The current article evaluates a national English language proficiency test known as the "MSRT test" which is used to determine the eligibility of candidates for admission to and completion of higher education programs in Iran. Students in all majors take this standardized, high-stake criterion-referenced test to determine if they have…

Students with and without learning disabilities often struggle to learn a foreign language (FL). Teachers could benefit from a measure designed to screen and identify students at risk for FL learning difficulties. In this study, we examined the reliability and validity of scores from four curriculum-based measures (CBM) as potential indicators of…

Because listening has received little attention and the validation of ability scales describing multidimensional skills is always challenging, this study applied a multistage, criterion-referenced approach that used a framework of aligned audio passages and listening tasks to explore the validity of the ACTFL and related listening proficiency…

Proficiency in English language and how it is measured have become central issues in higher education research as the English language is increasingly used as a medium of instruction and a criterion for admission to education. This study evaluated the English language assessment in the foundation Programme at the Colleges of Applied sciences in…

Two studies are reported that examined translation from second language to first language as a testing procedure. Results suggest that the widespread rejection of translation as a language testing procedure by teachers and testers is probably not warranted on psychometric grounds, but that it should be used with extreme care. (10 references)…

Ten colleges and universities and the Educational Testing Service participated in a project that involved testing the Foreign Service Institute's French and Spanish oral proficiency test for possible academic applicability. (AM)

Presents data from validation study of American Council on Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Oral Proficiency (OPI). Distinctness of OPI ratings from scores generated by Test of English as a Foreign Language and one other examination is assessed on basis of comparisons among 70 sets of scores from students of English as Second Language who…

This research was designed to construct and validate an effective, reliable, criterion-referenced test--the English-as-a-Second Language Assessment Battery (ESLAB)--for assessing the English skills of secondary students learning English as a second language (ESL) in bilingual education programs. The ESLAB for receptive language was validated…

The development of the English as a Second Language Assessment Battery (ESLAB) was based on needs indicated by achievement and placement statistics. The selection of the proficiency skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) was supported by changing views in language assessment and by legislation. Andrew D. Cohen's language model was…

Translation testing methodology has been criticized for its subjective character. No real strides have so far been made in developing an objective translation test. In this paper, certain detailed procedures including various phases of pretesting have been performed to achieve objectivity and scorability in translation testing methodology. In…

This paper discusses the development of a criterion-referenced assessment measure for both written English and American Sign Language (ASL) that can be used with deaf elementary through secondary students. The measure is presented as well as the results of a trial use. Developed by the Cleary School for the Deaf, the Cleary Language Assessment…

This compilation lists 286 current second language testing research projects in the United States and abroad. Each listing provides the name of the principal investigator, address, title of project, areas covered by the research, and a 50- to 100-word descriptive statement of the project. Date of completion or projected completion of each project…

Papers on second language testing in Japan include: "Differences Between Norm-Referenced and Criterion-Referenced Tests" (James Dean Brown); "Criterion-Referenced Test Construction and Evaluation" (Dale T. Griffe); "Behavioral Learning Objectives as an Evaluation Tool" (Judith A. Johnson); "Developing Norm-…