For young Spanish-speaking children entering U. S. schools, it is imperative that educators foster growth in the home language and in the language of instruction to the fullest extent possible. Monitoring language development over time is crucial for promoting language development because it allows educators to individualize student instruction.…

The measurement of self-regulation in young children has been a topic of great interest as researchers and practitioners work to help ensure that children have the skills they need to succeed as they start school. The present study examined how a revised version of a commonly used measure of behavioral self-regulation, the…

Using a nationally representative sample of dual language learners (DLLs) attending Head Start, this study investigated how the language used for instruction and the proportion of DLLs in the class was associated with English and Spanish receptive vocabulary development between the fall and spring (n = 531). Based on teacher report of the language…

One of the mandates of the No Child Left Behind Act is that states show adequate yearly progress in their English language learners' (ELLs) acquisition of English language proficiency. States are required to assess ELLs' English language proficiency annually in four language domains (listening, reading, writing, and speaking) to measure their…

In 2001, the U.S. Department of Education and the Ministry of Education in China entered into a bilateral partnership to develop a technology-driven approach to foreign language learning that integrated gaming, immersion, voice recognition, problem-based learning tasks, and other features that made it a significant research and development pilot…

This study examines the appropriateness of a large-scale state standards-based English-Language Arts (ELA) assessment for students who are deaf or hard of hearing by comparing the internal test structures for these students to students without disabilities. The Grade 4 and 8 ELA assessments were analyzed via a series of parcel-level exploratory…

This report was undertaken to help the Tennessee State government comply with federal requirements that all states collect valid, reliable, and uniform data for programs receiving federal funds as English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) adult education programs. Data must be collected to report learner gains in reading, writing, speaking, and…

An outline is presented of the instructional objectives for Spanish reading measured by the Austin Independent School District's Spanish Criterion Referenced Test (SpCRT). Available in six levels from kindergarten through fifth grade, the test is referenced to the Spanish materials available and the instructional activities for Spanish reading…

A recently initiated research program, designed to develop tests and other procedures for improving the selection of military personnel for language training, has attempted to amplify the traditional language aptitude requirement to include systematic non-cognitive measures of the prospective trainee's motivation. (Author/AF)

Features of Peace Corps language training programs are described with special emphasis on new approaches. The structure of a typical, minimal 300-hour program (4-6 hours per day) is contrasted with a new and very intensive program of instruction 8 hours a day. The increased need for two-language programs is explained. All programs require…

The 1978 Children's English and Services Study (United States) contains five findings for limited English proficient children aged 5-14, e.g., one-third are served by bilingual education/English (second language); Federal and state support for special types of instruction are received predominantly by limited English proficient children within the…

This guide is designed to help administrators, program coordinators, and teachers of bilingual children devise more effective ways of helping children learn. The role of evaluation in program planning and execution is described and some general factors to be considered when planning and evaluating bilingual education programs are reviewed. The…

This study sought to address concerns that high levels of literacy in both English and local languages are not being attained by children in U.S.-affiliated Pacific entities served by Pacific Resources for Education and Learning (PREL). The study was designed to answer the following question: Do classroom language use and instructional practices…

Two studies at the Defense Language Institute (California) investigated the contribution of several variables to prediction of post-language-training proficiency: (1) scores on a general vocational aptitude battery and a language aptitude battery, both used to screen potential students; (2) scores on other cognitive measures not used in the…