Describes a computer program that takes multiple-choice cloze passages and compiles them into proofreading exercises. Results reveal that such a computerized test type can be used to accurately measure the proficiency of students of English as a Second Language in Hong Kong. (14 references) (Author/CK)

Studies the relationship of attitudes and cultural background to reading comprehension in a second language (L2) of students in three different social contexts: Israeli-Arab students learning Hebrew as their L2, Israeli-Jewish students learning English as their L2, and Canadian-Arab students learning English as their L2. Results showed that the…

This paper traces developments in educational psychology and measurement that led to the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) and the application of educational measurement terms such as validity and reliability to testing. Use of a table of specifications for planning…

Articles and reports in this issue include the following: "Co-text or No Text: A Study of an Adapted Cloze Technique" (Dave Coniam); "Small-Corpora Concordancing in ESL Teaching and Learning" (Bruce K.C. Ma); "Interdisciplinary Dimensions of Debate" (S. Byron, L. Goldstein, D. Murphy, E. Roberts); "Can English…

This handbook documents assessment strategies that are in current use, have potential for duplication, or are in the testing and development stages, and that hold promise for more accurate assessment of limited English proficient (LEP) individuals in vocational programs. The handbook was developed as a result of a research and demonstration…

Intended as a resource of staff-tested activities for two-year college faculty, staff, and administrators, this manual is a compilation of representative materials from training workshops conducted, as a professional development project, to increase instructor skills and knowledge regarding intervention in reading deficiency of postsecondary…

A proficiency examination developed for placing non-native English-speakers in appropriate expository writing courses is described. The instrument is a multiple-choice examination containing items that test specific expository writing skills through reading skills. The rationale for including such items for placement in expository writing courses,…

This collection is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The six titles deal with the following topics: (1) a comparison of mastery and nonmastery learning approaches to teaching reading comprehension to Title I students in second through sixth grade, (2) induced mental imagery and the comprehension…

The "Test Development Notebook" is a resource designed for the preparation of tests of literal comprehension for students in grades 1 through 12. This volume contains 200 multiple-choice cloze exercises taken from textbooks in mathematics, and the accompanying answer key. Each exercise carries the code letter of the section to which it belongs.…

These proceedings on language testing include the following papers: (1) "The Style Test," by H. Bonheim; (2) "Testing between the Cultures: A Case Study of ESP Testing in Non-idealized Situations," by R. Brunt; (3) "Graded Objectives and Tests in British Schools," by M. Buckby; (4) "The Spanish Attributive Construction SER/ESTAR + Adjective: Real…

Principles of test selection in English as a second language (ESL) are introduced to teachers of Indochinese refugees. No previous knowledge of ESL testing on the part of the teacher is assumed. A discussion of the characteristics of a good ESL test emphasizes the appropriateness of the test for non-native speakers, validity, reliability, and…

The reading research studies presented in this volume address questions that incorporate more than one culture, language, or writing system, illustrate a broad conceptualization of the study of reading, and represent the expanding international consciousness and program of the International Reading Association. Part one offers the following…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 35 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) cloze procedure; (2) the monitoring and facilitation of reading growth; (3) the effect of immediate item feedback on the reliability and validity of verbal…

Cosmetology Reading Strategies is one of five instructional guides in the Reading Strategies in Vocational Education Series. Developed to assist teachers working with students considered disadvantaged because of reading deficiency, the guide contains several strategies, suitable for adaptation, specifically related to cosmetology instruction. Each…

This paper presents arguments in favor of using partial dictation as a test of foreign language proficiency. In this kind of test, subjects listen to recordings of material in the foreign language and are required to fill in missing words in a written version of the recordings. Partial dictation is preferable to ordinary dictation in that: (1) it…