Discusses the development and use of a computer-adaptive test (CAT) for learners of Chinese. Each time the examinee answers a question, the CAT program registers the answer and, based on the examinee's response, decides whether the next question should be harder or easier. (23 references) (MDM)

Proposes a set of priorities for using language testing as an instrumental factor in upgrading second-language learning. These priorities are proposed as an outgrowth of the conviction that language tests can and should play an important role in the improvement of foreign-language teaching and learning. (JL)

Reviews developments in language testing research and practice over the last 20 years, and suggests future directions in the areas of professionalizing the field and validation research. Argues that concerns for ethical conduct must be grounded in valid test use, so that professionalization and validation research are inseparable. (Author/VWL)

Although the primary use of the speaking section of the Test of English as a Foreign Language™ Internet-based test (TOEFL® iBT Speaking test) is to inform admissions decisions at English medium universities, it may also be useful as an initial screening measure for international teaching assistants (ITAs). This study provides criterion-related…

A study compared the influence of two forms of discourse completion test (DCT) on the elicitation of rejection of advice. An open questionnaire providing scenarios alone was compared with a classic dialogue completion task in which a conversational turn is provided. The tasks were given to 32 graduate students, 19 native and 13 non-native…

The concept of "washback," especially prominent in the field of applied linguistics, refers to the extent to which a test influences teachers and learners to do things they would not otherwise necessarily do. Some writers invoke the notion of washback validity, holding that a test's validity should be gauged by the degree to which it has…

The Victorian (Australia) assessment approach of developing national subject profiles has potential for language assessment. Within each language area, levels of development would be identified and defined by observable language behavior, which could then be tested by a variety of test types. Assessment would be done by teachers in schools using…

This volume presents papers that dicusss the need for more systematic and rigorous research programs to monitor the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Proficiency Guidelines and their various implementations. "A Progress Report on the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines, 1982-1986" (David V. Hiple), traces the…

It is argued that the close relationship between learning and testing is best exemplified in achievement tests, which are designed both to reinforce learning and to provide feedback about the effectiveness of teaching. Of the four types of achievement tests (placement, formative, diagnostic, and summative), two (formative and diagnostic) are…

The paper reviews the ways in which the cloze testing procedure measures the reading comprehension skills of students in the English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom. The construction and scoring of the test and the interpretation of the scores are discussed and the reliability and validity of the cloze procedure for testing reading skills…

Discusses the entrance examination used by Georgetown University's Division of Interpretation and Translation, which follows the American Association of Language Specialists system. The skills tested are comprehension of content and purpose of discourse, expression in the target language, and speed of work. The condidates' general background is…

The purpose of this study was to examine the multivariate relationship of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the First Certificate of English (FCE), administered by the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate, and to determine whether students' total score on the TOEFL or their overall score on the FCE tends to be a…

This evaluation package contains two model tests, one for the Alberta (Canada) French 20 course (intermediate 4/5) and one for French 30 (intermediate 5/6). The tests were designed for holistic evaluation of high school students' language performance based on an experiential/communicative approach. They allow teachers to obtain a sampling of…

Because testing comprehension of long (5- to 10-page) second-language texts is more complex than testing shorter texts, an alternative form of second language reading comprehension test is needed. In a guided summary completion test, students are presented with a greatly shortened version of the text (e.g., one-paragraph summary), containing…

This study was designed to describe and analyze (1) the performance of foreign candidates taking the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) or the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) Aptitude Test in relation to self-reported primary language (English vs. other), and (2) relationships between performance on the respective admissions tests and…