This paper considers the role of tests in evaluating the effectiveness of a government-funded initiative to teach heritage languages in selected Australian schools. External evaluations were commissioned by the central educational authority and included a pre-and post-test requirement, although the nature and purpose of the tests was not…

The assessment of sign language proficiency is essential for evaluating the outcomes of sign bilingual education. This paper reports an attempt to assess the sign language proficiency of children in a self-described sign bilingual program in Sydney by adapting a British Sign Language (BSL) test to Australian Sign Language (Auslan). The test…

The ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines (ACTFL, 1982; 1986; Breiner-Sanders et al.,2000) and the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) derived from them have stimulated abundant and sustained professional engagement by foreign language teachers at all levels and in all languages, as well as intense and equally sustained criticism by specialists in foreign…

Previous studies of washback (the influence of a test on teaching and learning) have provided insights into the complexity of educational systems and test use, especially in relation to the role of the teacher, but have given insufficient attention to the relationship between observed practices and test design features. In this article a washback…

The study compares the effectiveness of Focus on Form (FonF) and Focus on FormS (FonFs) approaches in learning new L2 words by 158 high-school learners of English as L2. In phase 1 of the study, the FonF group read a text containing the target words, discussed it in small groups, and answered comprehension questions. The FonFs group studied the…

Assuming the relevance of the linear precedence to the scope interpretation of adult Mandarin, this study investigated the development of this principle in Mandarin-speaking children, with a view to providing a basis for further study of parametric variation. Three kinds of sentences were examined, all of which contained mutually commanding…

A study examined the varying degrees to which learners of Spanish at the intermediate and advanced levels use paragraph-like structure in their answers during a simulated oral proficiency exam. Subjects were 24 students preparing for the Spanish Texas Oral Proficiency Test. Data from simulated oral proficiency interviews were compared to a model…

A discussion of language testing focuses on how proficiency scales are constructed and applied to communicative language assessment in Australian secondary schools. A variety of rating scale types are described and distinguished according to how they are constructed, what they attempt to measure, and what criteria they contain. A more detailed…

This paper examines one section of the objective paper of the Hong Kong Examination Authority's (HKEA) Use of English Examination. One of the test types in this section of the examination involves candidates completing a cloze passage based on a text. It is the HKEA's contention that the exercise involves summarizing/paraphrasing skills. The…

Methods are offered for adapting traditional techniques for teaching more communicative listening and speaking skills in a foreign language. New vocabulary is introduced by using pictures, either prepared or teacher-developed, illustrating the desired lesson. Written statements about the characters, activities, and objects in the pictures are used…

A study to evaluate seven commonly employed reading comprehension testing techniques in terms of predictive validity, difficulty and discriminability is described. (Author/RM)

Two Australian language curriculum development projects are discussed: the Australian Language Levels (ALL) Project and the National Assessment Framework for Languages at Senior Secondary Level (NAFLSSL). While distinct, both projects are closely linked. Each project was launched in 1985 in a favorable climate and in response to cost, enrollment,…

The influence of the communicative approach to second language teaching on the design of the new Certificates in Communicative Skills in English tests is examined, and the evaluation of the tests in practice is discussed from that perspective. It is proposed that a number of characteristics of the new series should relate directly and consciously…

A self-assessment test of Swedish as a second language is described. The test was designed as a self-diagnostic instrument for adult migrants to Sweden studying Swedish at labor training centers. The 1,500-item test provides students with information about their Swedish proficiency level as well as the proficiency needed for their professional…