A collection of essays on current issues in the field of second language proficiency assessment includes: "The Unassimilated History" (Pardee Lowe, Jr.), which chronicles the development of proficiency testing; "A Research Agenda" (John L. D. Clark and John Lett), a discussion of research considerations and needs in proficiency testing; "Issues Concerning the Less Commonly Taught Languages" (Irene Thompson, Richard T. Thompson, and David Hiple), which examines the relevance and appropriateness of proficiency testing theory and practice for less commonly taught languages; "Issues in Reading Proficiency Assessment", including "A Framework for Discussion" (Jim Child) and "Interpretations and Misinterpretations" (June K. Phillips), discussions of proficiency testing in the government and academic contexts; and "Issues in Writing Proficiency Assessment," including "The Government Scale" (Martha Herzog) and "The Academic Context" (Anne Katz), which look at an unexplored area in proficiency testing. (MSE)