Schools in the Houston Independent School District (HISD) are required to administer standardized assessments to measure student achievement in core academic areas. The assessments are administered in English. Student scores are used to rank schools in defined categories of performance ranging from Underperforming to Exemplary. A significant…

This study investigated the dominant language skill development of spouses within migrating units in Australia. It analyzed the English proficiency of a sample of principal applicant (PA) immigrants (immigrants upon whom the approval to immigrate is based) and their spouses, referred to as migrating unit spouses (MUSs). The study assessed whether…

The College Board conducted a survey of students who took the ELPT test in 1996 and 1997. The survey yielded responses from 141 students with self-reported TOEFL scores. The results suggest a strong, near linear relationship between students' performance levels on these two English language proficiency instruments.

Describes immersion programs in the United States and Canada and reviews results of evaluative research pertaining to them. Discusses findings with respect to students' native-language development, academic achievement, and second language proficiency. Also discusses the suitability of immersion for students with distinctive, potentially…

Examines theoretical and practical issues in ESL testing including inadequacies of definitions of language proficiency with respect to test taker characteristics; empirical evidence in support of relationship between test taker characteristics and performance on language tests; and guidelines to dealing with test taker characteristics and language…

Studied the extent to which first language and second language (l2) writing proficiency can predict performance in L2 writing. Findings suggest that writing in a foreign or second language context is necessarily a language problem, not a writing problem. (Author/VWL)

Examines the impact of topic familiarity, second language (L2) reading proficiency, and L2 passage sight vocabulary on incidental vocabulary acquisition. Analyses reveal robust effects of reading proficiency, differential effects of topic familiarity, and isolated effects of passage sight vocabulary. (Author/VWL)

Focuses on logical connectives as catalysts for interactive reading. Clarifies how text comprehension can be affected by the types of logical relations and by the levels of proficiency in English as a Second Language, using Japanese university students as the subjects for experimentation and focusing on three logical connectives: "for…

Discusses theoretical and practical issues pertaining to translation or adaptation of educational assessments in the United States. These include the role of language proficiency and academic background in performance on standards-based achievement tests in different languages, factors affecting the decision to translate tests in different…

Probes the developmental process a nonnative English-speaking child experienced in the United states and how his parents and other factors influenced his bilingual language proficiency. (Author/VWL)

Examines recent research on teaching culture in the foreign language classroom. Proposes a model for culture teaching that responds to a clearer definition of cultural proficiency. Focuses on classroom testing and proficiency assessment. (Author/VWL)

Investigates whether it may still be possible to develop a word association test for assessing proficiency in a foreign language. A multiple-response word association test was constructed with careful consideration of prompt words as defining criterion. The test was administered to learners, and scores were correlated with C-test scores. Results…

A first person historical examination is provided of the use of grammar rules (the grammar-translation era) as a means of developing second-language proficiency and its effectiveness on second-language learning and speaking ability. (GLR)

Argues for a cognitive psychological approach to second-language learning that emphasizes the importance of the development of automaticity and the process of restructuring. It is suggested that language practice can lead to both increased, and occasionally decreased, performance levels, which cognitive psychology may help researchers to…

Examines the theoretical underpinnings of the 1986 American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Proficiency Guidelines for reading, covering an historical perspective, the role of background knowledge, the process/product distinction, text types, and hierarchical and interactive reading models. (CB)