The study reported here deals with the problem of determining what testing device can best indicate a foreign student's readiness for satisfactory performance at the college level, especially in courses requiring a good command of reading and writing skills in English. The study considers several standard proficiency tests and devises a formula…

This evaluation report presents the details and results of an experimental, compensatory language program designed to improve the standard English language facility of young aboriginal children on the assumption that this would contribute to improvement in reading and other aspects of academic performance. The pilot program was administered during…

The bilingual education program in a given community should be based on a sociolinguistic assessment of that community, and community members should be involved in assessing the surrounding bilingual reality and in deciding whether they wish to mirror that reality in the biliteracy program. This paper presents alternatives for bilingual programs…

Results from research with eye movement photography (EMP) are discussed with a view to defining differences between native-speaker and non-native reading processes. The greatest contrast is in terms of the duration of eye fixations; non-native speakers at the college level require about as much time for a fixation as an average native-speaker at…

This paper examines the problem of language development and language growth in the English-dominant Spanish-speaking student who intends to increase his total command of Spanish for the purpose of functioning in that language at a level equivalent to that of most educated Latin Americans. Observations are based on the experiences of…

This teaching grammar is designed primarily for university-level students, but may also be used for adult courses, high school classes, and in junior colleges. The text takes the transformational-generative approach to language, in which the notions of system, derivation, and relation are emphasized rather than categorization and classification.…

This report discusses the effectiveness of strategy-based writing instruction for adolescents with language-based learning disabilities. The instruction is being provided to Canadian students in grade eight who are at least two grade equivalents below their peers in reading and writing ability. The students are taught a paraphrasing strategy that…

Describes reading aloud as an interaction between child, caregiver, and book. Asserts that the caregiver's role is to provide a framework for children to converse about books--characters, events, and themes. Describes the PeRCS (Purpose explore Read Connect Summarize) idea, which provides steps for language exploration and idea experimentation.…

This life resources guide for senior adult learners contains activities in the life skills curriculum. The manual is organized by content area and instructional goal. Under each instructional goal, one or more activities is given. A list of resources is at the end of each section. The activities cover the following topics: (1) consumer education;…

The primary goal of the federally funded Chapter 1 program is to improve the educational opportunities of educationally deprived children by helping them to: (1) succeed in the regular program, (2) attain grade-level proficiency, and (3) improve in the basic and more advanced skills that all children are expected to master. This report examines…

The New York State core curriculum for English as a second language (ESL) in the secondary schools, which is a recommended minimum inventory of areas to be covered, is presented. The curriculum is divided into four instructional levels: beginning, intermediate, advanced, and transitional. At each level, language skills are further subdivided into…

The teaching guide for Alberta's elementary school French immersion programs outlines an approach to articulating the program's notional content. It discusses the development of both receptive and productive language skills in this context. Introductory sections examine the principles underlying the skill development method, the aims behind the…

In spring 1986 Anglo students received higher scores than Blacks or Hispanics on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS), on all subtests and at all grade levels in the Denver (Colorado) Public Schools. This study, by attempting to locate patterns of item response, seeks to identify items in the ITBS that suggest differential pupil achievement by…

The communication activities described in this guide for Spanish-speaking students emphasize functional competence over passive knowledge and focus on verbal strategies which enable students to interact. Communicative competencies are highlighted through stress on developmental levels (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) and nonverbal…

The communication activities described in this guide for Spanish-speaking students emphasize functional competence over passive knowledge and focus on verbal strategies which enable students to interact. Communicative competencies are highlighted through stress on developmental levels (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) and nonverbal…