The purpose of the present study is to investigate 1) the teachers' beliefs about classroom assessment in English, 2) their actual classroom practices, and 3) the extent to which their beliefs are congruent with their actual assessment practices. The participants were grade-6 English teachers in a school district from the northeastern part of…

The Australian field of English as a Second Language (ESL) teaching is globally respected for its research and practice achievements over a period of some 30 years. However, this essential field of pedagogy is being diluted in the current Australian reform agenda which is firmly founded on a traditional vision of English as first language, and…

Teachers are now experiencing the age of quantitative test-driven assessment, in which there is little weight accorded to teacher-based judgement about student progress. In the Australian context, the NAPLaN test has become a driving force in school and teacher accountability. The language of NAPLaN is one of bands and numerical scores and…

Describes the benefits derived by the University of Alabama at a time of declining enrollment from offering the Goethe Institute exam for the "Certificate in German as a Foreign Language." Also mentions other innovations introduced by the German department: an intensive first year course and a German House on campus. (MES)

The problems associated with integrating limited-English-speaking students into English-speaking college classrooms are difficult to resolve. Beginning in fall 1998, the American College Testing Programs' new computer-adaptive English-as-a-Second-Language Assessment Battery, designed for use in postsecondary education programs, will help identify…

The Immigration and Naturalization Service oversees citizenship testing and issues visas to foreign students. Recommendations for improvement of the system include simplification of the citizenship oath, standardized citizenship tests in history and government, improved testing oversight to reduce cheating, and closer monitoring of foreign…

Describes the construction and field-testing results of intermediate-level tests for Canada' National Core French Assessment. Teachers found the instruments flexible to use and helpful for evaluating desired learning outcomes. Students found them beneficial for focusing and organizing learning activities. Both teachers and students found them…

A study undertaken in Japan investigated the degree to which students' use of English as a Second Language in journal writing outside of class corresponded to their performance on language tests. Specifically, the correct use of articles in the position and function of "a, an, and the" was examined. Subjects were students in a secondary…