Yes/no tests for foreign language placement at the post-secondary level

This study examines the use of a yes/no test as a placement measure in a university Spanish foreign language program. Yes/no tests measure word recognition and have been shown to correlate well with other language proficiency tests. The main advantage of using a yes/no test as a placement tool is its ease of creation and administration. We examined the ability of a yes/no test to discriminate between adjacent placement levels in our program and found that it functions up to the low-intermediate level only. This limitation may be due to the way vocabulary is taught, the stages of development of the lexicon, and the learning plateau that intermediate learners appear to reach. Nonetheless, the yes/ no test allows for a quick initial sorting of students into different levels and reduces the need for individual placement by instructors.