The Nuts & Bolts of Being an IELTS Test Center in a College Setting 2010 NCTA Annual Conference Atlanta, GA

Deborah Smith Testing Center Manager University of Washington, Seattle, WA Akiko Aharonian Testing Office University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ Richard Halstead Regional Manager - US Test Center Network IELTS International, Los Angeles, CA

What is IELTS? Four skills test – Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking English as an international language 2 modules – Academic and General Training Pen and paper delivery, face to face Speaking test 3 international test partners – Cambridge ESOL, British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia

Speaking 1:1 oral interview (11-14 minutes) General Training Writing 2 tasks (60 minutes) General Training Reading 3 sections, 40 items (60 minutes) Academic Writing 2 tasks (60 minutes) Academic Reading 3 sections, 40 items (60 minutes) Listening 4 sections, 40 items (40 minutes) Test Format Total time = 2 hours 55 minutes

Scoring 9Expert User 8Very Good User 7Good User 6Competent User 5Modest User 4Limited User 3Extremely Limited User 2Intermittent User 1Non User 0Did Not Attempt the Test

Recognition Over 6,000 organizations globally 3,000 US institutions and programs Test Report Form Verification site Electronic score downloads

Candidature and test centers over 1,490,000 candidates tested globally in 2009 US candidature: students applying for graduate and undergraduate study in the US, Britain, Canada and Australia applicants for immigration to Canada and Australia healthcare professionals applying to work in US hospitals and for US permanent residency test locations in 130 countries 40 US anchor test centers operating 45 test locations

Why become a test center? Develop a new income stream - testing at your center and off-site Provide professional development opportunities to campus staff Open new markets - attract new students to your campus – offer wrap-around products Provide a service to your students and the community

Application Process Application form and computer requirements Business case questionnaire Site visit access / secure storage / staffing / testing rooms / promotion / candidate processing / customer service Service Agreement

Set up Business plan including marketing plan Where will the center be housed and managed? Provide office and storage space Computer with internet, printer, scanner Recruit IELTS Administrator Examiners (Speaking and Writing) from faculty and local schools Clerical Markers (Listening and Reading) Invigilators Free on site training for Administrator, Examiners, Clerical Markers, Invigilators

Local test administration Local promotion of testing services Processing and confirmation of candidate online registrations, including collection of fee Test rooms to deliver paper based test and face to face Speaking test Marking completed onsite and results issued from center Candidate customer service IELTS staff and materials management

Revenue Breakdown of income and costs / one candidate (2010) Test fee collected from candidate:$ Less fee remitted to IELTS International:$ Less estimated local costs testing one candidate:$ Estimated gross total per candidate tested:$ 41.50

Becoming an IELTS Center Establishing a Service Agreement Between IELTS Inc. and your institution. This is a contractual document that will need to be reviewed and authorized by the Dean, Director or appropriate governing authority at your institution. Key obligations of the Service Agreement: –Establish test dates and capacity –Make all the necessary arrangements and meet all reasonable costs for IELTS test delivery and administration –Register candidates and collect all test fees

Becoming an IELTS Test Center Key obligations of the Service Agreement: –Provide all staffing for administration and delivery of the test (recruiting, hiring, training). –Adhere to the IELTS Code of Practice with particular reference to the security arrangements –Attend the mandatory IELTS Annual General Meeting held every 18 months for updates and training.

Staffing your IELTS Test Center IELTS Administrator: designated staff person who oversees all facets of test delivery and staffing. Administrative Staff: personnel who register candidates, respond to inquiries, enter test scores, issue test results Clerical Markers: trained to grade the listening and reading answer sheets Proctors (Invigilators): if you have an existing proctor pool, they can be trained as IELTS invigilators

Staffing your IELTS Test Center Examiners: experienced educators with a recognized qualification in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) –Recruit from ESL/English Language Programs –Application process includes review by Examiner Trainer and interview –Induction: general overview of IELTS prior to training –Training: 4 day intensive training program, center to provide copies of all training materials and meals –Certification: assessment tool for the marking criteria

University of Washington Changes in screening methods for English Proficiency Testing Center capacity and resources The impact of University overhead charges Test fee collected from candidate:$ Less fee remitted to IELTS International:$ Less estimated local costs testing one candidate:$ Estimated gross total per candidate tested:$ Less 18% overhead rate on revenue (18% of $185)$ Estimate gross total per candidate tested:$ 8.20

University of Arizona Marketing / Candidature –Regional demand for test is still developing –Marketing challenges TOEFL versus IELTS UndergraduatePBT 500 iBT 61 IELTS 6.5 GraduatePBT 550 iBT 79 IELTS 7.0 Off-Site Testing = Test Portability and Accessibility –Extended services to Phoenix and Las Cruces, New Mexico