A Common Final Exams Project in an IEP

Abstract

This chapter reports on a common assessment project in a university intensive English program (IEP). In the program, the authors developed, implemented, and supervised the common finals project (CFP) to standardize final exams in all courses through collaborative teacher-made test development. The report provides details regarding why and how the project was implemented, with test samples, and test development and review instruments provided to demonstrate the theoretical and practical issues involved. While still ongoing, this chapter covers the beginning stages of the project, covering a time frame from August 2015 to May 2016, and involved dozens of teachers and hundreds of students. After explaining the rationale for the CFP, and details about its methodology and implementation, this report shows that the standardization project has been successful in developing and administering better final exams for IEP students.