A discussion of functional language proficiency considers several widely-accepted theories of cognition, draws parallels between specific stages of intellectual maturity and development of second language proficiency, and suggests ways in which teachers may be able to help students progress from one stage to another within the context of foreign…

Second language reading is a vital skill that aids the communication process. It provides language input and reinforces spoken language. Because the modern world is print-oriented, foreign language and English-as-a-Second-Language learners need to develop reading skills as rapidly as possible. Reading must be taught rather than acquired passively.…

This is a set of generic proficiency goals in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and culture developed for all languages and for French, German, and Spanish specifically. Both the common and specific goals are being field tested to determine their utility for college and university language instructors. In addition, a questionnaire has been…

The Hawaii State Department of Education's compliance plan for serving the special needs of minority students of limited English proficiency includes current policies, procedures, and program implementation specifications. The procedures address: surveys of newly enrolled students, English and native language proficiency assessment, program…

The performance of 57 Mexican American bilingual college students on Spanish and English versions of problem solving tasks was investigated. The tasks included word recognition, sentence verification, reading span, syllogisms, and reasoning. The results indicated that the subjects used similar cognitive skills in performing both the Spanish and…

Substantial numbers of Hispanic Americans cannot complete school or compete effectively for jobs because of less than adequate literacy in English. Before anything can be done about this, our definitions of literacy and illiteracy need to be reworked. The conventional definition of literacy as the completion of fifth grade ignores the changing…

A history and overview is provided of the Assessment of Language Proficiency of Bilingual Persons (ALPBP) Project. First, the points of origin are summarized and the components of the project are noted. Subsequent sections are devoted to a summary of the activities of each component. The research component concerned basic research related to…

The results of a one-year study of the effect of topic and situation on the speech behavior of fifth and sixth graders of Spanish-English background are reported. Two elementary schools in Los Angeles County were selected for the study. Students' language skills as evidenced in spontaneous speech obtained through sociolinguistic methods of…

English-Russian translation at the beginning level is defended if both languages are presented and used realistically and idiomatically. Students using this method attained a good knowledge of Russian and a respect for both languages. (CHK)

This study of the speech of a five-year-old Japanese girl learning English focused on the use of prefabricated routines where items are memorized as wholes. The forms of the copula, "do you" questions and embedded "how to" questions were examined. (AG)

A language comprehension test using electronically distorted sentences was developed at Bar Ilan University in Israel as an attempt to measure communicative competence. Reliability coefficients, student reactions, and a sample dialogue are provided. (MSE)

A testing technique is reported for testing oral production which attempts to combine the advantages of the interview test and the standardized, discrete-point test and to improve standardization of tests of oral production. (RM)

A discussion of the present potential impact of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) and Proficiency Guidelines on classroom teaching and curriculum design argues that proficiency-oriented instruction cannot and should not claim to be a new method for foreign language teaching. Although many…

A discussion of second language reading instruction to develop language proficiency examines the concept of reading proficiency, the reading processes used by native speakers and language learners, the importance of top-down and bottom-up reading, activating predicting and projecting skills, the difference between reading at the peak of one's…

The adoption of proficiency-based principles in second language teaching does not mean using a new method of instruction, but rather providing maximum opportunities for students to perform communicative linguistic tasks in a variety of contexts and with a given degree of accuracy. This definition has implications for the learning and teaching…