Proof of English Proficiency 

Part of the IMG Academies application process requires Proof of English Proficiency.   If no proof of proficiency is submitted in advance, upon arrival to IMG Academies/IMG Pendleton School all non-native speakers of English will be required to take an English proficiency exam as part of the academic assessment. 

Based on these scores, students may be placed into the non-credit Intensive English Program or into the English Language Learners program.  Final placement decisions are made by considering not only a student’s test scores but also his/her academic background/habits, level of maturity, and oral proficiency.

Academic Programs Available for Non-Native Speakers of English

Pendleton offers several levels of support for our international students whose native language is not English.     Our English programs allow international students to begin their studies at IMG Pendleton / IMG Academies without being fluent in English,  while working with them closely to bring their English to proficiency level as soon as possible.  There may be additional fees for some of these programs. 

• Beginners – Intensive English Program
• Intermediates – English Language Learners Program (ELL) – additional fees apply. 
• Advanced – mainstream Pendleton courses 

Students with low English proficiency who are required to enroll in the Intensive English Program will not begin earning credits towards high school graduation until they matriculate into a higher level. It is recommended that students in the high school program place at the high intermediate or advanced levels. 

Testing for International Students

Students will be given a listening exam, a writing test, a speaking evaluation,  and a formal multiple-choice English exam. We offer this multi-faceted approach to testing in order to examine a student’s capabilities from all different perspectives. We also believe that every student has his/her individual strengths, so we offer many different types of evaluation/testing in order to allow each student to excel where they feel comfortable. 

The Multiple-Choice Exam:  Placement

Grading for the multiple-choice exam is over 1000 points. The scores given here should be used for informational purposes. The final placement decision will be made using all the testing results and in the best interests of the student. 

Middle School scoring: Middle schoolers who place under 450 on the multiple-choice exam will be considered for Intensive English. Students who place between 450- 1000 will be recommended for the English Language Learners program. 

High School scoring: Potential high-schoolers who score below  500 will be considered for the Intensive English program. Applicants to the 9th and 10th grade will score between 500-750 for the English Language Learners program. Applicants to the 11th and 12th grades will score between 750-1000 for the English Language Learner s program. 

Students who score over 1000 will “exit” the English program and will not be enrolled in ELL.

All ELL students will take the correct number of credits (5) per year in order to graduate in a timely manner. IMG Pendleton is committed to working with students and their families to explain the English language process, the graduation requirements,  and the support needed to help our student-athletes succeed.   

HOW IS MY LEVEL OF ORAL (SPOKEN) ENGLISH?

Use these charts to estimate where your student’s level of spoken English may be. Final results will be confirmed upon testing by the IMG Pendleton School (coordinated by the IMG University & Language Center).   A telephone interview before arrival to test the level of spoken English may also be requested.