Assessing the validity of directed self-placement at a large university

An argument-based validation study of the English Placement Test (EPT) – Focusing on the inferences of extrapolation and ramification

“…supported by three types of validity, namely content validity, concurrent or criterion-referenced validity, and construct validity (Brown, 1989;Fulcher, 1997;Kunnan, 1992;Wall, Clapham, & Alderson, 1994). More recent studies followed Messick's unitary concept of validity (Fujita, 2005;Gere, Aull, Green, & Porter, 2010;Lee, 2005;Schmitz & del Mas, 1991) or Bachman and Palmer's test usefulness framework (Banegas, 2013). These approaches to validation have contributed greatly to the field of language testing.…”

“…Strong-Krause (2000) proposed a use of self-assessment for ESL placement purposes. Other studies also suggested or examined the use self-assessment for similar purposes, especially in writing assessment (Gere et al, 2010).…”

Chapter 1. Writing Studios and Change

“…Secondly, our studio design was informed, albeit indirectly, by discussions of directed self-placement. These discussions have mainly been limited to the level of course students may choose in a multi-level or sequenced FYC curriculum (Gere et al, 2010) or whether second language writers make informed choices about enrolling in special sections of FYC for multilingual writers or in "mainstream" sections (Costino & Hyon, 2007). Although the question of self-placement is of increasing interest, as more and more undergraduate writing programs experiment with other instructional formats, little formal study has been done about students' success in making good choices about the instructional format or delivery method of writing instruction.…”

The Promise of Directed Self‐Placement for Second Language Writers

“…Additionally, it greatly reduces the costs associated with placement. Test security issues are eliminated; student involvement in decision making increases responsibility for learning-many students who have used DSP succeed because they placed themselves in a certain class and feel the need to prove something (Royer & Gilles, 1998;Gere, Aull, Green, & Porter, 2010). Students certainly know their combined language abilities better than any test could show.…”