Developing courses through identifying and responding to student needs

Effective placement of students into appropriate level classes

Students’ Needs
• Definition Identifying Responding
• The Importance of Students’ Needs Student’s Needs
Students’ Needs

Placement Test
Conducting • Definition English Class Level
Placement Test • Advantage of the Test
 Needs analysis has been the principal
method for determining what to include in
ESP/EAP curricula, providing descriptions
of academic skills and genres students may
encounter in future courses or that they will
encounter in particular courses
 Richard (2001: 23) states that need and
situation analysis are the requirements to
compose curriculum.
 In incorporating culture in EFL curriculum, it
is a must to conduct need and situation
analysis.
 What are the objectives and
communication situations?

 With members of what cultures are

learners likely to encounter?
 Based on Common European Framework of
Reference (CEFR), there are three levels of
English Proficiency.
Basic User

Independent User

Proficient User
 In the Basic User, the students are divided into three
levels. They are Starter, Movers, and Flyers.
 The aim of Basic User learning is to improve the
students’ ability in using English for Social and
Leisure context and in the range of school by using
simple language. (Cambridge, 2013: 2)
 In the Independent User, the students are divided into
three levels. They are Key, Preliminary, and First.
 The aim of Key is students can use English to
communicate in simple situations (Cambridge, 2012: 3)
 The aim of Preliminary is the students can understand
factual information and show awareness of opinions,
attitudes, and mood both spoken and written English
(Cambridge, 2012: 3).
 The aim of First is the students can typically do at each
CEFR level. It has described these abilities in a series of
Can Do statements using example taken from real life
situations (Cambridge, 2012: 3).
 In the Proficient User, the students are divided
into two levels. They are Advance and Proficiency.
 The aim of Advance is required in demanding
academic and professional settings and achieving
a certificate at this level proves that a candidate
has reached a very advanced level of English
(Cambridge, 2012: 3).
 The aim of Proficiency is targeted on being able
to use English at near-native levels in a wide
range of situations (Cambridge, 2012: 3).
 Placement is concerned with ensuring that job
demands match an individual’s skills,
knowledge, and abilities, along with
preferences, interests, and personality.
 The Placement Test helps you place students
into the appropriate level class for a language
course or someone in looking for a job in the
right position. You can also use it as a quick
measurement of a student's general language
ability.
 Universities use it to test large groups of new
students quickly and reliably.
 Language Schools use it to test new students
at home before they arrive for their course, or
on their first day at school.
 Corporate training companies use it to decide
what level of training employees need.
 Human resources departments use it to
check the English level of employees.
 Employment test refers to a procedure,
technique, or measurement instrument for
ascertaining characteristics such as aptitudes,
capacities, intelligence, knowledge, skills, or
personality
 The majority of sales managers use tests as
only one part of the selection process.
 To be used successfully, tests must have
reliability and validity.
Cambridge ESOL Examination. 2012. Cambridge English
Young Learners Handbook for Teacher Starters, Movers
and Flyers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
___________. 2012. Cambridge Key for School Handbook
for Teacher. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
___________. 2012. Cambridge Preliminary for School
Handbook for Teacher. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press
___________. 2012. Cambridge First for School Handbook
for Teacher. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
___________. 2012. Cambridge Advance for
School Handbook for Teacher. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press

___________. 2012. Cambridge Proficient for

School Handbook for Teacher. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press