Statement of Clarification on ETS products and services for TOEFL iBT™ Test in China

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Princeton, N.J. (November 26, 2008) —

This press release is also available in Chinese.

There have been significant changes in China's English language testing market in the past few years. In 2007, China had the second largest number of students in the world taking the TOEFL® test (Test of English as a Foreign Language™), the world's most widely accepted academic English examination, created by ETS.

The strong growth in the popularity of the test has, however, translated into a much higher number of unauthorized TOEFL-related products and services (particularly those relating to the TOEFL iBT™ test) being offered in the China market with undue reference to ETS's name and/or brands. ETS is extremely concerned about the confusion and misperceptions among language schools, publishers, English teachers and test takers in the China market regarding the test preparation products and services officially offered by ETS and the arrangements between ETS and its various authorized product and service providers in China.

To avoid any more confusion and to protect the Chinese public from further unintended or deliberate misrepresentations regarding the TOEFL iBT test, ETS is issuing the following clarifications:

  • ETS cooperates with different organizations (see below) and, as such, no entity in China is allowed to represent itself as the exclusive partner of ETS in dealing with the TOEFL iBT test;
  • ETS does not operate, authorize or otherwise endorse any English language schools or mock examination centers providing TOEFL iBT training or preparatory courses in China;
  • ETS has never authorized anyone in China to issue any TOEFL iBT Teaching Certifications using ETS's name; and
  • ETS has not authorized anyone to publish or otherwise distribute any TOEFL iBT software in China.

ETS is working with the following organizations, in the following capacities regarding TOEFL iBT, in China:

  • The National Education Examination Authority (NEEA), which administers a number of ETS's key academic English assessment products in China, including the TOEFL iBT test;
  • New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc., which is authorized by ETS as the only language school in China to provide as part of its training curriculum the TOEFL® Practice Online (TPO), a product developed by ETS to assist with TOEFL iBT test preparation. It is also a non-exclusive reseller of TPO to individual test takers; and
  • McGraw-Hill (global) and World Publishing Company (China), publishers of The Official Guide to the New TOEFL® iBT in China, the only ETS-authorized TOEFL iBT preparation book.

To enhance cooperation between ETS and local testing, training and publishing organizations, a wholly foreign-owned enterprise, ETS Assessments (Beijing) Company Limited, has been established to provide timely, authoritative resources and services to English teachers and learners to help English education flourish in China.

The following is a list of official TOEFL iBT test products and services:

  • A TOEFL iBT Sampler, which includes questions from TOEFL iBT test sections, is available for free to registered test takers;
  • TOEFL® Practice Online (TPO), which is the official ETS test preparation website offering practice products for TOEFL iBT at: www.toeflpractice.ets.org;
  • The Official Guide to the New TOEFL® iBT, which is developed by ETS and published for ETS by McGraw-Hill globally and in partnership with the World Publishing Company in China;
  • TOEFL iBT sample questions found in actual tests are available to download for free at: www.ets.org/toefl; and
  • The Propell™ Workshop, which is ETS's global TOEFL iBT teacher development program (offered in China in December 2006 and July 2008, respectively).

For the latest list of ETS-approved TOEFL iBT products and services and their providers in China, please visit www.ets.org/toefl.

About ETS

ETS, a nonprofit organization, celebrates a 60-year history of advancing quality and equity in education by providing fair and valid assessments, research and related services for all people worldwide. In serving individuals, educational institutions and government agencies around the world, ETS customizes solutions to meet the need for teacher licensing and certification, classroom and end-of-course assessments, and research-based teaching and learning tools. ETS today develops, administers and scores more than 50 million assessments in over 180 countries, at more than 9,000 locations worldwide. Additional information is available at www.ets.org.

About TOEFL iBT

The TOEFL iBT test sets the standard for measuring communicative English skills by simulating actual academic situations. Backed by ten years of research, development and testing, the TOEFL iBT test redefines the way English is learned and measured. It is the first large-scale, Internet-delivered, English-proficiency assessment to measure test takers' ability to integrate and use all four language skills: listening, reading, writing and speaking. The test also sets the standard for providing fair, unbiased and objective scoring, building on ETS's record and reputation as the world leader in all facets of educational assessment. More than 6,000 colleges and universities in 134 countries rely on TOEFL® test scores to measure the English-language skills of their students. Visit www.ets.org/toefl for more information.