The manual for administration of the Chinese Proficiency Test contains an overview of the program, including: (1) its history, content, and format; (2) its primary focus and uses; (3) administration procedures, including registration, ordering the test, reporting scores, and billing; (4) the interpretation of test scores based on normative data…

An overview of contemporary assessment practices often used with Latino students is provided, and it is maintained that these practices often overlook the influence of culture and linguistic proficiency on cognitive performance. A new approach, the Sentence Verification Technique (STV), is proposed as an alternative method to assess the linguistic…

A study investigated the appropriate use of item types for testing reading at various levels of proficiency. It was specifically concerned with item types found in the standardized group-administered Defense Language Proficiency Tests. The item formats investigated were signs in the target language, identification of underlined information,…

Four tests--PPVT, ITPA, MRT, WPPSI--commonly used to measure language development in young children are evaluated by four criteria: (1) what development aspects do they claim to tap; (2) what do they actually tap; (3) what linguistic knowledge is presupposed; (4) what special problems face a non-standard English speaker. These tests are considered…

An experiment, using College Board Achievement Tests in German Reading and Listening Comprehension, to compare the effectiveness of earphones and loudspeakers in language test presentation is described. Related opinions, implications, and conclusions on the effectiveness of communication media in language teaching and testing are offered. (AF)

The set of materials are designed for the assessment of literacy, English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL), listening and reading comprehension, and/or job-related skills of factory workers, and are based on work-related tasks. The materials consist of instructions for administering the test, a picture prompt booklet for the test administrator to use…

Examines a Danish English-language reading proficiency test offered to freshman students to diagnose weaknesses which may impede their academic careers. To facilitate the assessment of what parts can be transferred and used in other language areas, the article discusses the test construction, development and improvement. (11 references) (Author/CK)

"Edinburgh Working Papers" is intended to show a yearly cross-section of current work in Edinburgh's Department of Applied Linguistics and to elicit reactions and criticism. Articles in this volume include the following: "MSC Common Room Conversations: Topics and Terms" (Joan Cutting); "Speculation and Empiricism in Applied Linguistics" (Alan…

A study compared four tests of English as a Second Language (ESL) used for placement of students of varying language backgrounds and skill levels in an intensive ESL program. The tests were a text-based listening and reading test, a listening dictation, a self-assessment questionnaire, and a self-reported vocabulary size test. All measures were…

Information on the Ontario Test of English Achievement is presented. Attention is directed to the background and objectives of the test, test development, subtest characteristics and properties, validity, and recommendations concerning test use. The objective of the test was to determine the language competence of incoming students to assist…

Distractors, the incorrect responses to an item on a multiple-choice test, should be designed to create confusion in the minds of some students and to permit a competent student to be able to see that they are wrong. It is possible, by close scrutiny, to isolate the sources of this confusion and, by looking at a statistical analysis, to find out…

This publication is a compilation of the papers presented at the 1974 Washington Language Testing Sumposium. The volume also includes much of the discussion that followed each paper. The participants were an international group of language testing specialists from academic institutions, research centers, and government agencies. The primary focus…

Rauding theory states that two factors, accuracy and rate, explain nearly all the variance in the general reading ability of American schoolchildren (Carver, 1999). Using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and regression, this dissertation investigated to what extent the Rauding model could be applied to 92 Japanese university aged young adults…

A study evaluated the overall evaluative validity of the Four Skills Exam, a Spanish language proficiency test designed to ensure that bilingual education teachers in New Mexico can meet Spanish language demands in the bilingual education classroom. The test's construct validity was limited for several reasons. In designing a test capturing…

This guide provides descriptions of standards for assessing students' skills in French as a second language, accompanied by samples of student work in the four language skills (listening comprehension, reading comprehension, writing, and speaking) at each of nine competency levels. An introductory section discusses basic principles in reporting…