Formative assessment has recently become a focus of renewed research as state and federal policy-makers realize that summative assessments have reached a point of diminishing returns as a tool for increasing student achievement. Consequently, supporters of large-scale testing programs are now beginning to consider the potential of formative…

The BRIGHT program was designed to improve the educational outcomes of children in Burkina Faso. It focused on girls in particular and was implemented in 132 rural villages throughout the 10 provinces of the country in which girls' enrollment rates were lowest. It consisted of constructing primary schools with three classrooms and implementing a…

The following papers on the current status of the foreign language teaching profession are included: (1) "The View on the Way Up: A Wider Perspective," by Wilga M. Rivers; (2) "Educational Goals: The Foreign Language Teacher's Response," also by Rivers; (3) "Cindy: A Learner in Today's Foreign Language Classroom," by Carol Hosenfeld; and (4) "The…

The field of ESL in recent years has drawn much criticism from bilingual educators. This criticism is related to three areas: the former use of ESL in Americanization programs, the role of ESL in legislation providing for transitional bilingual programs, and the failure of the ESL component in certain bilingual programs, due either to the teacher,…

A project was undertaken for the promotion of unit/credit systems for language learning by adults. Project aims were to: (1) show that anaylsis or identification of language needs ought to be an intergral part of the unit/credit language learning processes; (2) show that all parts of the system are interdependent, including analysis of resources…

Educational assessment, as it is typically conducted in U.S. schools, does not successfully capture or build on potentially important content knowledge and understanding of Indigenous students. In fact, current policies (such as the No Child Left Behind Act, 2002) are interfering with the implementation of many of the things we know about making…

A task force was created in November of 1978 to assess the state of foreign language and international studies in Illinois public schools. This report begins with an overview of the current decline in foreign language enrollments and offerings. The need to foster foreign language study is discussed, both for its special place in intellectual…

As part of a series of documents on assessment of student learning in various school curriculum areas, this report describes assessment of student learning in the foreign language classroom in South Carolina. The report begins with an overview of current curriculum goals in foreign language education and the status of assessment practices in this…

This implementation guide is intended to support the Grade 4 to Grade 6 portion of the Ukrainian Language and Culture Nine-year Program (the program of studies). It was developed primarily for teachers, yet it includes information that may be useful for administrators and other stakeholders in their efforts to plan for and implement the new…

In May and June of each year, Soviet students who have completed grades one through ten face a final examination in each of the major subjects which they have studied. The examinations are constructed by the ministries of education in the Soviet republics and are submitted to the individual school district authorities. The type, form, and purpose…

This implementation guide is intended to support the Grade 4 to Grade 6 portion of the Punjabi Language and Culture Nine-Year Program (the program of studies.) It was developed primarily for teachers, yet it includes information that may be useful for administrators and other stakeholders in their efforts to plan for and implement the new Punjabi…

An editorial and articles are presented on a European unit/credit system for modern language learning by adults. The contents are as follows: "A European Unit Credit System" by J. L. M. Trim; "The Analysis of Language Needs: Illusion--Pretext--Necessity" by Rene Richterich; "Learning a Language Is Learning to Communicate" by D. A. Wilkins; "The…

Summaries of classroom research studies conducted in Finland on the development of educational aims are presented. Papers in this document deal with: (1) an overview of the purposes of the research project; (2) cognitive processes in classroom verbal interaction; (3) taxonomy of physical education; (4) objectives of religious education; (5)…

Oregon is in the process of raising expectations for its students. The state will now require students to prove their proficiency through a series of classroom assignments and state tests. Students who achieve the grade-10 standards on the required assignments and tests will receive a Certificate of Initial Mastery, and those who achieve the…

Oregon is raising its expectations for students. The current academic standard, which allows students to graduate with only a D-minus average in 22 credit hours of classes, is being replaced by the requirement that students prove that they are proficient in English, mathematics, science, history, and other academic subjects. Students will…