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This paper is based on the presentation by the same name given in Lawrence, KS on December 7, 2018 as part of the Building Bridges for English Language Centers conference. The presenters were two instructors, Diane Taveggia and Parul Sood, who taught EAP courses for the first time after teaching general ESL classes for many years at the Applied English Center (AEC) at the University of Kansas (KU). The presentation focused on the skills taught in two English for Academic Purposes courses - EAP 101 taught by Parul Sood and EAP 102 taught by Diane Taveggia in the Academic Accelerator Program at KU. This paper expands upon the difference between the University’s IEP and the Academic Accelerator Program as well as the challenges of the transition experienced by the two instructors who made the leap from ESL to EAP for the first time.

The goal of placement tests in language programs is to divide students into homogenous groups for the purpose of class assignment. In most intensive English language programs such as the AEC, the most typical criterion for dividing students into classes is proficiency in the target language (English). Accurate and reliable placement tests are crucial to the successful functioning of any English language program. This literature review discusses the concept of language proficiency and ways to measure it.