Office for Language Assessment (OLA)
The Hellenic American University Office for Language Assessment (OLA) develops two suites of English language tests, ranging from A1 to C2 level:
- one suite of tests for young learners aimed at the A1 and A2 levels: the School Tests for Young Learners of English (STYLE™), comprising STYLE 1, STYLE 2, STYLE 3, and STYLE 4.
- one suite of tests for adolescents and adults aimed at the B1 - C2 levels: comprising the Basic Communication Certificate in English (BCCE™) at B1 level, the Assessment Board for Language Examinations: Level B2 (ABLE B2) at B2 level, and the Advanced Level Certificate in English (ALCE™) at C1 and C2 level.
The OLA also develops a test for teachers, the English Teaching Competency Test (ETECT). This test replaces the Communicative English Teaching Test (CETT) which was administered from 2007 to 2014.
The OLA examinations are administered by local institutions at test centers around the world. The Hellenic American University Office for Language Assessment works closely with local test centers to ensure secure and reliable administration of all examinations, whenever and wherever they are administered.
The OLA cooperates with the University’s Applied Linguistics faculty on a range of international research projects. Hellenic American University has collaborated on research projects with Cito, the Dutch National Institute for Educational Measurement. These projects include linking the C1 level Advanced Level Certificate in English (ALCE™) examination to the CEFR, standard setting and item analysis.
In addition, the University is an Associate Member of the Association of Language Testers in Europ (ALTE). It is also active in the European Association for Language Testing and Assessment (EALTA) with presentations at conferences throughout Europe. The University also regularly presents in various conferences around the world.
All tests are developed and scored by Hellenic American University in accordance with the highest international standards of educational measurement. All parts of the examinations are written following specific guidelines and test specifications. Items are pre-tested to ensure standardization and validity. Care is taken that the tests are fair and accessible to all examinees.