Educational Objectives

The primary objective of the Second Language Proficiency Test (SLPT) is to determine the proficiency level of the respondent in order to propose appropriate courses as well as tailored learning activities within those courses. When the respondent finishes the test, the result is given as a number from 1 to 10 and corresponds to a level on the Scale of Second Language Proficiency Levels for the College Student. The teacher and student can then consult the proficiency level descriptions for information on what the student is able to do at that level. The teacher can also use this information to plan learning activities to help the student progress to the next level. As a result, the SLPT goes further than a traditional placement test designed strictly to assign a student to a course level according to his or her results. Nonetheless, the head of a subscribing college has the option, in the management module, of associating a course number with each of the 10 levels. 

The 10 levels in the Scale of Second Language Proficiency Levels for the College Student are closely related to the levels in other recognized international scales. The proficiency of students taking an upgrading (mise à niveau) course is at about level 1. A level 10 result means that the student may be more proficient than the maximum level measured by the test. Ideally, college graduates should reach level 8: subsequent university training should enable students to fine-tune their proficiency and achieve level 9 or higher during their university studies. Students registered in some ACS (attestation of collegial studies) programs would be well advised to achieve this level of proficiency so they can pass the OLF (Office de la langue française) examination for their profession.