English learners (ELs) in Florida face numerous challenges including low test scores, and high dropout rates, and are typically several years behind their peers when compared to other states. The purpose of this quantitative quasi-experimental ex-post-facto study was to compare the differences between ACCESS 2.0 scores of high school ELs in…

This article highlights the Orbital Experience (OE), a unique experience that explores the affective domains of second language acquisition, including communication in the target language, making interdisciplinary connections, and fostering a community of learners. Through Orbitals, students serve as experts by researching a topic of interest,…

The development of an oral language proficiency rating scale for use in evaluating New Brunswick's junior and senior high school students' core French program achievement is described and discussed. (MSE)

The oral proficiency interview, a one-to-one conversational interview structured to elicit the best performance the student can sustain, is based on a scale and test developed 30 years ago by the Foreign Service Institute. Interest in it has increased substantially in recent years, and further research and development of the measure for use in a…

This is an interim report on the first year of a five-year Spanish/English, bilingual/bicultural education program in Pueblo, Colorado, for grades K-4. The program is based on the premise that realistic language instruction begins with an assessment of each student's oral proficiency in both languages. The teacher should then develop this…

The principal aim of testing is to communicate to the student the extent to which he has progressed in attempting to fulfill his goals. Progress in the testing field is observed especially as a step in a feedback loop that includes goals, tasks, and evaluation procedures for providing feedback to the student. The teacher-as-learner also uses test…