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Common Educational Proficiency Assessment (CEPA) in English

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Title: Common Educational Proficiency Assessment (CEPA) in English
Language: English
Authors: Coombe, Christine, Davidson, Peter
Source: Language Testing. Apr 2014 31(2):269-276.
Availability: SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 8
Publication Date: 2014
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Grade 12
Secondary Education
Descriptors: Language Tests, High Stakes Tests, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Language Proficiency, Student Placement, Foreign Countries, Grade 12, Secondary School Students, Multiple Choice Tests, Higher Education, Test Validity, Test Reliability
Geographic Terms: United Arab Emirates
Assessment and Survey Identifiers: International English Language Testing System, Test of English as a Foreign Language
DOI: 10.1177/0265532213514530
ISSN: 0265-5322
Abstract: The Common Educational Proficiency Assessment (CEPA) is a large-scale, high-stakes, English language proficiency/placement test administered in the United Arab Emirates to Emirati nationals in their final year of secondary education or Grade 12. The purpose of the CEPA is to place students into English classes at the appropriate government institution. The first administration of the CEPA began in 2002 as a joint venture between the National Admissions and Placement Office (NAPO) in the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and the three federal higher education institutions in the UAE, namely the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT), the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU), and Zayed University (ZU). Currently, the CEPA office has full-time staff dedicated to the development, scoring, and administration of the exam. CEPA-English, which is the primary subject of this review, was initially designed to place students into English classes in the preparatory or first-year program at the respective tertiary institutions that students planned to attend. To frame this review, the authors looked at CEPA-English and how it measures up to what Coombe, Folse, and Hubley (2007) call the cornerstones of testing, the guiding principles that underlie all good assessments. In its present form, the CEPA assesses through one item format: multiple-choice questions (MCQs). Although there are a number of advantages of using MCQs, the general assessment literature recommends that students should be assessed through multiple-measures assessment as no single type of assessment or in this case item format can tell all that needs to be known about a student's level. As such, we encourage the CEPA team to consider using a wider variety of item formats both fixed choice and open-ended.
Abstractor: ERIC
Number of References: 5
Entry Date: 2014
Accession Number: EJ1022152
Database: ERIC
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  Data: Common Educational Proficiency Assessment (CEPA) in English
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Coombe%2C+Christine%22">Coombe, Christine</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Davidson%2C+Peter%22">Davidson, Peter</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Language+Testing%22"><i>Language Testing</i></searchLink>. Apr 2014 31(2):269-276.
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  Data: SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com
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  Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Evaluative
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Grade+12%22">Grade 12</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Secondary+Education%22">Secondary Education</searchLink>
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  Label: Geographic Terms
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22United+Arab+Emirates%22">United Arab Emirates</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SU" term="%22International+English+Language+Testing+System%22">International English Language Testing System</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="SU" term="%22Test+of+English+as+a+Foreign+Language%22">Test of English as a Foreign Language</searchLink>
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  Data: 10.1177/0265532213514530
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  Data: 0265-5322
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: The Common Educational Proficiency Assessment (CEPA) is a large-scale, high-stakes, English language proficiency/placement test administered in the United Arab Emirates to Emirati nationals in their final year of secondary education or Grade 12. The purpose of the CEPA is to place students into English classes at the appropriate government institution. The first administration of the CEPA began in 2002 as a joint venture between the National Admissions and Placement Office (NAPO) in the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and the three federal higher education institutions in the UAE, namely the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT), the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU), and Zayed University (ZU). Currently, the CEPA office has full-time staff dedicated to the development, scoring, and administration of the exam. CEPA-English, which is the primary subject of this review, was initially designed to place students into English classes in the preparatory or first-year program at the respective tertiary institutions that students planned to attend. To frame this review, the authors looked at CEPA-English and how it measures up to what Coombe, Folse, and Hubley (2007) call the cornerstones of testing, the guiding principles that underlie all good assessments. In its present form, the CEPA assesses through one item format: multiple-choice questions (MCQs). Although there are a number of advantages of using MCQs, the general assessment literature recommends that students should be assessed through multiple-measures assessment as no single type of assessment or in this case item format can tell all that needs to be known about a student's level. As such, we encourage the CEPA team to consider using a wider variety of item formats both fixed choice and open-ended.
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  Data: ERIC
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        Value: 10.1177/0265532213514530
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      – Text: English
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        PageCount: 8
        StartPage: 269
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Language Tests
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: High Stakes Tests
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      – SubjectFull: English (Second Language)
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      – SubjectFull: Multiple Choice Tests
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      – SubjectFull: United Arab Emirates
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      – SubjectFull: International English Language Testing System
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      – TitleFull: Common Educational Proficiency Assessment (CEPA) in English
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