The operator of the Test of English as a Foreign Language said Tuesday it has introduced two new products targeting schools: a software package named LanguEdge Courseware and an online service called Criterion.
The learning tools are designed to cover a new version of the TOEFL test to be launched in September 2005, according to Educational Testing Service, a U.S. nonprofit group.
The new test, called the Next-generation TOEFL, assesses not only speaking, listening, reading and writing, but also integrated skills that are required in real-life communications, according to the ETS.
The LanguEdge software simulates the new version of the TOEFL test and can be used in a LAN environment. The software automatically scores reading and listening sections of the test, which can save time for teachers, according to the institution. Criterion evaluates a student's academic writing skills.
By accessing the service online, the student can work independently on an essay and receive scores and a writing analysis in less than 20 seconds, it said. For more information, contact the Council on International Educational Exchange Japan, the ETS Japan affiliate, at (03) 5467-5670 or access its Web site at www.cieej.or.jp