The TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication) test is an English-language proficiency test for people whose native language is not English. It measures the everyday English skills of people working in an international environment. The scores indicate how well people can communicate in English with others in business, commerce, and…

A discussion of language testing focuses on how proficiency scales are constructed and applied to communicative language assessment in Australian secondary schools. A variety of rating scale types are described and distinguished according to how they are constructed, what they attempt to measure, and what criteria they contain. A more detailed…

A systematic approach for assessing language competencies of bilingual students is developed. Two issues are clarified. First, the issue of examining separately the four language skills is looked at, as well as the need to consider other related factors including cognitive functions operative in language processing, affective forces, and…

A three-step process in designing a test to assess children's oral language proficiency in specific communicative areas is described and illustrated, and the utility of such tests for classroom teachers is discussed. (MSE)

Outlines an oral interview format and scoring system for use with foreign language students during their first and second semesters of language study. (EKN)

Suggests the concept of English as a second (ESL) training in the workplace as a response to the immediate language needs of working adult immigrants. Several programs now underway on the job-site are described that were formed to meet the expressed language needs of those who do not have the time or energy to benefit from existing programs. (SL)

This framework provides Canadian curriculum writers with student learning outcomes they can use to develop curricula for international language courses. Its aim is the development of communicative competence in a specific international language (represented by applications, language competence, global citizenship, and strategies). The framework is…

Although testing language has traditionally taken the form of testing knowledge about language, the idea of testing communicative competence is becoming recognized as being of great importance in second language learning. Communicative language tests are intended to be a measure of how the testees are able to use language in real life situations.…

Presents the American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Language Chinese Proficiency Guidelines, detailing stages of proficiency in speaking, listening, reading, and writing. (CB)

Describes a 24-week language training course designed to help refugees and/or immigrants become better able to obtain and do the work of their occupation, in English. The course stresses written and oral communication with employers, job search techniques, as well as those skills and vocabulary/phrases necessary for filling out job application…

Language teachers often do not focus on developing strategic competence among their second-language learners, though research demonstrates that language-learning strategies vary in their usefulness and applicability dependent on many variables. Teachers must develop strategic competence to enhance learners' linguistic and communicative competence.…

This paper discusses assessing the oral communication skills of non-native speakers of English enrolled in pre-vocational programs at Golden West College (California), presents the locally developed assessment instrument, and discusses multicultural communication intervention strategies educators can use to empower students. The first part of the…

Speaking a second language is probably the most difficult skill to test in that it involves a combination of skills that may have no correlation with each other, and which do not lend themselves to objective testing. In addition, what can be understood is a function of the listener's background and ability as well as those of the speaker. Another…

Discusses teaching English to second-language students. Suggests using learners' spontaneous expressions of ideas to recognize students' potential for understanding ideas in English. Recommends teachers help children see how their ideas affect the class; respond to unanticipated expressions of thinking; and extend the discussion with an array of…

A manual for use in training French and Spanish language examiners at the Foreign Service Institute is presented here. After a discussion of the history of the language proficiency test and of the testing procedure and evaluation techniques, the following topics are covered: (1) language proficiency ratings based on the absolute criterion of the…