This column examines the Cambridge English Examinations and the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The changes made to these tests are discussed. (SW)

Presents among other things the didactic-methodological procedure in Teaching Units 3 and 4, Grade 10; the development of (predominantly monologue) speaking proficiency and proper translation into the foreign language, with special attention to measures to be taken immediately before and after watching the television program. (Text is in German.)…

The TOEFL was taken by 159 non-native speakers of English in Tehran, Iran, who also took a cloze test and two dictations. Results revealed that Listening Comprehension, cloze and dictation were more highly correlated with each other, and with the remaining parts of the TOEFL, than the latter were with each other. (Author/KM)

Examines the differences in, and difficulties and advantages attending programs available in France to foreign students. Problems of language preparation, limitations in courses of study, living arrangements, and administrative practices are considered. (MSE)

The simulated oral proficiency interview (SOPI) is a semi-direct speaking test that models the format of the oral proficiency interview (OPI). The OPI is a method of assessing general speaking proficiency in a second language. The SOPI is a tape-recorded test consisting of six parts: simple personal background questions posed in a simulated…

This collection of five essays and supporting material concerning foreign language proficiency makes specific and controversial statements about what proficiency means for diverse groups of practitioners: the classroom teacher, the curriculum developer, the language-learning researcher, the textbook publisher, and the businessperson. An…

American incompetence in second language skills can be remedied by training academically gifted children as true bilinguals in languages widely used and badly needed for business and political interactions in an increasingly interdependent world. Those identified as gifted, who also exhibit the characteristics of successful second language…

It seems possible to evaluate language proficiency as behavioral ability by: (1) observing authentic language behavior, (2) examining the tacit knowledge that underlies language behavior or testing specific tasks based on capabilities that are linked to implicit knowledge of a language, and (3) testing the acquired explicit knowledge, such as use…

Current research is reviewed for implications for language proficiency assessment practices. Research is discussed concerning adult language proficiency testing, cognitive studies which attempt to conceptualize the construct of language proficiency, development of theoretical models of communicative competence, studies investigating the validity…

A recently conducted survey has disclosed that during the past few years there has been a significant increase in the development of speaking tests. Examination of 100 speaking tests revealed many varieties and many considerations in preparing and using them. Among these are the purpose for its use, the background of the examinee, the criteria…

Score equating requires that the forms to be equated are functionally parallel. That is, the two test forms should rank order examinees in a similar fashion. In language proficiency testing situations, this assumption is often put into doubt because of the numerous tests that have been proposed as measures of language proficiency and the…

This article presents a model of a proficiency test for objectively evaluating the French pronunciation of advanced English-speaking students. A survey of different techniques is made. The specific techniques described allows for testing of phonemic, phonetic and prosodic competency. A sample correction grid is included. (CLK)

Discusses the function of mediators (cues designed to elicit an explicit cognition-mediated process that generates new sentences), criteria for their construction, and experiments in their use. (KM)

The Language Proficiency Assessment Committees (LPACs) authorized by Congress were given the responsibility of assessing limited-English-speaking students within a school district and making placement recommendations regarding these students to the local school board. This manual governs a workshop for the training of members of an LPAC; it may…

SINCE THE STRENGTH OF THE PEACE CORPS EFFORT DEPENDS ON THE VOLUNTEERS' ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE IN THE LANGUAGE SPOKEN IN THE HOST COUNTRY, INTENSIVE LANGUAGE COURSES, PATTERNED AFTER THOSE OF THE NATIONAL DEFENSE AND FOREIGN SERVICE INSTITUTES, OCCUPY 30 TO 40 PERCENT OF THE AVERAGE 8-TO 10-WEEK PRELIMINARY TRAINING PERIOD. BASED ON GENERAL PEACE…