To meet the instructional needs of the hundreds of children who speak the Ladin and Surselvan Raeto-Romance dialects of Switzerland, spelling categories pertinent to the two dialects were established based on the spelling test concept of Rudolf Mueller. Following classic test analysis procedures, three diagnostic dictation tests (one in Ladin, two…

About 9,000 students in grades 4, 8, and 12 participated in three writing excersises: (1) directed--short passage in response to a specific request; (2) global--extended narrative or exposition on a broad topic; and (3) proofreading and editing. The exercises reflected writing tasks required of the average adult as a citizen worker or creative…

The assessment portfolio is a collection of materials and forms for testing and recording student progress at F.S. Key Elementary School, Arlington, Virginia. The materials are designed for use in an elementary school two-way partial immersion program. Introductory sections discuss the use of portfolios for monitoring student performance and…

This study explores the concept of deep-structure sociocultural transfer and its impact on second language learning. It reviews three case studies of Chinese students in the United States, describing how the students allowed their native sociocultural values and beliefs to dominate their communications with Americans, even though they had resided…