In the high-stakes accountability English educational system, decisions made by government and agencies about curriculum, pedagogy and assessment drive school planning and actions. This paper analyses the drivers for the recent change to French German and Spanish GCSEs and highlights particular areas of the new specification which may damage the…

Pearson's Learning Foundations describe the optimal conditions for learning and reflect the learner experience Pearson hopes their products will create. Pearson does this by incorporating the Learning Design Principles. Each of the Learning Design Principles goes into detail about a key principle, supporting product design and marketing by…

Even though there are four English language skills in the Indonesia's national curriculum at upper secondary schools, each of these skills is given an unequal emphasis since only reading and listening skills are formally tested in the national examination. Although writing competence possesses a particular stake as the determinant of students'…

Background: This study investigates how the criterion-referenced (CR) approach has impacted relationships between goals, classroom practices, and student achievement in English education in Japan from 1994 to the present, a period covering three government-mandated administrations of a national curriculum (Course of Study). No study has…

This study reports on how a heterogeneous mixed-ability large class (63 students) turned into a cohesive and functioning class. To promote learner autonomy, students were made responsible to identify their own needs and objectives. The participants of this study consisted of undergraduate chemistry students who had taken the English for General…

This study explores middle-level administrators' perceptions of the implementation of English as a foreign language curriculum policies in the Chinese tertiary context. Drawing on data collected from interviews with the department heads of six universities in a north-western city in China, the article examines their perspectives on the national…

Negative influences on teaching practices and objectives in modern language programs, caused by certain final examination practices in Sweden, are pointed out and criticized in this paper. The needs of the Swedish student of languages are determined to be related to the use of language primarily as a means of everyday communication. The…

Part one of the Northeast Conference Reports for 1975 deals with the background of the three major components discussed in the reports: curriculum, teaching styles and strategies, and evaluation techniques in foreign language instruction. In the section on curriculum, the role of foreign languages in the curriculum is examined. A historical…

The 1975 Northeast Conference's Reports propose to help language teachers at every level define their goals, implement them, and help their students recognize their achievement of language skills. The three components explored in the Reports are curriculum, teaching styles and strategies, and evaluation techniques. These components should not be…

The handling of this survey was intrusted to Dr. Leonard V. Koos, of the University of Chicago. With great skill he has, working on a full-time basis during his free quarters from the University of Chicago and part time during other quarters, brought it to a conclusion. This manuscript was prepared by Helen M. Eddy, associate professor of romance…

Foreign language study is appealing to a broader clientele today, which results in a great diversity of needs. A more personalized curriculum and instructional activities geared towards accommodating the needs and interests of the individual are needed. The cultural background of the learner is a significant factor in determining his frame of…

The guiding principles and procedures for pupil assessment in Portuguese compulsory education were established by the Implementing Order No. 1/2005, 5th January, with amendments introduced by the Implementing Orders No. 18/2006, 14th March and No. 5/2007, 10th January, and apply to the learning objectives and competencies defined for the various…

This handbook was designed for use in conjunction with an ongoing program in the New York (New York) Public Schools to improve students' test-taking skills. Directed towards third grade teachers and their supervisors, this guide has been developed for implementation as an integral part of the school's ongoing instruction in communication arts and…

This handbook was designed for use in conjunction with an ongoing program in the New York (New York) public schools to improve students' test-taking skills. Directed towards sixth grade teachers and their supervisors, this guide has been developed for implementation as an integral part of the school's ongoing instruction in communication arts and…

Part two of the Northeast Conference Reports for 1975 deals with implementation of the ideas outlined in part one regarding curriculum, teaching and evaluation. Culture is discussed as it relates to the four language skills, at all levels, with a look at the planning and construction of a culturally oriented thematic unit. In addition,…