The book outlines, for second language teachers, how students can be helped to attain both fluency and a high level of accuracy. It explores language learning theory and research and a variety of classroom instruction issues and techniques. The discussion begins with an overview of theories, models, and methods of classroom language learning and…

Papers from the conference on language testing include: "Foundations and Directions for a New Decade of Language Testing" (Carol Chapelle, Dan Douglas); "A Comparison of the Abilities Measured by the Cambridge and Educational Testing Service EFL Test Batteries" (Lyle F. Bachman, Fred Davidson, John Foulkes); "Judgments in…

Responses to over 100 of the most frequently-asked questions about the education of language-minority students are presented for Maine school personnel. The book has 12 sections. The first lists and defines common acronyms, and the second addresses various aspects of student evaluation, including: identification of limited-English-proficient (LEP)…

Educational testing and its uses have come under increasing criticism as they are used more and more for decision making--to determine student tracking assignments, college admission, personnel selection, and licensing policies. The papers from this conference, which discussed the major issues in testing, include: (1) Testing: A Parent's Point of…

This publication is one of a series designed to inform and assist those responsible for foreign language instruction, including teachers, administrators, supervisors, and those engaged in teacher education. The complete series serves as a curriculum guide. The format of the series is such that it can be revised so as to keep materials current.…

Selections include Strevens' discussion of teaching for different circumstances, Morley's discussion of new developments in teaching materials, Swain's overview of research in bilingual education, Shuy's, Oller's, Bernal's, and Rosier's respective discussions of test bias, and Rivers', Hines', Scovel's, and Taylor's explorations of the Silent Way,…

Part of the new Knowledge Essentials series, "Fourth Grade Success" shows parents how to enrich their children's classroom learning and take an active role in their fourth graders' education by exploring: (1) What fourth graders are learning at school and the educational standards to expect in math, language arts, science, and social studies; (2)…

Under the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), standardized test scores are the indicator used to hold schools and school districts accountable for student achievement. Each state is responsible for constructing an accountability system, attaching consequences--or stakes--for student performance. The theory of action implied by this…

"Chronicle of Higher Education" presents an abundant source of news and information for college and university faculty members and administrators. This October 8, 2004 issue of "Chronicle of Higher Education" includes the following articles: (1) "Game for Anything" (Ruggill, Judd Ethan; Neelakantan, Shailaja); (2)…

Less than one third of American eighth graders score in the two highest performance levels on the grade 8 mathematics test given by the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Only a little over one third of Massachusetts eighth graders score at the two highest performance levels on the state's own grade 8 mathematics test. In 2002, the…

Papers on second language testing in Japan include: "Differences Between Norm-Referenced and Criterion-Referenced Tests" (James Dean Brown); "Criterion-Referenced Test Construction and Evaluation" (Dale T. Griffe); "Behavioral Learning Objectives as an Evaluation Tool" (Judith A. Johnson); "Developing Norm-…

The U.S. military has made numerous important contributions to the development of adult and continuing education. As in civilian adult education, military innovations in education have consistently used workplace learning. The educational benefits produced by the GI Bill democratized education by exploding the myth that "common" people…

A collection of articles on second-language testing includes: "The State of Language Testing in the 1990s" (J. Charles Alderson); "The Exercise of Power and Control in the Rhetorics of Testing" (Elana Shohamy); "Institutional and Political Aspects of Language Testing" (Bernard Spolsky); "Language Planning Policy…

Special Competition Bilingual Enrichment Academic Russian Program is a federally-funded program that served 623 native Russian-speaking, limited-English-proficient (LEP) students in nine public and two private high schools in New York City in 1992-93, its first year of operation. Students received instruction in English as a second language (ESL),…

A model for educational supervisors which attempts to link management theory to learning is demonstrated. With teachers today having greater autonomy in selecting appropriate content and methods, supervisors should focus on two tasks: they should become more involved with teachers in selecting goals and become more adept in monitoring the…