Current research is reviewed for implications for language proficiency assessment practices. Research is discussed concerning adult language proficiency testing, cognitive studies which attempt to conceptualize the construct of language proficiency, development of theoretical models of communicative competence, studies investigating the validity…

The Language Proficiency Assessment Committees (LPACs) authorized by Congress were given the responsibility of assessing limited-English-speaking students within a school district and making placement recommendations regarding these students to the local school board. This manual governs a workshop for the training of members of an LPAC; it may…

This test booklet is divided into four parts: (1) Oral Comprehension of Commands; (2) Visual Oral Comprehension; (3) Oral Comprehension of Common Verbs; and (4) Oral Questions. General instructions and teachers' instructions for grading are given in English and instructions for the student in Spanish. There are eight double pictures which are to…

Sample questionnaire included. Earlier versions of this paper were presented at the ESC Conference Planning Committee on Bilingual Education at the University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, March 3-5, 1969, and at the University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, June 27-28, 1969. (DS)

Bilingual programs offer an opportunity for Canadian citizenship preparation if courses focus on: (1) mastering factual information; (2) understanding Canadian culture and how its systems work; and (3) using what has been learned in the courses. (Author/CB)

Explains why it is difficult for the majority of bilingual-education teachers to develop teacher-like proficiency in Spanish in the context of the United States. Explores the "subtractive" orientation of U.S. society toward bilingualism that favors replacing the native language with English. (SLD)

Some experts claim that learning two languages well gives rise to mental flexibility, superior concept formation, a diversified set of mental abilities, and metalinguistic awareness. Although most researchers believe accomplished bilingualism and cognitive development are positively related, this view is not universally accepted, and the exact…

In dual language programs, children who speak a majority language are grouped with children who speak a minority language, and instruction is delivered in both languages. This focus on structural rather than instructional design can lead to a recipe approach to design: add the ingredients (native-speaking children, content language instruction) in…

Focusing on the assessment needs of language minority students in the early elementary years and on the evaluation of programs servicing them, this discussion directs specific attention toward accommodating language minority students in the New Follow Through Program. Introductory remarks offer recommendations for developing New Follow Through…

The French language competence of two groups of English-speaking pupils who are educated via French was investigated. Third and fifth grade English-speaking pupils were compared with French-speaking children of the same age. Results of the study are discussed. (Author/RM)

This paper suggests that one possibility for the lack of study emphasis and unity of understanding in the area of dual language development is that language study in general shows some serious gaps and reveals a need for viewing language development as a holistic endeavor. Noting the failures of Skinnerian theory, Chomskian theory, Soviet…

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…

The study ascertained through standardized tests, if a bilingual educational program had an effect on spoken English proficiency of native Spanish speakers in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The sample consisted of 34 fourth grade children enrolled in the Sustained Primary Program for Bilingual Students in the Las Cruces Public School System. The subjects…

Analyzes of the Australian linguistic scene, from the theoretical viewpoint of humanistic sociology and on the basis of empirical data collected from a number of surveys of ethnic groups. (Author/HP)