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This article details the challenges and best practices of evaluating second language learners for placement into postsecondary Spanish language courses. The literature on testing for placement purposes in second language acquisition and language testing provides a great deal of insight, but language programs must make many decisions as well that draw from their specific student base and program characteristics to develop appropriate instruments that can reliably serve to evaluate students' abilities. Detailing the development and validation of an in-house online placement test at a large university, and supported by research on second language acquisition, this study focuses on the steps used to develop test content, pilot the test, and evaluate results after test deployment for reliability and validity. It is intended to contribute to research on second language testing and program development, as well as serve as a blueprint for language programs on redacting second language placement testing instruments.
