Michael Goodine's Blog, page 28

A Fresh Start for the Former ACT, Inc.

It is off-topic in these parts, but I saw that the former ACT, Inc. is now “IntermediaryEd” and that it has sold its campus in Iowa.  The organization now describes itself as “no longer an assessment company.” The new website notes that the leadership team is currently “working to define its new direction.” They do […]

Longman Preparation Course for the TOEFL: 4th Edition

Surprisingly, Pearson Languages is now selling an updated 4th edition of the “Longman Preparation Course for the TOEFL iBT Test.” This is the first update in 11 years.  I did not expect to see an update to this old book out of the blue. As far as I can tell, the new edition is only […]

Tough Times at ApplyBoard

Here’s a deep dive into the situation at ApplyBoard that just appeared in OPM Wire.   It’s a fascinating read. According to data from Fidelity, the Canadian student recruitment firm’s valuation has collapsed 74% from its 2021 high of $3.2 billion USD. One theme of the article seems to be that ApplyBoard is a tech […]

IELTS to Close Official Facebook and Instagram Accounts

Mildly interesting news, folks! This Thursday, the official IELTS Facebook and Instagram pages will be shuttered. All content will instead come from pages operated by each of the IELTS partners. Here are the current follower counts of said pages: IELTS Official Facebook: 5.5 million followers IELTS IDP Facebook: 2.6 million followers IELTS BC Facebook: 532 […]

Express Scoring for the TOEFL Available Again

Express scoring for the TOEFL is available again.  Test takers who pay a fee of $149 will receive their scores within 24 hours of taking the test.  Otherwise, scores are reported in 4-8 days. This option first appeared near the end of 2024, but was quickly withdrawn. At that time the fee was $99. Interestingly, […]

On the Validity Period of Scores

There is a wonderful new article in Language Testing Journal by Emma Bruce, Karen Dunn and Tony Clark which explores test score validity periods for high-stakes tests.  It isn’t in open access, though, so you’ll need institutional access or a healthy billfold to read it. As most readers know, institutions and regulatory bodies generally won’t […]

More on ETS and DEI

I caught a bit of flak in my earlier post for failing to mention, in my post about the scrubbing of references to DEI from the ETS website, that ETS has contracts with the Department of Education that last year paid them about $67 million dollars. That equaled about 5% of their overall operating revenues.  […]

Spotted: Cambridge School

Last week I was gabbing with an industry veteran about how Cambridge University Press & Assessment might not be sweating challenges in the English assessment space since they have such a wide range of products. And the very next day I spotted this fine-looking Cambridge International School (Mandalika Intercultural School) just a couple doors down […]

IELTS – What’s the Plan?

The Guardian has weighed in with an editorial suggesting that the UK government should “cherish and preserve” the British Council.  I imagine that they will soon step in to provide favorable terms for repayment of the British Council’s large debt.  They might even kick in more funding as well.  The Council does good work, and […]

Keep Your Eyes Open

While browsing the “recent acquisitions” shelf at the Doksan Public Library I spotted this newish DET prep book (just beside a handsome new Korean edition of Ben Hogan’s “Five Lessons”). Given Doksan’s demographic makeup, we don’t get a lot of new test prep books, so finding it was a pleasant surprise. A few months ago […]