NETPAW and English instruction: reaching out to Australia [Keynote speaker]

Abstract

This paper critically examines the National English Test of Proficiency for All on the Web’s (NETPAW) place in relation to the growing number of online tests of English proficiency in the context of teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL). As the convenience of working online with the use of multimedia becomes more the norm for both English instruction and assessment, learners have the potential to become more self-motivated and independent in their learning. This is increasingly supported through the availability of being able to connect to and interact in a virtual learning community of ESL speakers (e.g. Hastie, Chen & Todd, 2008; Lin, 2010). As the worldwide web facilitates NETPAW’s growth to meet assessment needs beyond Taiwan, this paper discusses its applicability to the Australian context. It provides an overview of the purposes for testing English as a second language (ESL) in Australia, the current trends in the use of tests of ESL and the way NETPAW relates. As the modes of scoring of competing tests claim their comparability, NETPAW’s test results may also be linked because its levels of proficiency are firmly benchmarked to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching and Assessment. In the early stage of a trial of NETPAW with native speakers of Arabic in a university preparation program in Australia, this report discusses the issue of test authenticity and the value of NETPAW’s feedback to students and teachers compared with that of similar tests.