These two volumes of a newsletter on English as A Second Language (ESL) literacy education provide articles on: "Health Literacy: Recognizing its Importance in ESL Instruction" (Kate Singleton) and "English That Works" (Brigitte Marshall). Both volumes offer interviews (one with an ESL teacher and one with an author who write…

The Victorian ESL (English as a Second Language) Framework is currently undergoing renewal as part of the reaccreditation process. This ESL curriculum framework, developed in Victoria, Australia, is currently used in TAFE Institutes and private and community adult ESL programs. It provides a framework for 10 certificate courses across three…

This article examines the impact of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) on English language learners (ELLs). Title III of NCLB describes specific requirements that states and districts must meet in educating ELLs. In February 2003, the U.S. Department of Education released non-regulatory guidance on the Title III state formula grant…

Five papers on bilingualism are presented. "Giving Transfer a Boost--Describing Transfer Variation in Learners' Interlanguage Performance" by Claus Faerch suggests, outlines, and illustrates a heuristic principle for describing the result of positive transfer from one language to another, based on the assumption that learners maximize…

This report examined the demographic characteristics, educational attainment, language ability, labor force participation, and income levels of citizen and non-citizen immigrants in the United States in 1990. Based on recent census data, the report found that the foreign-born population of the United States, at nearly 20 million, is growing 4…

Alternatives to standard language proficiency testing of bilingual or language minority students are discussed in this educational policy bulletin. The New Mexico strategy is described, which uses multiple assessment techniques to identify students' home language, assess oral English proficiency through standardized testing and teacher…

This newsletter discusses a Swedish research project investigating the command immigrant school children living in Sweden have of their native language and of Swedish as a second language. The project's objective is to describe the children's language proficiency and factors promoting or inhibiting it in the classroom. The study is undertaken in…

This journal presents the following articles: "Introduction: Volume 14--Examining Performance" (Marie Cora) "Fair Assessment Practices: Giving Students Equitable Opportunities to Demonstrate Learning" (Linda Suskie); "Assessing Oral Communication at the Community Learning Center Development of the OPT (Oral Proficiency Test)" (JoAnne Hartel and…

Australia's Occupational English Test (OET) for health professionals was developed in response to the need for immigrant health professions workers to have increased awareness of Australian colloquialisms, improved language training, both in general and within the professions, and cultural awareness training. The test assesses speaking, reading,…

This study was designed to investigate the effects of a dynamic instructional environment, English proficiency, and visualization level, independently and interactively, on middle school students' construction of the concepts of reflection and rotation. The effects of a dynamic instructional environment and English proficiency on students' two-…

The eight papers in this volume, prepared by staff and students of the Institute for Applied Language Studies of Edinburgh University, address a variety of issues in applied linguistics. The papers include: (1) "A Coding System for Analyzing a Spoken Database" (Joan Cutting); (2) "L2 Perceptual Acquisition: The Effect of…

This collection of articles includes the following: "Introduction: Volume 13: Meeting the Accountability Challenge" (Maria Cora); "New Accountability Rules Pose Dilemma for Programs" (Steve Reuys); "Layers, Brushes, and Multi-Lane Highways: Examining Accountability in a Non-Traditional Program" (Marie Cora); "The Adventure Continues" (Janet…

The seven chapters of this theme issue on second-language instruction illustrate the pedagogical shift from measuring language achievement to emphasizing language proficiency. The issue explores empirical and theoretical investigations into second-language acquisition research in both affective and cognitive domains. (SLD)

This issue of the Journal contains the following articles and features: (1) "Information for English Teachers"; (2) "The Group-Oral Test: An Experiment," by T. Reves; (3) "Finding a New Method for Testing Oral Proficiency," by L. Taharlev; (4) "The Experimental Oral Examination," by Y. Lapushin; (5) "One Vote for the Group Oral Test," by E.…

The following articles appear in this issue of a journal devoted to teaching English for science and technology in Kuwait: (1) "An Approach to the Implementation of Dr. J.L. Munby's 'Communicative Syllabus Design'" by Bill Robinson, (2) "Une experience d'elaboration de materiel pedagogique" (An Experiment in Developing Teaching…