Bernhardt (2003) claims that half of the variance in second language (L2) reading is accounted for by first language literacy (20%) and second language knowledge (30%), and that one of the central goals of current L2 reading research should be to investigate the 50% of variance that remains unexplained. Part of this variance takes consists of…

This report documents two coordinated exploratory studies into the nature of oral English-for-academic-purposes (EAP) proficiency. Study I used verbal-report methodology to examine field experts? rating orientations, and Study II investigated the quality of test-taker discourse on two different Test of English as a Foreign Language? (TOEFL®) task…

The New York State Board of Regents has established that state educational policy and practices must help limited-English-proficient (LEP) students enter the English mainstream as quickly as possible, while regarding the first language as an important cultural asset and a useful academic tool. These policies state the following: (1) all students…

This module is one in a series of four performance-based modules developed to prepare vocational educators to serve limited English proficient (LEP) students. It discusses the intake process and the purpose and importance of assessing LEP students for both English and native language proficiency and vocational interest and aptitude. The module is…

A statewide Indiana study designed to pilot selected learning outcomes in foreign language programs is reported. It investigated the usefulness of the state's "Guide to Proficiency-Based Instruction in Modern Foreign Languages for Indiana Schools." The report outlines the project's background, the need for proficiency-based goals, the…

This collection of papers is a resource for classroom teachers and program administrators who want to know not only what the communicative approach to language teaching is all about but how the goal of communicative competence is being met in teaching contexts similar to their own. Papers and authors include: "Functional Approaches to…

A guide to the adaptation of oral proficiency testing for classroom language instruction contains excerpts of projects by participants in an American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) workshop. The excerpts are examples of proficiency based curricula and materials designed to personalize instruction and simulate real-life…

Americans generally lack foreign language competence, and their exposure to foreign languages in the United States is inadequate. Foreign language instruction is deficient in both quality and quantity, and although there are indications of improvement in both areas, it will be many years before the effects of improvements are clear. The…

In its first extension year following a 3-year funding cycle, Project GET SET served 108 Bronx junior high school students with limited ability in both English and Spanish, in two schools located in economically depressed, predominantly Hispanic neighborhoods. The project's major goals were to develop both English and Spanish language skills and…

Academic socialization is a process whereby students acquire the competencies necessary to function in the classroom. Academic competencies include not only a high level of proficiency in English, critical thinking skills, and the ability to control the relationship between language and logic, but also social and cultural skills. Although academic…

Iowa's guide to developing and implementing programs for the state's limited-English-proficient (LEP) school population addresses issues in developing policies, identifying student needs, and planning educational programs. The first chapter discusses the legal and educational rationale for providing equal education to the LEP population, outlining…

An overview of classroom and administrative issues related to the education of language minority students in the United States is presented in two sections. The section on classroom issues focuses on four topics: teaching methodologies for English as a second language; the features, titles, and sources of language proficiency assessment…

This is the fourth report of the evaluation of the French-Hebrew immersion programs at the Hebrew Foundation School and the Solomon Schecter Academy in Montreal. Students in the study were those who had started in the project in kindergarten and grade 1, and, at the time of the fourth evaluation, were in grades 3 and 5 respectively. Two pilot…

This report describes an evaluation of the effects of the early and grade 7 immersion programs on the English and French language skills of students at the end of grade 7 in Montreal. Tests of English language skills were administered to early immersion, grade 7 immersion, and English control students. Tests of French language skills were…

Sixty grade four pupils of the Philippine Normal College Laboratory were involved in a study to determine the effect of language of material, type of material, and ability level on their reading comprehension. The materials were either unilingual English (E/E), unilingual Pilipino (P/P), or consisted of a text in English followed by questions in…