includes review by Examiner
Trainer and interview– Induction: general overview of IELTS prior to training– Training: 4 day intensive training program, center to
provide copies of all training materials and meals– Certification: assessment tool for the marking criteria
www.ielts.org
University of Washington
• Changes in screening methods for English Proficiency
• Testing Center capacity and resources
• The impact of University overhead charges
Test fee collected from candidate: $185.00
Less fee remitted to IELTS International: $ -80.00
Less estimated local costs testing one candidate: $ -63.50
Estimated gross total per candidate tested: $ 41.50
Less 18% overhead rate on revenue (18% of $185) $ -33.30
Estimate gross total per candidate tested: $ 8.20
www.ielts.org
University of Arizona
• Marketing / Candidature– Regional demand for test is still developing– Marketing challenges
• TOEFL versus IELTS
Undergraduate PBT 500 iBT 61 IELTS 6.5
Graduate PBT 550 iBT 79 IELTS 7.0
• Off-Site Testing = Test Portability and Accessibility– Extended services to Phoenix and Las Cruces, New
Mexico