ESL Placement Instrument Evaluation
The current method of placement into ESL writing classes at LA Mission College is through the
computerized adaptive test COMPASS by ACT. Students answer multiple-choice questions, but
there is no writing sample required. The ESL faculty believed that this method of evaluation did
not accurately place students into writing classes and did the following research investigation. In
Fall 2013, we collected writing samples during the first week of class from students who were
enrolled in ESL writing classes in levels 3-8 that semester. Students were given the same writing
prompt that was given in the past when we used a written assessment entitled CESLA.
Students were given 45 minutes to respond to the following prompt:
When people go to a new country, they sometimes have difficulty with the new language.
What kinds of problems do people have if they don't speak English well in the United States?
Instructions:
Write one or two paragraphs to answer this question.
Give examples to illustrate.
Using enrollment information from the IT department, it was determined that there were 57
students enrolled in ESL writing classes (levels 3-8) who were placed in their ESL classes by the
ESL assessment test. We pulled out the 50 writing samples from those 57 students, removed the
names from their writing samples and conducted a holistic grading session with the full time
faculty to grade each writing sample for the correct ESL course level, then compared the results
with the COMPASS assessment placement results.
Assessment
Placement
Writing Sample Level
ESL 1
ESL 2
ESL 3A
ESL 3A
ESL 4A
ESL 5A
ESL 6A
Total
1
3
1
5
5
5
4
15
ESL 5A
3
1
4
3
11
ESL 6A
1
1
9
6
17
ESL 4A
1
Engl 21
1
1
2
50
This data indicates that most of the students (37 or 77%) were placed in a higher level than they
should have been. 21 (44%) of the students were placed two levels or more above their writing
sample level. Only 10 (21%) were placed in the correct level according to their writing sample.
Assessment
Level
Placed
Placed
Placed
Too Low
Correctly
Too High
ESL 3A
1
20%
3
60%
1
20%
5
ESL 4A
0
0%
4
27%
11
73%
15
ESL 5A
0
0%
3
27%
8
73%
11
ESL 6A
0
0%
0
0%
17
100%
17
48
In conclusion, the data indicated that the computerized COMPASS ESL assessment test does not
accurately place students into the correct ESL writing course (77% were placed to high). This
negatively impacts student success, retention and motivation when students are placed in
courses that are too difficult for them.
We did not make any changes to our Placement Instrument at that time, because the statewide
Common Assessment was in the works and is now slated for statewide implementation starting
in Spring 2016. Although the Common Assessment will be the same for every college, the cutscores will be determined locally at the campus level to align with the ESL credit and non-credit
courses on each campus. The Common Assessment encourages the use of multiple measures of
assessment as well and the weight of the Common Assessment and other placement measures
will be determined locally. The Common Assessment can include local tests, so we will be able to
add our own writing prompt to the assessment, but it will have to be validated and approved by
the state Chancellor's office before it can be used. Even though a writing sample from the
students is a more accurate means of placing them in the correct ESL level, this method of testing
takes a longer time to evaluate and requires additional funding to pay for the test
readers/evaluators.
We have recently been notified that ACT will be discontinuing Compass effective November 30,
2016, which should not have an impact on LAMC as long as the Common Assessment keeps to
their timeline and is available on our campus beginning Spring 2016. If the Common Assessment
is delayed, it has been recommended by the District Director of APMS Services that we switch to
Accuplacer until the Common Assessment is available.