A recent task force of the Speech Communication Association identified three situations in which native English speaking adults require communicative competence--occupation, citizenship, and maintenance. These situations give rise to five main contexts in which adult learners of English as a second language (ESL) need communicative proficiency: education, preservation, socialization, occupation, and citizenship. These competencies can be listed under four headings: communication codes, oral message evaluation, basic communication skills, and human relations. From this analysis of the communicative needs of adult nonnative speakers, the paper (1) explores various academic levels of adult ESL learners, (2) recognizes the particular needs of ESL learners at each academic level, (3) discusses the methods for assessing the speaking proficiency of ESL students, (4) reviews the ways to assess listening abilities of ESL students, and (5) examines a procedure for identification, assessment, and placement of students. Additional material includes a table of communication competencies in the five contexts, a placement interview form, and a selected bibliography of tests for nonnative speakers of English. (HOD)