In a study of the reliability of an English language proficiency test for non-native teaching assistants (NNS TAs), 18 NNS TAs were administered the SPEAK Test. The results were compared with student evaluations of the intelligibility and clarity of the TAs' classroom speech. Despite problems with the SPEAK Test, the measure was considered a…

The admissable probability measurement (APM) format was used to score a criterion referenced language arts test administered in an inner city junior high school. Its 30 items covered capitalization, punctuation, parts of speech, and sentence analysis. With APM, students indicate their confidence in their answer choice, and guessing is heavily…

Spring 1984 achievement test results for court-identified, minority isolated (MI) schools in the San Diego Unified School District are reported. The Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills (CTBS) were used to measure progress in the areas of reading, language, and mathematics. Language and math scores trended upwards across grades; reading also…

The extent to which primary school students participating in an English-Ukrainian bilingual program in Manitoba, Canada, were acquiring skills in Ukrainian and English language arts was evaluated for the 1981-1982 school year. This program, which was instituted in 1979, provides half of the instruction in English and half in Ukrainian. Using…

A study assessing the instructional effects of increasing core French instruction in grade 8 from 20 to 40 minutes daily looks at students' acquisition of language skills, attitudes, and cultural awareness. A random sample of two groups of 150 students was chosen and the groups were administered different tests. Subjects were chosen randomly from…

During a panel discussion on high school-university relations, with reference to language programs, the following problems were isolated: student attitudes toward academic work; non-academically inclined versus academically inclined students; differing levels of proficiency among incoming freshmen; different methodologies; and reduction in…

This issue of a journal devoted primarily to teaching English as a second language to engineering students contains the following articles: (1) "The Contribution of Educational Technology to ELT [English Language Teaching]" by Mike Laflin; (2) "Looking Again at Student-Centred Study Skills" by Andrew E. Seymour; (3)…

THE ILLINOIS COMMUNICATION SCALE WAS DEVELOPED ON 16 MM COLOR FILM TO ASSESS THE RECEPTIVE COMMUNICATION ABILITIES OF DEAF CHILDREN BETWEEN 6 AND 14 YEARS. FORMS WERE CONSTRUCTED TO MEASURE (1) AUDITORY RECEPTION, (2) LIPREADING AND LISTENING, (3) LIPREADING ONLY, (4) FINGERSPELLING, AND (5) LANGUAGE OF SIGNS. EACH FORM HAD 5 SUBPARTS (1)…

The development of Hotevilla-Bacavi Community School, the first Hopi school to open under Public Law 93-638, is described in this model for other reservation communities. The following projects and programs are outlined: (1) the Hopi-English Language Assessment Battery, designed to assess the total linguistic knowledge of Hopi children in their…

The purposes of this study were (1) to determine achievement levels of External High School Diploma Program (EHSDP) graduates at Waukesha County (Wisconsin) Technical Institute on the General Educational Development Test (GED) or other standardized tests nationally normed on high school students, and (2) to measure the basic skills level of…

Performance Evaluation in Foreign Language (PEFL) is a Title IV-C project based on Krashen's Monitor Model for second language acquisition. As such, it recognizes both natural learning (situations requiring spontaneous oral communication) and formal, traditional learning (reading, writing, translation, grammar, syntax). The PEFL Student…

The difference between "foreign language learning" and "second language learning" is not clear because writers do not agree on the criteria to be used in making the distinction. Moreover, there is a lack of empirical evidence to justify the use of the two terms. The purpose of this study is: (1) to review the various criteria…

High school students studying French as a second language in Toronto were administered a questionnaire and a variety of achievement tests in French. Results were analyzed to determine the effects of learner characteristics on the development of second language competence. Four factors in learning success were posited: attitude, strategy, aptitude,…

The assessment manual provides information on test instruments for use with delinquent youth in the areas of achievement, perception, and potential. The manual lists publishers and prices, and gives a description of each test, along with it's purpose and application. Specific areas included are language, audition, vision, visual-motor…

This volume is intended to introduce college teachers of English as a second language (ESL) to some of the basic concepts underlying the teaching of English in India. A theoretical framework is formulated within which problems such as the planning of syllabuses and designing of courses and tests may be understood. At the same time, practical…