A federally funded project was undertaken at the University of New Hampshire to: (1) determine the feasibility of incorporating specific techniques of oral proficiency evaluation in college-level foreign language courses, (2) create a network of foreign language professors in northern New England colleges and universities trained in the use of…

The commonly-occurring mismatch between second language student and course level, resulting in student boredom or intimidation, is due to overreliance on standardized language tests. These tests emphasize passive skills, such as recognition of grammatical structures and translation, and they ignore the element of communicative competence. As a…

This article describes the organization, functions, and components of the Defense Language Institute. The test division is responsible for aptitude, achievement, and proficiency tests and for test development in a variety of resident and non-resident programs. The progress that has been made over a 10-year period is also described and special…

THE FIRST SOUTHERN CONFERENCE ON LANGUAGE TEACHING ACQUAINTED TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATORS FROM THE ELEMENTARY THROUGH COLLEGE LEVELS WITH MODERN TECHNIQUES OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING. THE PROGRAM PROVIDED LECTURES, WORK-STUDY SESSIONS, DEMONSTRATION CLASSES, FILMS, AND EXHIBITS OF EQUIPMENT. THIS REPORT INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES--(1)…

Reports on the new foreign language requirements at the University of Minnesota. These requirements include establishing entrance standards and strengthening the graduation requirements, both of which are based on language proficiency. Workshops to train teachers in testing under the ACTFL Provisional Proficiency Guidelines are described. (SED)

The Chicago Board of Education's testing and tutoring program allows high school students to qualify for advanced classes, independent study, and credit in 29 foreign languages. Tapping the city's diverse ethnic resources for materials preparation and tutoring, the program has increased language enrollments by motivating students to explore their…

Twenty-nine percent of students enrolled in Austin Independent School District were English language learners in 2009-2010. The majority of them (62%) continued to make progress in English proficiency, and their state academic test (TAKS) performance continued to improve over the years.

The manual is designed to help Peace Corps language teachers design simple evaluation procedures that will: (1) help them select appropriate classroom activities; (2) encourage students to self-monitor their progress and take responsibility for learning; and (3) give insight into student aptitudes. An introductory chapter examines the relationship…

In spring 1988, 103 bilingual/English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) and ESL-only school districts in New Jersey participated in a study to establish norms for the Language Assessment Battery (LAB) and Maculaitis Assessment Program (MAC) in grades K-12. This manual is designed to provide local district staff with the study's results and to make…

This paper surveys some current developments in second language vocabulary assessment, with particular attention to the ways in which computer corpora can provide better quality information about the frequency of words and how they are used in specific contexts. The relative merits of different word lists are discussed, including the Academic Word…

The University of Hull (England) has a 2-year commercial French course within its language program. The first-year of the course is required of all undergraduates. Materials are largely written by faculty. All faculty have additional training in French economy and culture. Testing occurs twice a year, with four written skill areas from the French…

This study examined listening comprehension in 82 university students who participated in an American Council of Teachers of Russian language program. Questionnaire data reveal that specific listening activities are not common in college Russian courses, and that students have little confidence in their ability to comprehend what they hear in a…

A discussion of the current direction of second language instruction looks at the decline in college language enrollments, possible reasons for the decline, and efforts to adapt course offerings and curriculum format to current educational goals. Three factors in re-directing second language teaching are highlighted: establishment of standards for…

Three research studies conducted at Thai universities involving language testing and courses in General English and English for Academic Purposes (EAP) are discussed. The first study examined the predictive validity of different types of language tests on academic achievement in General English and EAP courses. It found that the test format, as…

The first in a planned series of three annual evaluations of an innovative French second language program in a Quebec (province) school district includes a brief program description, discussion of the evaluation methodology, and presentation of the results of the Spring, 1984 testing that is the focal point of the evaluation. The evaluation…