Developing MELA

MELA is a Canadian-made, language test which was developed in 2004, specific to the health care sector. It has undergone an extensive test development and validation process. MELA was structured around a language benchmarking analysis, which was conducted to identify the communications skills needed to practice effectively and safely in the Canadian health care workplace. The test items were developed by language specialists with input from health care workers, employers, regulators and test takers to ensure that teh content was appropriate and meaningful. Guidance from language testing and measurement experts further ensures reliability and validity. The reliability of MELA test items was verified through detailed psychometric studies. MELA has also been evaluated against one of the most popular international standardized language proficiency tests through a concurrent validity study. MELA cut scores are set through an appropriate standard setting method which ensures that the results are used fairly and defensibly.

Reports

• ▶ MELA Validation Project Report
• ▶ Developing CLB Referenced Assessments for Internationally Trained Health Professionals
• ▶ Development of an Occupational Specific Language Assessment for Health Science Professions