For the monolingual population, research has shown that vocabulary knowledge is closely related to reading achievement. However, the role of vocabulary has not been studied as extensively in the bilingual population. It is important to look at vocabulary to better understand reading achievement in the bilingual population in the United States.…

Through example, shows that the accuracy of the assessment of language competence, performance, and dominance of the potentially bilingual student may be seriously impaired by inappropriate conditions of observation and lack of knowledge by the assessor. (TO)

Describes several techniques of informal assessment which might supplement test results. (DD)

This study investigates typological distance and order of acquisition (i.e., the order in which languages were acquired) in the context in which Spanish-English bilingual students, whose first language is English or Spanish, are learning Portuguese as a third language (L3). Participants were asked to think aloud as they worked on pedagogical tasks…

This article describes the word reading skills in English and Spanish for a sample of 244 Spanish-speaking, English-learning (hence, bilingual) students in first grade and presents a predictive model for English word reading skills. The children in the study were assessed at the end of kindergarten and first grade, respectively. Data were gathered…

This article describes one example of how teachers can create or modify family involvement strategies for parents from linguistically and culturally diverse groups, especially those who are English-language learners. Although such approaches may not work for every classroom or family, they provide a point of departure from traditional forms of…

The Language Facility Test was administered to 48 preschool children in Head Start classes in Ft. Worth, Texas, to determine (1) if the spontaneous production of English speech would be better after the bilingual children were first allowed to perform in Spanish, and (2) if the English language performance of the Mexican-American bilingual…

The Primary Acquisition of Languages Oral Language Dominance Measure (PAL) developed by the El Paso Independent School District determines a child's structural proficiency in English and Spanish and measures language dominance to aid in placing pupils in bilingual programs. PAL consists of four components, including an examiner's manual containing…

This report discusses the findings of an evaluation of the bilingual education program in the schools of the Niagara South Board of Education (Ontario). (DB)

As society becomes increasingly diverse, the issue about language used for assessments becomes critical. Research suggests that completing measures in a language other than one's native language may result in inaccurate scores. The Children's Hope Scale (Snyder et al., 1997), a scale assessing dispositional hope in children ages 8 to 16, was…

Eighty bilingual Hispanic college students evaluated their own Spanish and English language skills before and after administration of the Woodcock-Munoz Language Survey, which provided an objective measure of these skills. Self-assessments were more accurate for Spanish than for English. Contains 37 references. (Author/SV)

This study explored comprehension monitoring, use of reading strategies and reading comprehension of bilingual students at different levels of perceived proficiency in Italian. The participants were bilingual fifth to eighth-grade elementary school students from four Italian schools in Rijeka, Croatia. Students' reading comprehension was assessed.…

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 educational status and English proficiency of immigrants to Sweden at the end of their compulsory schooling was investigated. Questionnaires were completed by 26 schools in 10 Swedish cities regarding the problems associated with the study of English as a third language by immigrant students in the comprehensive school. Schools in districts…