UNDER TITLE VI OF THE NATIONAL DEFENSE EDUCATION ACT THE MODERN LANGUAGE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA (MLA) UNDERTOOK IN 1960 TO PREPARE A SERIES OF TESTS IN FRENCH, GERMAN, ITALIAN, RUSSIAN. AND SPANISH FOR USE OF TWO LEVELS--(1) AFTER THE 2D YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL LANGUAGE STUDY, OR THE SECOND SEMESTER IN COLLEGE, AND (2) AFTER THE 4TH YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL LANGUAGE STUDY OR THE FOURTH SEMESTER IN COLLEGE. SUPERVISION OF THE PROJECT WAS ENTRUSTED TO OUTSTANDING FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHERS, WHO WORKED INITIALLY IN COOPERATION WITH THE EDUCATIONAL TESTING SERVICE (ETS) IN PRINCETON. THE 20 COMMITTEES FORMED PRODUCED A BATTERY OF TESTS, PRE-PRETESTED AS WELL AS PRETESTED, WHICH MEASURE LISTENING, SPEAKING, READING, AND WRITING PROFICIENCY IN EACH OF THE FIVE LANGUAGES. ALTHOUGH THE SCORING SERVICES OF THE MLA-ETS ARE AVAILABLE, DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS FOR SCORING ACCOMPANY EACH TEST IN ORDER TO ELIMINATE SUCH EXPENSE. THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT--(1) THE TESTS ARE OF SUITABLY GREATER THAN MIDDLE DIFFICULTY, (2) THE PROGRESSION FROM LEVEL TO LEVEL IS WELL PLANNED, (3) STUDENTS IN TRADITIONAL COURSES SHOW SOME, BUT NOT MARKED, SUPERIORITY IN READING AND WRITING, AND (4) WHILE STUDENTS WITH 2 YEARS OF A LANGUAGE IN HIGH SCHOOL DO ABOUT AS WELL AS THOSE WITH 1 YEAR OF COLLEGE, THOSE WITH 4 YEARS IN HIGH SCHOOL DO SLIGHTLY BETTER THAN THOSE WITH 2 YEARS IN COLLEGE. THIS ARTICLE WAS PUBLISHED IN "THE DFL BULLETIN," VOLUME 6, NUMBER 2, DECEMBER 1960. (GJ)