The purpose of this research was to compare two different forms of a placement test in French as a second language at the post-secondary level, a conventional test and a computerized test. First, expectations regarding a placement test as a measure of general proficiency are discussed and principles of adaptive testing that have been used to…

A discussion of language proficiency focuses on the conceptual framework for assessing proficiency and its implications for educational policy formation at the state and local levels. First, the concept of language is defined in terms of the interaction of these elements: language subsystems, communication skills, language domains, language…

A study investigated the changes in English and Spanish oral expression and comprehension skills of 18 male and 25 female Spanish-speaking Latino children attending a preschool that emphasized English language learning but supported maintenance of Spanish skills. For comparison purposes, the English skills of African American children (n=16 boys,…

A study of the translation process compared the decisions that native speakers (experts) and non-native speakers (non-experts) made that influenced resulting translations. Subjects were 40 students, graduate students, and faculty in a university foreign language department. English language proficiency was measured for native speakers by using the…

This digest provides a description of block scheduling and discusses specific advantages, concerns, and considerations of block scheduling and foreign language instruction and learning. Block scheduling is a reorganization of school time that comes in many complex variations, including 4x4 (four blocks of 90 minutes each) and A/B (eight blocks…

The proceedings of a working group conference on proficiency testing of Japanese as a second language contain a brief background paper distributed to conference invitees, a list of items included in the pre-conference portfolio, an advance organizer of potential discussion topics, a 77-item annotated list of bibliographies on second language…

The relationship between the reading comprehension and writing production of non-English speakers was examined in an exploratory study to determine whether knowledge gained through reading academic texts can facilitate the writing of compositions. The 10 subjects were enrolled in a developmental English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) university-level…

The need in adult education English-for-Speakers-of-Other-Languages (ESOL) classes for a simple, effective placement measure that is inexpensive in terms of both cost and time is noted, and results of a study of the predictive validity of the Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT) on the achievement scores of adult ESOL students are reported. The WRAT…

This report describes the development, construction, and validation of the Preliminary Chinese Proficiency Test (Pre-CPT), a standardized, nationally-normed test of listening and reading comprehension for beginning-level native English-speaking learners of Chinese as a second language. The Pre-CPT was designed as a lower-level version of the…

Performance assessment of language minority students is a complex process that requires the application of theoretically defensible procedures that are carefully designed and systematically implemented. Due to the differences between language minority students in the schools and those English-as-a-Second-Language/English-as-a-foreign-language…

This paper discusses assessing the oral communication skills of non-native speakers of English enrolled in pre-vocational programs at Golden West College (California), presents the locally developed assessment instrument, and discusses multicultural communication intervention strategies educators can use to empower students. The first part of the…

A preliminary report on a long-term empirical investigation of advanced language acquisition in a study-abroad environment is presented. The project is based on an American Council of Teachers of Russian (ACTR) longitudinal study of the gains in Russian language competence demonstrated by American students in semester-long language programs in…

A study investigated the characteristics of elementary school (kindergarten and grades 1-2) teachers of limited-English-proficient (LEP) students and the oral language proficiency of students in the classrooms of identified effective bilingual and English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teachers. The study involved (1) a district-wide survey of…

This paper describes a language-for-specific-purposes test development project designed to assess both general language proficiency and classroom communicative competence for the purpose of accrediting teachers of Italian as a second/foreign language. A rationale for test design is presented that draws in a review of the second language…

The 12 tests cited in this bibliography are used to assess students' knowledge of German as a second language. Many of the tests described are included because one or more of their subtests measure some aspects of vocabulary, grammar, and reading comprehension. The tests are primarily for secondary or higher education students; a few are used to…