Testimonial

Los Angeles City College is a community college located in the center of East Hollywood, California, USA. It is known as one of the oldest schools in Hollywood and celebrated its 90th anniversary in 2019. Graduates of the school include high-profile individuals such as Morgan Freeman, Donna Reed, Clint Eastwood, Diane Watson, and Mark Hamill.
In 2009, Los Angeles City College began using the iTEP Academic-PLUS exam to test the English proficiency of its international students. Exam results were used for admission into the Academic Program and Language Academy, as well as for ESL course placement and skills benchmarking. iTEP’s close partnership with Los Angeles City College continued until 2014 when the school closed its Language Academy.
In 2021, the school reopened the Language Academy, which increased its study options for international students. As of 2022, Los Angeles City College offers three main paths of study for international students: the Academic Program, the Language Academy, and Study Abroad.
The Academic Program allows international students to study a major of their choice. Students can earn a two-year degree, such as an AA degree (Associate of Arts), achieve an occupational certification, or take their general education courses before transferring to a four-year university.
The Language Academy allows international full-time students with F-1 visas to improve their English skills through three levels of ESL classes. The Study Abroad program is for individuals seeking ESL courses as part-time students.
When the college chose to rebuild its Language Academy program, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Darren Grosch, knew that iTEP International would be the best partner to support them. “We’ve always accepted the test [as proof of English proficiency], but I feel like there was a really strong partnership prior to the language school closing down, and we’re bringing that back now,” said Grosch. “It’s just a more compatible test for what we’re trying to do within our Language Academy, and because there are so many different varieties of how the test can look, that’s an added flexibility that we don’t get through [other tests].”
In addition to continuing with the iTEP Academic-PLUS exam, Los Angeles City College decided to try the iTEP Snapshot Jr. for lower-level students. It also chose to grow its use of iTEP exams into other areas of the International Student Program, such as the Study Abroad program, which allows the college to create unique customized language courses for its business or school partners. These intensive, short-term classes are offered to groups of students who want to concentrate their learning on a specific area of study, such as conversation, grammar, or reading comprehension. One such course was specially designed as a two-week session for a group of Japanese students who wanted to improve their conversation skills.
For these courses, English proficiency exams function as an effective tool to track students’ improvements. They can also prove a course’s success. However, lengthy exams with extended turnaround times are not practical options for short courses. iTEP Academic-PLUS and Snapshot Jr. are quick, comprehensive exams that deliver accurate results within 24 hours or less. With speedy results, students can more effectively plan the goals they want to achieve. Associate Dean Grosch commented on the quality and usability of the iTEP exam for these short courses. “[The students] just want to focus on conversation. So, I don’t test them in order to enter into the program, but I will use iTEP to assess where they are at the beginning and then to assess where they are at the end of the program,” said Grosch. “It’s a more concise, easier-to-use test, but it doesn’t mean it’s easy. It is more concise.”
As Los Angeles City College continues to expand its offerings for its international students, the ways it utilizes iTEP are also expanding. The iTEP exam is becoming more widely accepted by educational institutions and businesses as proof of English proficiency (click here for additional partnerships). With this growth, Los Angeles City College hopes to become an iTEP testing center for international test takers while, also offering iTEP test prep courses.
In the 2022 fall semester, Los Angeles City College’s international student population rose to 300 students. With the successful renewal of its Language Academy, the college plans to keep offering new opportunities to international students around the world. With those offerings, the college will continue utilizing iTEP exams. Grosch knows iTEP is a reliable partner that delivers trustworthy results. “I think it accurately evaluates your English level, more so than [other exams].”
For more information about the iTEP exams, contact iTEP at info@iTEPonline.com. To learn more about the International Student Program (ISP) at Los Angeles City College, visit the website at https://www.lacitycollege.edu/.

Historically, the way we've used iTEP was pretty much the test that was used to do placement, and it was a test that was used to do entry into the Academic Program. When the Language Academy closed, iTEP for that purpose kinda went away. Now, I'm bringing that back into our program.

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