The A-Level literature exams are criticized for using language that is too vague or too difficult, and concepts too involved or sophisticated for the student. It is suggested that examiners confer with teachers and compose questions that are clear and explicit. (CHK)

Criticizes the acceptance of the error quotient in evaluating linguistic achievement in the current "uniform" graduation examination in English. Offers examples of the unsuitability of this requirement and calls for a new, more balanced solution. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)

Expanded version of a lecture given at a meeting of the Teachers of Modern Languages in Colleges of Education (Tagung der Fachdidaktiker fur neuere Sprachen an den Padagogischen Hochschulen), October 1, 1970 in Luneburg, West Germany. (RS)

Commercially available tests and measurement instruments for use with English-speaking subjects are described and reviewed. Only tests that are new, have been revised since last reviewed in the Mental Measurements Yearbook series, or are considered established and highly used are included. The contents are as follows: (1) a bibliography of…

Using a new method, 48 children in an elementary school in Rome, Italy, were taught a foreign language (26 English, 22 German) and tested after three years. The authors attempt to explain the variation in test results in terms of the students' attention, memory, and phonetic discrimination. (CFM)

A study examined the correlations and predictive relationships between reading and language achievement test scores and North Carolina Annual Writing Assessment scores. Subjects, over 1,000 sixth and ninth grade students, were administered both the North Carolina Annual Writing Assessment and the California Achievement Test (CAT) in 1984 and 1985.…

This handbook illustrates how the classroom teacher can make efficient use of tests, discusses the main purposes tests can serve, treats principal kinds of testing devices especially useful in language instruction, and includes a section on the interpretation of test results. Chapters include: (1) the importance and place of testing in the foreign…

The survey of foreign language testing described in this paper resulted in the issuing of three handbooks and a special validation report, encompassing the results of research, consultation with professional committees, and significant position statements in four major areas of foreign language testing: placement of incoming students in foreign…

Intended as a comprehensive introduction to the construction and use of foreign language tests, this book utilizes modern linguistic knowledge as a base for scientific language testing. Major attention in testing is focused on such integrated language skills as auditory and reading comprehension, speaking, writing, translation, and over-all…

Consisting of four papers, this study examines university entrance examinations in France, Great Britain, and West Germany and compares them to similar tests in the United States on the basis of three subjects: world history, language study, and biology. The first paper, "The Relationship of the Examinations to the Secondary School Age…

This achievement test booklet is designed to assist the teacher in determining the length of time pupils should spend in Level 1 of English as a second language, and to test proficiency in the skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Listening and speaking tests may be used in kindergarten through grade 12, reading and writing tests in…

This bibliography includes most publications on the theory and practice of foreign language testing which have appeared since 1950. It does not include those referring to testing in the mother tongue. Parts 1 and 2 include other bibliographies on testing and a short selection of published tests which embody recent techniques. Part 3--the main…

The handbook reviews approximately 150 educational tests and their uses within the total process of educational assessment for students who have academic difficulty because of mental retardation; learning disabilities; physical handicaps; emotional, sensory, and social disorders; other health impairments; and related problems. Introductory…

This book addresses the question of what tests are measures of. Intelligence, achievement, and personality tests not based on empirical investigation have questionable validity. Some researchers now suspect that almost all tests given to students in all subjects, as well as general tests of intelligence and personality, are essentially language…