Institutional CELBAN
Starting in 2021, CELBAN will be delivered online. As the Institutional CELBAN was designed as a practice kit for the paper-based exam, the references to the booklet format in its materials will no longer be relevant. However, the content within Institutional CELBAN continues to reflect the CELBAN. CELBAN continues to be based on the official test specifications and blueprint, such that the multiple-choice reading and listening tasks as well as the chart based listening and writing tasks will still be utilized in the online exam. Also, test instructions remain the same, including, for example, the fact that examinees will have time before and after a listening passage to review the items. The 2015 Edition contains excellent videos and sample activities that can be leveraged as informal testing materials.
The CCLB and Touchstone Institute have decided that no new editions of the materials for Institutional CELBAN will be created. We encourage preparation programs to continue to make use of the Institutional CELBAN materials for their intended purpose (in keeping with the original agreement) but ensure that candidates are clear that the official CELBAN is now delivered online.
Uses of Institutional CELBAN
Institutional CELBAN, though discontinued, can be used to teach about the content included in the official CELBAN. Scores are not accepted as proof of language proficiency by regulators. The content can continue to be used for low-stakes purposes in non-regulatory settings. Approved organizations may administer Institutional CELBAN to:
- Determine CELBAN test readiness in IENs
- Conduct pre/post testing for bridging programs
- Provide diagnostic assessments for curricular purposes
- Determine readiness for pre-clinical and experiential placements
- Build test inoculation
All test material is confidential, trademarked and copyrighted. Permission for use is granted only to those institutions which have previously purchased the rights.
Staff Credentials and Training
Accredited educational institutes have committed to ensuring that appropriate staff are selected to facilitate the administration, interviewing, and rating of this unofficial version of the CELBAN test.
We recommend that all institutions who continue to work with Institutional CELBAN have staff with a working knowledge of the CLB and at least
one of the following:
- Bachelor’s degree and a credential demonstrating specialist training in language instruction
- Degree/diploma/certificate related to language instruction supplemented by 24 months of full-time occupational experience in language instruction
- 10 years of demonstrated full-time occupational experience in language