What other ways of deciding on placement are there?

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There are several other methods that you may wish to use for placing students in different groups instead of the tests listed in the previous pages. For example, many school districts have standard ESL tests that you could use. (See the annotated bibliography in Section V for a list of these tests.) Another possible grouping can be based on occupational interests (e.g. mechanics, nurses, aides, etc.). Students with similar interests will be grouped accordingly.

If the age range of your students is very wide, it also might become the basis for grouping. Students under 30 usually get along all right together. There is usually not too much difference in students from 30 to 50 or 55 so they might form a group. Students over 55 can also usually be grouped together (although this group shows more individual variation in language learning ability than other groups).