Despite the importance of lexical diversity (LD) in L2 speaking and writing performance, LD assessment measures are known to be affected by the number of words analyzed in the text. This study aims to identify LD measures that are least affected by text length and can be used for the analysis of short L2 texts (50-200 tokens). We compared the…

Purpose: This study compared the development of essential elements of narrative skill in children from African American English (AAE)- and general American English (GAE)-speaking communities using an innovative elicitation and evaluation protocol consisting of four key indices of narrative language: (a) reference contrasting, (b) temporal…

The authors aimed to incorporate learning into the cognitive assessment framework that exists for static assessment data. In order to accomplish this, they derive a common likelihood function for dynamic models and introduce Parameter Driven Process for Change + Cognitive Diagnosis Model (PDPC + CDM), a dynamic model which tracks learning…

Differences between the academic (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) and government (Foreign Service Institute) versions of the oral proficiency interview test are examined, and data from two studies of interrater reliability are presented and discussed. (MSE)

Ten objective measures of writing proficiency were used to evaluate advanced ESL students' compositions. Only those objective measures taking the absence of errors into account discriminated among holistic evaluations of the compositions by experienced ESL teachers. (PMJ)

Describes techniques for measuring and developing the syntactic fluency of students learning French. (P M P)

This bibliography of 138 works published since 1970 deals with evaluating the acquisition of language skills. The work is appropriate for foreign language instruction and English as a Second Language. The bibliography is divided into four sections: (1) controlled experiments; (2) evaluation in general; (3) evaluation in foreign language learning;…

The guidelines for assessment of limited-English-proficient (LEP) students in California public schools are one result of a recent statewide study of instruction and services for language minority children. An introductory section offers background information. Five subsequent sections present the specific guidelines, with explanation. The…

Issues related to the estimation of individuals' vocabulary size are discussed, including the rationale for vocabulary size research and the psychological, pedagogical, and quantitative approaches to vocabulary research and methodological problems associated with them. Some results from a large-scale assessment of Finnish comprehensive school…

This article on sampling early semantic productions reports a study of 6 children (ages 31-35 months) with specific language impairments. Subjects produced a greater frequency and diversity of multiword utterances in a free-play sampling situation than in a joint action routine sampling situation. (JDD)

This article considers the models and beliefs of language clinicians, as reflected by their choice of specific assessment instruments or measurement methods. Differences in construct and philosophy are demonstrated in a review of personality and vocational preference inventories and several subtests of sentence production. (DB)

Inconsistencies develop in the educational system both because teachers receive "mixed signals" and because theory and practice become discrepant, a situation which creates dilemmas in language assessment. Some current dilemmas include: (1) the difficulty in determining whether teacher-made and standardized tests measure what they are supposed to;…

This handbook, which focuses on foreign language teaching in the classroom, aims to describe the "state of the art" in testing. The first section considers the area of aptitude testing, particularly the diagnostic function of aptitude tests. A taxonomy of foreign language teaching objectives points out the need to classify the aims of foreign…

Part one of the Northeast Conference Reports for 1975 deals with the background of the three major components discussed in the reports: curriculum, teaching styles and strategies, and evaluation techniques in foreign language instruction. In the section on curriculum, the role of foreign languages in the curriculum is examined. A historical…

The Cognitive Curriculum uses a nontraditional approach to language instruction. Children play an active role, learning from concrete experiences while writing and reading their own material. This type of instruction has been developed with Project Follow Through students and has been particularly successful in writing instruction. The Productive…