Why aren’t listening, writing and speaking skills tested?
The foreign language placement tests are part of a battery of tests that are given prior to registration and need to be administered and scored efficiently. The tests can only measure those primary skills that make the most difference in determining preparedness for each course level. Language usage and reading comprehension are the primary building blocks in the entry level language courses. Our research found that when students were advanced a level on the basis of strong listening skills they did significantly less well than students who placed in the same course with the higher reading and language skills.
