Foreign Language Assessment Directory (FLAD)

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Name of Test	Pimsleur Language Aptitude Battery (PLAB)

Languages	English

Test Description	The Pimsleur Language Aptitude Battery (PLAB) has been designed to aid guidance counselors and foreign language teachers seeking ways of determining with reasonable accuracy how well a student will do in the field of foreign languages. Publication of the PLAB fills the age gap between the Modern Language Aptitude Test - Elementary (for grades 3-6) and the adult version of the Modern Language Aptitude Test (for grades 11-12 and adults). The PLAB was specially designed for junior high and high school students, and it can be administered as early as at the end of grade 6. Of a number of intellectual and motivational factors thought to contribute to success in foreign language learning, four proved to be significantly related to foreign language learning: grade point average, motivation, verbal ability, and auditory ability. The PLAB has been structured into six parts which assess different aspects of these four factors. Two of these parts involve audio stimuli. The PLAB can be administered to individual or groups. The Manual contains norms for grades 7, 8, 9, and end of first level Spanish and French. The test kit contains everything necessary to administer the test to one person. Additional materials can be ordered separately. Each examinee requires a test booklet, an answer sheet, and a practice exercises sheet. Administration of the test requires the test manual, cassette tape, and hand scoring stencil.

Grade Level(s)	6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

Proficiency Level(s)	Beginner

Intended Test Use	Placement, Admission, Fulfilling a Requirement, Aptitude

Skills Tested	Listening, Grammar, Vocabulary

Test Author/Publisher	Published originally by The Psychological Corporation. Republished by Language Learning and Testing Foundation, Inc. http://www.lltf.net

Publication Date	1996, 2004

Test Cost

Test Length	50-60 minutes

Test Materials	Reusable test booklet, consumable answer sheet (for examinees), consumable performance chart and report to parents, test administrator's manual, audio CD, scoring stencil (for test administrator)

Test Format	Selected response--multiple choice

Scoring Method	Number correct

Scoring Process	Local hand scored

Results Reported	Raw score; percentile

Administered By	Trained testers, classroom teachers, school administrators

Administered When	Prior to foreign language study; at discretion of guidance counselor, school psychologist, or other administrator

Administered How	Individually; group

Administered Where

Contact Information	+ Show Contact Information

Test Development and Technical Information	The PLAB evolved from a series of research studies undertaken by the test’s author, Dr. Paul Pimsleur, and his associates to ascertain whether language learning ability could in fact be measured.

Comments	By bringing together significant kinds of information for making judgments, the language Aptitude Battery assists counselors and language teachers in answering such questions as: Who should begin a foreign language in grades 7 and 8? Whose instruction should be postponed? Who should be placed in an accelerated class? In addition, the Aptitude Battery provides useful information for identifying the difficulties that individual students may experience in foreign language study. By examining student profiles, teachers can pinpoint strengths and weaknesses and suggest areas for enrichment or remedial help.

Parallel Versions in Other Languages

Current Users

Type of FL Program

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