Abstract:
The Secondary Level English Proficiency (SLEP) Test is a measure of ability in understanding both spoken and written English. It is intended to aid instructors in making placement decisions for students entering grades 7-12 whose native language is other than English. The SLEP is a norm-referenced test containing 150 multiple-choice questions of eight different types. The four types of questions selected for Section 1 of the test all use recorded samples of spoken English to test listening comprehension and do not rely heavily on written material. Two of them use no written material at all. The four types of questions in Section 2, which measures vocabulary, grammar, and overall reading comprehension, are based on written or visual materials. The SLEP test can be administered in its entirety or in two separate sessions, to individuals or to groups. The time required for the entire test is approximately 85 minutes. Each examinee receives two scores; one for Listening Comprehension, and one for Reading Comprehension. Raw scores are converted to Scaled Scores and Percentile Ranks. Scores can be used to categorize examinees as Beginner, Elementary, Low Intermediate, High Intermediate, and Advanced. The reliability of the SLEP has been estimated at .93, and no concurrent validity was examined.