This paper profiles the student subgroup achievement and gap trends in Oklahoma for 2010. Oklahoma made progress in narrowing achievement gaps for most major subgroups on the End-of-Instruction (EOI) test in Algebra I. Trends in achievement gaps could not be determined for other grades in math, or for any grades in reading, because the state…

This paper profiles the student subgroup achievement and gap trends in Utah for 2010. Utah implemented new standards and cut scores in math so trend data that include 2009 are not available. In grade 8 (the only grade in which subgroup trends were analyzed by achievement level), Utah showed across-the-board gains in reading at the basic,…

As Congress considers the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law an analysis of recent data from standardized testing around the country shows that the fast growing number of students designated as English language learners (ELL) are among those farthest behind. These findings are based on the 2005 National Assessment of…

"Naturalization Test Redesign Project: Civics Item Selection Analysis" provides an overview of the development of content items for the U.S. history and government (civics) portion of the redesigned naturalization test. This document also reviews the process used to gather and analyze data from multiple studies to determine which civics…

In the Fall of 2007, the U.S. Department of Education's Office of English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement, and Academic Achievement for Limited English Proficient Students (OELA) established the following strategic priority: Develop policy and program recommendations to improve the professional development of English language learner…

Results of a survey suggest that Acadian parents' affective attitudes toward the French and English languages differ from their instrumental, material attitudes. Implications for the Acadian school system and maintenance of French in Nova Scotia are noted. (MSE)

The employment of bilingual staff was studied to help give language and business educators information needed to advise and train such personnel for employment. Findings address the following: corporate needs, languages, hiring requirements, number of employees, skills performed, titles used, relative pay, and backgrounds. (17 references) (LB)

This report summarizes the twelfth survey of states by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) at the University of Minnesota. Results are presented for all 50 states and 8 of the 11 unique states. The purpose of this report is to provide a snapshot of the new initiatives, trends, accomplishments, and emerging issues during this…

Open Doors is the only long-standing, comprehensive information resource on international students and scholars in the United States and American students studying abroad for academic credit. Open Doors features graphic displays, data tables and policy-oriented analysis and is the essential resource for those concerned with U.S. international…

This report gives the results of a 1977 survey of foreign language registrations in colleges and universitites in the United States carried out by the Modern Language Association. (CFM)

This study aims primarily to investigate the impact of learning multiple foreign languages on the use of metacognitive reading strategies (MRSs) by foreign language teaching (FLT) department students. A number of factors such as gender, hand preference, class, and programme with reference to their belief orientation were also involved in the…

Each year, the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) informs policymakers and practitioners of what children know and are able to do when they start formal education in kindergarten. This report, which is unique in its kind nationally, provides a profile of children's skill levels as they enter school based on the evaluation of their…

The Language Assessment Battery was administered as a pre- and post-test to 731 students (mostly Spanish-speaking) in bilingual programs in New Jersey. In all grades tested, results consistently showed that third-year bilingual students outscored first and second year students in English language skills. This supports the contention that bilingual…

Since the writing section of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) computer based test (CBT) is a single-prompt essay test, it is very important to ensure that each prompt is as fair as possible to any subgroups of examinees, such as those with different native language backgrounds. A particular topic of interest in this study is the…

Examined the relationship between first- and second-language literacy by identifying the skills and processes developed in the first language that were transferred to the second language. Subjects were 40 students from China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Australia. Found that people learning English as a second language transfer their literacy…