Background: This study investigated the factor structure and factorial invariance of an English Placement Exam (EPE) from 1998 to 2011 to provide evidence for both the appropriateness of the test scores interpretations and for a validity argument. Methods: Test performance data collected from 38,632 freshmen non-English majors from a university in central Taiwan from 13 years (1998-2001, and 2003-2011) was examined using both exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). EFA was performed on 6 years of data (2006)(2007)(2008)(2009)(2010)(2011) to establish a baseline structure, which was then further tested using CFA on data from all the years. Results: Results from EFA supported a three-factor oblique (correlated) solution and CFA determined that a three-factor model as the best fit for the data. This model reflected the test structure posited by the test designers (grammar, reading, and listening sections) and remained factorially invariant and factorially distinct across all years, with insignificant variation in factor loadings and model fit indices. Conclusion: The study concluded that the factor structure of the EPE provided evidence for a construct validity argument for the placement exam based on multi-year performance data, thus supporting the inferences regarding test scores interpretations and the soundness of score comparisons made across years.

Feedback to the test taker is a defining characteristic of diagnostic language testing (Alderson, 2005). This article reports on a study that investigated how much and in what ways students at a Taiwan university perceived the feedback to be useful on an online multiple-choice diagnostic English grammar test, both in general and by students of higher and lower language proficiency. Stage 1 involved questionnaire data from 68 students who rated each item's feedback according to usefulness, and Stage 2 involved interviews with five students as they read the feedback after taking the test. The data from these two stages showed students' overall positive attitude toward the feedback and students' preferences for particular feedback characteristics. The study also found that although higher proficiency test takers found the feedback to be more useful than lower proficiency test-takers, views about the characteristics of good feedback were similar regardless of level. Recommendations for improving diagnostic language test construction and validation are discussed based upon the findings. BACKGROUNDDiagnostic language testing, which aims to identify test takers' linguistic strengths and weaknesses so as to guide their learning, has received increasing attention after long neglect, as researchers have sought ways to make language assessments more oriented towards learning

In January of 2017, a student in the Law Department at National Chengchi University filed litigation against the school for forcing students to take outside commercial tests as the English Exit Requirement. The student challenged the legality of the graduation benchmark policy despite having a TOEIC score of James M. Sims et al.

SOUTH WALES AND MONMOUTHSHIRE BRANCH. THE autumn meetin of this Branch will be held at Dowlais on Thursday, November 8th. There will be a dinner after the meeting, at the Castle Ilotel, Merthyr. Gentlemen desiring to bring forward papers or communications, or to be present at the dinner, are requested kindly to give notice by November 4th to either of the undersigned.