Discusses differences between A'' level and O'' level foreign language examinations currently administered in English schools. (RL)

Suggests a functional definition of levels in the preparation of proficiency tests which would test the student's ability to operate in a specified sociolinguistic situation with specified ease or effect. Appears in "The Florida FL Reporter special anthology issue "Linguistic-Cultural Differences and American Education. (AMM)

Talk given at the Sonnenberg International Conference, October 31, 1969. (DS)

Discusses two requirements for successful use of tests for self-correcting by the learner: (1) the learner must, as quickly as possible, compare the model answers with his own, and (2) the teacher must provide a summary of the learners' achievements and deficiencies. (IFS/WGA)

Examines objectivity as a criterion for excellency in language tests through a critical presentation of the characteristics of objective tests. This examination leads to a discussion of what the best approach to testing language might be, endorsing a combination of integrative and objective techniques. (Author/MES)

Describes the Indiana University French Communicative Ability Test, developed to test communicative ability at a relatively low level (beginning university French), and in a large, multi-section program. (AM)

Though speaking ability receives priority in FL teaching, grades are given with little attention to it. Tests in current use are examined; a new one is proposed. The individual test is preferred to group tests. Various aspects of the individual oral test are discussed. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)

Describes a statistical method for evaluating the translation equivalence of language test items that are scored dichotomously. Provides an illustration of the method to a portion of the verbal subtest of the Psychometric Entrance Test, which is a large-scale postsecondary admissions test used in Israel. (VWL)

Investigates the relationship of test-takers' use of cognitive and metacognitive strategies to English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) reading test performance. Results suggest that use of cognitive and metacognitive strategies had a positive relationship to reading test performance; highly successful test-takers reported significantly higher…

Investigated the nature of second-language proficiency with respect to its divisibility and components. The correlated-traits and second-order hypotheses were evaluated using 354 students learning English-as-a-Second-Language, a wide range of language proficiency measures, and comfirmatory data-analytic techniques. (36 references) (Author/OD)

This article explores the effect of raters' background on assessments made in an occupation-specific oral language test, the Japanese Language Test for Tour Guides. Assessments of 51 test candidates made by 33 assessors were compared in order to determine what effect background has on assessments made on both linguistic and "real-world"…

Reports results of variety of validity analyses involving American Council on Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Oral Proficiency Interview as it was administered to 59 learners of English and 60 learners of French. Concludes that ACTFL guidelines can be useful as an assessment tool and offer advantages that warrant serious consideration in the…

Describes a workshop used in teacher development programs to help teachers know what to look for when assessing a students ability to speak English. Also examined is how the selection and weighting of those criteria should depend on the circumstances in which the test takes place. (11 references) (JL)