A BRIEF HISTORY IS GIVEN OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF OBJECTIVE FOREIGN LANGUAGE TESTS FOR HIGH SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES, FROM 1916 TO THE PRESENT. THERE IS A DESCRIPTION OF THE EARLY EFFORTS TO CONSTRUCT OBJECTIVE TESTS AND THE IMPERFECTIONS OF SOME OF THESE EXAMINATIONS. LATER TESTS, PARTICULARLY THOSE IN CURRENT USE, ARE DESCRIBED IN DETAIL, WITH EMPHASIS…

A testing technique is reported for testing oral production which attempts to combine the advantages of the interview test and the standardized, discrete-point test and to improve standardization of tests of oral production. (RM)

AUDIOLINGUAL TEACHING METHODS HAVE CREATED THE NEED FOR NEW TESTING TECHNIQUES IN THE FOUR LANGUAGE SKILLS OF LISTENING, SPEAKING, AND WRITING. VARIOUS CURRENT METHODS AND SPECIFIC STANDARDIZED TESTS FOR EVALUATING EACH OF THE SKILLS, INCLUDING PURE SKILLS TESTS WHICH UTILIZE ONLY ONE SKILL IN BOTH STIMULUS AND RESPONSE AND HYBRID SKILLS TESTS…

Criticizes currently available tests on listening comprehension, presenting some new ones, with explanations of their innovative features. Sees danger in overemphasis on objectivity, as it tends to exaggerate the choice-making aspect of the orientation level (Grades 5 and 6), thus contradicting its pedagogical purposes. (Text is in German.)…

THIS STUDY, CONDUCTED BY THE WISCONSIN ENGLISH-LANGUAGE-ARTS CURRICULUM PROJECT, DESCRIBES, ANALYZES, AND EVALUATES 16 STANDARDIZED ENGLISH TESTS OF USAGE AND COMPOSITION. THE TESTS CHOSEN WERE THOSE FREQUENTLY USED THROUGHOUT WISCONSIN, EXCLUSIVE OF TESTS DESIGNED FOR COLLEGE-PREPARATORY STUDENTS AND TESTS OF READING ABILITY, SPEECH, AND…

As part of the current trend toward adopting modern, objective-standardized test methods in evaluating the teaching of English as a foreign language (EFL) in the schools of the Socialist Republic of Romania, this review of pedagogical literature makes available to the English-reading audience information that has appeared in Romanian materials.…

Eleven papers on language testing deal with various psycholinguistic aspects ranging from the particular application of language aptitude tests to statistical methods of measurement and evaluation. Several chapters treat the difficulties involved in testing spoken language aptitude and attainment. Contributors to this volume include K. Brown, A.…

This report is a summary of the results of the administration of the Modern Language Association of America (MLA) Proficiency Tests to native speakers in Chile, Columbia, France, German, Italy, and Spain. The notion of a "superior" level of competence in reading, writing, aural comprehension, and speaking a second language is specified…

The state of the art of language testing in England is examined through the conference proceedings presented in this text. The nine chapters, written by individual authors, include discussion of the General Certificate of Education examinations, nonschool examinations, oral tests, research by examining boards, continuous assessment, and…

The nature of educational accountability, seen as an organized, systematized process of self-evaluation, and a review of available standardized tests for foreign language programs are examined in this paper. Teacher accountability is seen to rely exclusively on the judgement of the teacher and administration within the school itself. The author…

This address evaluates standardized language test results of students at the College of William and Mary in terms of their class grades and continuity of enrollment in language programs. Implications of the Scholastic Achievement Test (SAT) and the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) test scores reflecting actual linguistic proficiency and…

This bibliography includes most publications on the theory and practice of foreign language testing which have appeared since 1950. It does not include those referring to testing in the mother tongue. Parts 1 and 2 include other bibliographies on testing and a short selection of published tests which embody recent techniques. Part 3--the main…

This handbook describes the nature, uses, and limitations of the Modern Language Association of America (MLA) language proficiency tests for teachers and advanced students. The proficiency tests are examined in seven areas of language teaching competence: listening comprehension, speaking, reading, writing, applied linguistics, civilization and…