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English proficiency exam may not reflect abilities

Despite higher TOEFL requirements, some international students feel their scores are low

By Jack Evans, For The Miami Student

Miami University's requirements for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) may not be high enough, and even when students score well, the test is often not an accurate measure of English-speaking ability.

The exam is the primary way incoming international students satisfy their English Language Proficiency requirement, a requirement unique to international students who hail from non-English speaking countries.

"We've actually raised the TOEFL requirement for regular admission twice in the past five years," said Aaron Bixler, associate director for international recruitment.

The original minimum score for admission to Miami was 72 out of 120. This has since been raised to 80.

The College of William and Mary - Miami's public ivy compatriot just one spot ahead on U.S. News and World Report's "Best Undergraduate Teaching" ranking - requires a minimum score of 100.

Miami's TOEFL scores more closely mirror some Big Ten universities, which Bixler says are the university's primary competition when it comes to international students. The Ohio State University and Michigan State University both require a minimum of 79 on the TOEFL for regular admission. Penn State University has a minimum requirement of 80, while the University of Wisconsin typically admits students with scores between 95 to 105, according to its admissions website.

According to statistics from the Office of International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS), 305 of the 1,878 Oxford-based undergraduate international students are also conditionally admitted to Miami through the American Culture and English (ACE) program, which has a significantly lower minimum TOEFL score of 65.

Prospective international students can also use either ACT or SAT results, along with a handful of other methods, to satisfy Miami's English Language Proficiency requirement, though Bixler says the TOEFL is the most common route.

Regardless of the rigor of the TOEFL requirement, one of the primary problems with these scores is that they don't always translate to real-world English ability in an academic environment.

"My English is not perfect, but it's good. I think I can do homework and talk easily," said Zana Smajli, a junior international student from Pristina, Kosovo. "At the beginning, it was more difficult for me to adjust and operate in a second language, but it's getting better every day. But when it comes to talking in class, I feel shy because of my English skills."

Smajli came to Miami with a TOEFL score of 81, which even she considers low.

"I am not a very good exam-taker, so that is one of the reasons I didn't do very well on the TOEFL," said junior Chi Le, a marketing major from Vietnam. "I could have done better in some ways. It's really stressful."

A university classroom setting comes with unique trials and obstacles for international students with imperfect English abilities.

"[International students] are sitting a classroom where the professor might be talking very quickly, and maybe not putting a lot of notes on the screen, or using a lot of academic language or slang or idioms. It's very challenging," said Molly Heidemann, assistant director of the office of ISSS.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, some students with strong test-taking abilities have poor communication skills.

"A lot of students prepare to take the TOEFL," said Heidemann. "They go through courses that are specifically designed to pass the TOEFL. They actually might do quite well when, in fact, their actual ability to listen, read, write, speak, etc., is not a good indicator based on that score."

And many international students who struggle with English after meeting Miami's TOEFL requirements don't feel that there are enough programs to assist them with English on campus.

"For English 108, 109, 111, that's when they have the proper training, but after that, now I don't have any kind of training or chance to practice my English. Now, I just have my friend correct my papers or my cover letter," said Le. "I don't learn from this, and I do have that need."

Le says she wishes there was a tutoring program - something informal that would still allow her to take a full course load.

According to Bixler, the ACE program has been reaching out to directly admitted students and assisting them with English skills. However, no Miami-run English proficiency programs exist on the Oxford campus for directly admitted international students.

"For our students who are fully matriculated because their English test scores are high enough, there is not actually a lot of support available for additional assistance in the English language," said Heidemann. "There is not a tutoring center or anything that provides support for English language proficiency."