Ecuador's Ministry of Education Announces the Selection of the TOEFL® Test to Strengthen English-Language Instruction
PRINCETON, N.J., July 20, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In an effort to improve English language learning opportunities for all students, Ecuador's Ministry of Education announced that the TOEFL® test will measure the abilities of all public teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL). Developed by Educational Testing Service (ETS), the TOEFL test provides a fair and consistent tool to evaluate the four skills of English: reading, writing, speaking and listening.
"Providing all students with the opportunity to learn English is a priority for the Ministry of Education," commented Gloria Vidal, Ecuador's Minister of Education. "The TOEFL test offers a reliable measure to diagnose the current knowledge of English of Ecuador's EFL public teachers. The test will provide valuable information that will allow us to design professional development opportunities for teachers to attain the necessary level of proficiency to educate our children. We look forward to working collaboratively with all teachers to help them reach the Ministry's English-language standards."
According to Jean-Michel Mosquera, English Project Manager for the Ministry of Education, a training program for EFL teachers will be designed and implemented after the evaluation process. This program will help them enhance their English skills as well as learn new strategies to use in the classroom in order to build an engaging language-learning environment. The objective of the program is to ensure all EFL teachers meet a B2 level in English (as defined by the Common European Framework of Reference) and improve their capability to teach English as a foreign language.
"ETS is pleased to work closely with the Ministry of Education to strengthen English language learning in Ecuador," commented Yvette Donado, Chief Administrative Officer and Senior Vice President of People, Process & Communications at ETS. "Having a highly skilled teacher in the classroom is essential to offering students a solid foundation of English, the international language of choice."
The TOEFL test is the most widely recognized English-language assessment worldwide. The assessment measures an individual's ability to use and understand English and evaluates how well an individual is able to integrate listening, reading, speaking and writing skills. The TOEFL test is used in more than 130 countries by academic institutions, scholarship committees, government agencies and accrediting agencies to measure English proficiency.
More information regarding the TOEFL test is available at www.ets.org/toefl.
About the TOEFL Test
For nearly 50 years, the TOEFL test has been the most widely accepted English-language assessment in the world. The TOEFL test is recognized by more than 8,500 institutions in more than 130 countries including Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States. Globally, the TOEFL test is available at more than 4,500 testing sites in more than 165 countries. To date, more than 27 million students around the world have taken the TOEFL test.
About ETS
At ETS, we advance quality and equity in education for people worldwide by creating assessments based on rigorous research. ETS serves individuals, educational institutions and government agencies by providing customized solutions for teacher certification, English language learning, and elementary, secondary and post-secondary education, as well as conducting education research, analysis and policy studies. Founded as a nonprofit in 1947, ETS develops, administers and scores more than 50 million tests annually — including the TOEFL® and TOEIC® tests, the GRE® tests and The Praxis Series™ assessments — in more than 180 countries, at over 9,000 locations worldwide. www.ets.org
Contact:
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SOURCE Educational Testing Service-TOEFL
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