Michael Goodine's Blog, page 29

ETS De-emphasizes DEI

Earlier this month, the “Our Leadership” section of the ETS website was reshuffled.  The most notable change was the removal of Chief Diversity Officer Ida Jackson Woods from the public leadership roster.  An individual holding that position had been included on the leadership page since at least 2019. Two days ago, all content on the […]

More on TOEFL Price Increases in the PIE

Here’s an article from the PIE by Polly Nash about the increased cost of taking the TOEFL iBT in the European Union. It includes this quote from an ETS rep: “We recognise the importance of affordability for our test takers and remain committed to delivering the highest value through our assessments and services.” That’s nice […]

Tough Times at the British Council – Part 2

I was sent the actual testimony of British Council CEO Scott McDonald before the Foreign Affairs committee.  The situation over at the BC seems even worse than the Times article made it out to be.  Here are a few highlights: The British Council owes £200 million (from an original loan of £250 million) to the […]

British Council Offices in Seoul!

I ventured into Seoul a few days ago to visit the Appenzeller/Noble Memorial Museum.  The museum is housed in a building, constructed in 1916, that was once home to Korea’s first “western style” school.  It’s a pleasant hidden gem in the city, and admission is free. Across the lawn, I was happy to spot the […]

CNN on Test Cheating Ring in Texas

It’s worth checking out this story of a test cheating ring in Texas if you have an interest in test security. Basically, test takers are alleged to have paid an imposter to take a teaching certification exam on their behalf.  The imposter then bribed a test center operator to look the other way while he […]

Canada Ends the Student Direct Stream (SDS)

Canada has ended the Student Direct Stream (SDS).  This program was introduced by IRCC in 2018 to provide expedited study permit processing from select countries, including the key sending countries of India and China.   Applicants opting for the SDS route were subject to requirements beyond those in the regular non-SDS study permit application.  These requirements […]

New TOEFL FAQ!

The official TOEFL website now includes an FAQ!  It’s a really wonderful thing to see.  It contains a whole bunch of questions spread across seven categories.  And it is searchable!  If anyone from ETS is reading this, I’d be happy to check my server logs to see what answers people search for most commonly on […]

On the Importance of Writing Task Length

The folks at Duolingo have published an article (and matching blog post) about how much time test takers should be given to complete writing tasks. Their research suggests that shorter tasks are just as useful as longer tasks in terms of reliability and validity. This is a controversial topic among people who take the time […]

New TOEFL Bulletin for 2024/25

An updated edition of the TOEFL iBT Information Bulletin has finally been published! This collection of policies – which all test takers are required to read and agree to before taking the test – has been reduced from 45 pages of small text to 19 pages of small text. That’s a step in the right […]

TOEFL Integrated Essay 2024 Video Guide

I finally uploaded the 2024 version of my video guide to TOEFL Writing Question 1 (the Integrated Essay).  Check it out!