Beyond Test Practice

Most universities use screening methods for oral§English proficiency for international teaching§assistants, which may be standardized oral English§tests (TOEFL or TSE) or tests based on micro teaching§and interviews. Purdue University uses POET, a§locally-developed, computer-based test for screening§oral English proficiency. POET is intended to be an§integral part of the language instruction program and§Purdue s educational framework. This book describes§how a test preparation method, POET Tutorial, can§help to embed the test in the local context by§offering more than test practice. Alongside format§introduction and test familiarization, the POET§Tutorial promotes awareness of the educational§demands and opportunities at Purdue. The three-year§study presented in this book follows the POET§Tutorial implementation by examining examinees test§format knowledge and their opinions about the§tutorial s helpfulness. This book should be§especially useful for professionals who want to§achieve integration of language tests and instruction§in a particular educational or social context.