Commissioner's Rules Concerning the State Plan for Educating English Language Learners (ELLs) states that all school districts that are required to provide bilingual education and/or English as a second language (ESL) programs establish and operate a Language Proficiency Assessment Committee (LPAC). The LPACs are charged with reviewing all…

An Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) may be evaluated either during the interview procedure (direct-method) or from a tape-made oral interaction (semi-direct method). Such variety in methods of assessment can influence test takers' scores extensively. However, it is not conclusive whether such differences are due to test format or something else.…

The Zanzibar Ministry of Education instituted an English reading program into all secondary schools in 1989 to raise the levels of English teaching and learning (English being the medium of instruction and testing from secondary level and beyond). The program description and conclusions include implications for program design and implementation.…

The following articles on second language learning are collected here: (1) "Second-Language Study: Historical Background and Current Status" by Kenneth D. Chastain; (2) "The Value of Second-Language Learning" by Gilbert A. Jarvis; (3) "Psychology and Linguistics as Bases for Language Pedagogy" by Wilga M. Rivers; (4) "Differentiation of Language…

The report presented here is a follow-up and complement to a first report, which was submitted in 1978 to the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Alaska (Fairbanks). The general question underlying this report concerns the adequacy or inadequacy of this university's program offerings with respect to foreign language (FL)…

The importance of faculty development programs involving coordination between institutions of higher education and elementary and secondary schools is discussed. High school language teachers often express an interest in tailoring their courses to foreign language study at the college level. Such coordination requires mutual understanding about…

Reports from 12 state supervisors of foreign languages were compiled. Each report describes a state's elementary- and secondary-level foreign language programs and activities as of November 1980. Topics covered include basic foreign language programs, trends in foreign language enrollment, teacher training, work with other divisions within the…

Examines the challenges facing new assistant professors in general and language program directors (LPDs) in particular, offering the perspective of two individuals who made the leap from graduate student to LPD, outlining the most significant and universal issues facing new LPDs, and providing insight into balancing the demands of the position…

It seems irrefutable that the world is progressing in concert with computer science. Educational applications and projects for first and second language acquisition have not been left behind. However, currently it seems that the reputation of completely computer-based language learning courses has taken a nosedive, and, consequently there has been…

Foreign language teachers' organization leaders criticize the ideas and planning behind a privately-funded National Foreign Language Center, charging that: they were not adequately involved in its preparation, adult language education would be overemphasized, the funds could be used otherwise, and a tendency toward a single language education…

Excerpts from the first "Bulletin" of the President's Commission on Foreign Language and International Studies and an outline of the coordinator's presentation to the Chicago hearing are presented. The objectives of the commission include recommending means for directing public attention to the importance of foreign language and…

The effectiveness of the activities surrounding the work of the President's Commission on Foreign Language and International Studies in publicizing the status and needs of foreign language programs in the United States is reviewed. Three position papers produced for the Commission are examined. The "Resolutions on Language in American…

Events and activities directly related to the bicentennial of the French Revolution in 1989 are outlined, and literature, recordings, and films concerning the Revolution are listed. The role of the Mission du Bicentenaire is also described. (MSE)

Discusses the teaching of foreign languages to students below high school level, explores the problem of conducting adequate language programs during a budget crisis, and suggests what will be faced by the elementary school foreign language (FLES) programs of the year 2000. (nine references) (GLR)

Discusses teacher shortages in French language instruction areas in Canada, both core and immersion; the rationalization of programs; staffing and financial support among Alberta's tertiary education; language teacher preparation; and continuing professional development. Suggestions are made as to how a smaller university can better fulfill its…