This guide contains descriptive and evaluative information on 47 major commercially-available English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) tests in current use around the world. For each test, the following information is provided: complete title; acronym; publication date; targeted audience; intended purpose; scoring method; administration type (group or…

The relationship between instructional treatment manifested as mastery learning and non-mastery learning strategies and various measures of Spanish proficiency was studied with 41 freshmen at an all-female high school in the New Orleans (Louisiana) area. Subjects were grouped homogeneously into 2 classes of 22 and 19 students, representing the…

In a response to the National Governors Association (NGA) goals and objectives related to second language study, the Joint National Committee for Languages (JNCL) makes a case in support of 10 NGA principles for change. It is emphasized that the study of a second language must remain an essential component of any efforts to improve the quality of…

An instructional guide for English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers is presented in this volume. The 18-week program contains the following modules, each of which includes sections on civics and structure: human relations; general information; housing; consumer education (money, banking, and shopping modules); occupations; health (two modules…

Papers from a conference on language teaching and testing are grouped in four sections. The first contains a foreword by Dale A. Koike and Antonio R. M. Simoes. The second, on research in second/foreign language teaching, includes the following: "Second Language Learning and Evaluation: From Theory to Classroom Practice" (Sandra J.…

A primary concern affecting the more than 300 American Indian tribes and their educational institutions is the promotion, maintenance, and preservation of their approximately 200 native languages. The nature of language use must be documented and assessed to ascertain whether tribal members, particularly children, possess native language skills…

Probabilistic models with more than one latent variable are designed to report profiles of skills or cognitive attributes. Testing programs want to offer additional information beyond what a single test score can provide using these skill profiles. Many recent approaches to skill profile models are limited to dichotomous data and have made use of…

The uses of aptitude tests for entry to language training, diagnosis, placement for training, and certification are described. The Language Training Program of the Public Service Commission of Canada provides language training and testing in French and English to public servants required to use either official language. A variety of aptitude tests…

A systems approach is used to show how changes in the design of English training programs for training international teaching assistants (ITA) have affected curriculum design. The approach is described, and three phases of curriculum development are outlined: initial design, ongoing reform, and radical renewal. The history of ITA program design…

A sample of 15 eighth-grade Hispanic students in a bilingual classroom were used for a descriptive analysis of students' writing samples to compare their growth between pre- and post- writing samples in Spanish and English. This was accomplished by juxtaposing English and Spanish pre- and post-tests using the same holistic rubric developed by the…

A discussion of language policy making and its place in a nation's economic and social development uses Australia's experience as a case study. In particular, it reviews the factors such as multiculturalism and international relations that have led to the development of a national language policy, and examines the interim documents and the…

A proficiency examination developed for placing non-native English-speakers in appropriate expository writing courses is described. The instrument is a multiple-choice examination containing items that test specific expository writing skills through reading skills. The rationale for including such items for placement in expository writing courses,…

This annual publication of the Rassias Foundation at Dartmouth College (New Hampshire) includes these articles and commentaries: "Clio and Hermes: Languages in the Study of the Past" (Kent J. Rigsby); "The Micrologue in a Student-Directed Conversation Class" (Stephen A. Canfield); "Baby Pictures and the Spanish Preterit…

The January and August, 1986, issues of the Bulletin of English for Special Purposes in the Middle East and North Africa (ESPMENA) include articles on instructional topics, techniques, and materials; book reviews; and professional notices and reports. "Some Comments on the Science Content of ESP" (E. Arnold) looks at scientists' opinions…

In the two major sections of this paper the influence of John B. Carroll and Robert Lado on the teaching and testing of listening comprehension since 1961 is examined. The first section reviews the literature of that field and outlines four major periods roughly corresponding to the methodological orientation dominating professional thinking at…