Accurate placement within levels of an ESL program is crucial for optimal teaching and learning. Commercially available tests are commonly used for placement, but their effectiveness has been found to vary. This study uses data from the Ohio Program of Intensive English (OPIE) at Ohio University to examine the value of two commercially available tests (the TOEFL ITP and the Michigan EPT) and a locally developed writing test for accurate placement decisions. Placement accuracy was measured in terms of the relationship between test scores and (1) appropriate placement levels for individual students according to their teachers, and (2) student performance in the classes. Findings support the continued use of multiple measures for more accurate placement decisions in the study context. However, the relationship between test scores and student performance, measured by students’ grades in the actual course levels and their success in advancing to a higher course level as additional indicators of the extent to which placement tests provide an accurate indication, was weak when analyzed through multiple regression and cross-tabulation, suggesting that factors other than initial proficiency are primarily determinative of student success when students have been accurately placed.

中文翻译：

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分班考试：一考，二考，三考？多少次测试才足够？

在 ESL 课程的各个级别中准确定位对于最佳教学和学习至关重要。市售测试通常用于放置，但已发现其有效性各不相同。本研究使用俄亥俄大学俄亥俄州强化英语课程 (OPIE) 的数据来检验两项商业化考试（TOEFL ITP 和密歇根 EPT）和一项本地开发的写作考试的价值，以做出准确的安置决定。分班准确度是根据考试成绩与 (1) 根据老师对个别学生的适当分班水平和 (2) 学生在课堂上的表现之间的关系来衡量的。调查结果支持在研究背景下继续使用多种措施来做出更准确的安置决定。然而，