The underlying methodological approach of the CEFR is defined as being "action-oriented" and task-based (Council of Europe. 2001. "Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment." Cambridge University Press: 9), although it explicitly leaves room for a variety of approaches, since the CEFR…

Acquiring proficiency in the various English language skills and the ability to utilize those skills as a medium of learning is a daunting task. Research suggests that children who do not speak English as their first language (L1) need five to seven years in school before they can perform as well in English as their English peers who are native…

Discusses the schedule, curriculum, participant interviews, and results of the Texas Oral Proficiency Certification Project, which works toward the implementation of proficiency standards (established by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) for the certification of foreign language teachers. (CB)

Recommends that foreign language courses in college be restructured to provide separate tracks for students pursuing language study for different purposes. The tracks are: (1) for language majors, (2) for students preparing for international professions, and (3) for students who need to fulfill foreign language requirements. (SED)

Author lists possible reason why the number of Far Eastern students coming to study in the United States has almost tripled in the last ten years. (IR)

The University of Southwestern Louisiana initiated a commercial Spanish curriculum to serve the growing number of students in the business school. Two major factors were considered: (1) most business students had only taken language classes as electives and were concerned about the career relevance of those courses, and (2) language courses had to…

A new dean describes his use of proficiency tests to assess the educational status of entering students and to initiate changes in the instructional program in English as a second language. (MSE)

The international teaching assistant as employee or visiting scholar, screening for proficiency in oral English, course training versus ongoing training, staffing and curriculum, and international teaching assistants as teachers of minority undergraduates are discussed. (MLW)

A report presenting a sampling of proficiency-related projects consists of two parts. The first is a report on the state of the art describing programs, grants in progress, and plans to implement proficiency-based teaching. It was found that the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages and the Educational Testing Service (ETS) have…

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock Scholars Program is an honors curriculum for outstanding students. Based on the rationale that overseas language study in an appropriate cultural setting can be an exciting and efficient way to acquire cultural understanding and language proficiency in general, and oral fluency in particular, the new…

The development of a program and curriculum for instruction in technical English for Saudi Arabian petrochemical plant operator trainees studying in the United States for two years was undertaken by the University of South Alabama's English Language Center. The program was designed to accommodate (1) the degree of skills and prior learning of the…

The report details developments in three areas of United States foreign language instruction, each reflecting major changes in the way foreign language educators think about their role and the way in which they structure the learning process for students. The first section describes the adoption of a voluntary national standard for testing…

The University of Pennsylvania's foreign language requirement self-study resulted in re-evaluation of the existing language program. It revealed that most freshmen were not exempted from college second language study by standardized test scores and that the university's required courses were not producing the desired results. These findings…

This paper describes the development of a program to test oral and written language skills of students graduating from seven Hong Kong higher education institutions. The program's objective is to provide information for prospective employers concerning graduates' practical communication skills in Cantonese, Mandarin, and English. The 2-year…

The development and implementation of undergraduate second language programs at the University of Pennsylvania are analyzed in terms of several models of language planning. First, the stated foreign language proficiency goals of the four undergraduate colleges (arts and sciences, nursing, economics, and engineering and applied science), the Penn…