Research reports major concerns over classification and measurement for students with limited English proficiency (LEP). A poor operational definition of the English language proficiency construct and validity concerns about existing language proficiency tests are among these issues. Decisions on including LEP students in large-scale assessments…

Achievement test scores for 417 fifth graders in both school settings indicated superior language achievement by the 164 immersion centre students. Questionnaire data from 94 teachers and administrators provided reasons for these differences. Implied that programs should focus on maximum use of French and meeting teachers' materials and resources…

Evaluates a bilingual/bicultural education pilot program in which native speakers of Vietnamese, Korean, Spanish, and English participated. Language classes were integrated within the overall curriculum. School attendance, motivation, language proficiency, and academic grades all improved. (PMJ)

Hispanic children in grades 1 and 3 were tested to examine the relationship between degree of bilingualism in English and Spanish, intellectual development level, and performance on two tests of cognitive-perceptual functioning or field dependence/independence. A positive, significant relationship was found between relative language proficiency…

Discusses the reasons for the differences in second language proficiency across Australia, including composite classes at primary and secondary levels and classes of mixed proficiency levels at secondary level. Reviews strategies for dealing with this problem, including effecting a smooth transition between primary and secondary schooling and the…

Discusses the lack of clarity in which proficiency in written English was taken into account in the assessment of the academic writing of second-language students at a South African university. Argues that, if universities are to be accountable to their students, the criteria used in the assessment of assignments and examinations should be made…

Discusses the notion of a language proficiency threshold that short circuits the transfer of reading ability from the native language (L1) to a second language (L2). This study, in which cognitive complexity of tasks and students' L2 proficiency levels vary, focuses on university students in France reading preprofessional English texts. (39…

Describes Alpha Ontario, an adult literacy center located in Toronto. Highlights include a historical background; collection development; adult basic education; marginalized or minority groups within the literacy movement; cataloging issues, including subject headings, classification, and language; public services, including outreach programs and…

A study of 170 foreign university students in the Netherlands shows that while their success rate was similar to native students', it took them more time to complete examinations, and language proficiency and home-country selection procedures were major factors in achievement. Implications for foreign student policy are explored, and a mentor…

Reports on a study that sought to determine whether adult English-as-a-Second-Language students with internal orientations on two dimensions of locus of control also had positive expectancies about their life situations in the United States and a higher degree of proficiency in their English interlanguage than their counterparts with external…

Focuses on the need for linguistic tolerance to deal with the demographic challenges of the future in America. The article emphasizes that the best way for the City University of New York to face these changes is to formulate policies recognizing the evolving linguistics of a culturally diverse society while simultaneously reenforcing the need for…

Reviews research literature on the effectiveness of bilingual education programs. Argues that scientifically valid evaluation studies offer no consistent support for transitional bilingual education as a superior practice for improving the English-language achievement of limited English proficient (LEP) children and, in fact, suggest evidence of…

Investigation of the monitoring behavior of Turkish children speaking Dutch as a second language found that subjects' use repairs increased or decreased with a certain age. A positive relationship was found between monitoring use and subjects' cognitive skills and second language proficiency. (27 references) (Author/CB)

Responses of 118 Cantonese-speaking students at Hong Kong English-medium secondary schools to a questionnaire indicated those factors that contribute to the ineffectiveness of the English-medium education include: (1) lack of exposure to English outside the classroom; (2) absence of the Hawthorne effect on the immersion programs; and (3)…

Outlines an application of theoretical understandings of institutionalized or nativized varieties of English to the practical concern of English-as-a-Second-Language programs, including testing, placement, and pedagogy. (29 references) (Author/OD)