This paper argues that young Hispanic (or Latina/o) children (ages 3 to 8 years) should be of particular interest to policymakers, practitioners, and researchers in education. Young Hispanic children constitute an urgent demographic imperative. Young Hispanic children are not only the largest racial/ethnic group in the U.S., but also the youngest…

This qualitative research study investigated four adolescent English Language Learners' (ELLs) perceptions of READ 180. READ 180 is a reading program designed for both struggling readers and English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) students (Scholastic, 2009a). Although there have been a number of research studies on the benefits of READ 180 for…

This article examines why students participated in British Columbia's first intensive French (IF) program between 2004 and 2008 and what they achieved as a result, with a particular focus on the effect on the French and English language proficiency of English as additional language (EAL) students. Qualitative case studies found that students and…

Federal and state policies have long sought to address the social inequities faced by limited English proficient (LEP) students through the improvement of English language acquisition. English language acquisition policy has focused on access to resources, qualified teachers, and instructional methodologies (e.g. pedagogy) that create a learning…

The purposes of this paper are to explain the development processes of an intensive summer program for English language learners and to discuss course improvement strategies based on the evaluation outcomes. This 60-hr partnership program between local schools and a university was developed to improve the language proficiency of increasing numbers…

This presentation is based on a method for analyzing the verbal flow in text-building behavior. The method is called Perspective Text Analysis (PTA). It locates and makes use of the discontinuities in produced text. Its task is to characterize the mechanism that governs language production and to foster an understanding of the actual processes of…

The Language Proficiency Assessment (LPA) Symposium was held to integrate the insights gained from findings emerging from the research component and the implementation of the teacher training programs of the Assessment of Language Proficiency of Bilingual Persons (ALPBP) project. This final report on the symposium consists of three component…

Opposite views on "deficit" or "difference" in language use could be reconciled by referring to the lower working class performance as manifesting a relative deficiency in the referential function, attributable to differential learning opportunities. The effect of factors responsible for this is discussed. (Author/RM)

The development and validation of the English-Spanish Verbatim Translation Exam (ESVTE) is described. The test is for use by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the selection of applicants for the positions of Language Specialist or Contract Linguist. The report is divided into eight sections. Section 1 describes the need for the test,…

A study investigated the relationship between teachers' expectations of first and second grade bilingual students and reading achievement of students in English. Through classroom observation, researchers identified the expectations held by the teachers for the bilingual students and then identified teacher behaviors toward the high and low…

This paper discusses the nature of the relationship between grammar and pragmatics--specifically, between the rules of a language and the principles for using language. It argues that knowledge of language itself plays a small, primarily enabling part in people's ability to communicate effectively and that a large share of communicative competence…

As part of a long range study of language behavior, six teenage mentally retarded males (IQ 37 to 64) were interviewed, and tapes were made to record language samples. Linguistic competence was found to be adequate while language performance was deficient. The sentence repetition test was found to be a useful predictor of problem areas for high…

The purpose of this study was to determine 6-year-old Navajo children's relative proficiency in Navaho and English upon entering school. A first study on this topic was done in 1969. In the present study, data were obtained for 3,653 of the 4,645 children who were 6 years old in 1970. This study used a teacher questionnaire which was checked for…

Discusses different approaches for determining second language proficiency norms to be set by employers for personnel, all involving varying degrees of emphasis on linguistic proficiency on the one hand, and communicative competence on the other. (Text is in French.) (AM)