This commentary argues that the OET research raises inescapable contradictions in trying to separate "language" from "communication" within a weak performance test and advocates for reconceptualizing the legitimate domain of "language" more widely, reclaiming the full potential of the communicative competence…

Although the United States has had a language requirement for citizenship (through the naturalization process) since the first decade of the 20th century, very little research and discussion has taken place in academic circles about this requirement, which has been enforced for the past two decades through a test and testing practice to which…

The structure, level, and contents of four categories of final examinations, including the three-Point, four-Point, and five-Point Bagrut exams, are discussed. Possible reasons are offered for why some students take higher level examinations than those for which they are prepared. (LB)

An overall examination of the two forms of oral proficiency testing currently in use in most language teaching programs across the country: the oral proficiency interview and the simulated oral proficiency interview. Test administration, response elicitation, and rating procedures are examined comparatively, and a general overview of the…

It is argued that tests of English as a Second Language based on specific instructional materials, reflecting both real-world and classroom language activities, can satisfy measurement needs and provide interesting psycholinguistic insights. It is also proposed that the potential for mismatch between test and materials can be overcome by several…

Reports on the Minnesota Articulation Project, providing an overview of the projects' three principal working groups: political action, curriculum, and assessment. The article then outlines the theoretical underpinnings of the proficiency-based assessment instruments developed in French, German, and Spanish and describes in detail the content and…