This contribution investigates gains in technical economy in measuring language ability by considering one recurrent interest of JD Brown: cloze tests. In the various versions of the Test of Academic Literacy Levels (TALL), its Sesotho and Afrikaans (Toets van Akademiese Geletterdheidsvlakke -- TAG) counterparts, as well as related other tests…

This study explores vocabulary assessment practices in Saudi Arabia's hybrid EFL ecosystem, leveraging platforms like Blackboard and Google Forms. The focus is on identifying prevalent test formats and evaluating their alignment with modern pedagogical goals. To classify vocabulary assessment formats in hybridized EFL contexts and recommend the…

The role of context in cloze tests has long been seen as both a benefit as well as a complication in their usefulness as a measure of second language comprehension (Brown, 2013). Passage cohesion, in particular, would seem to have a relevant and important effect on the degree to which cloze items function and the interpretability of performances…

Reports on two studies of the effect of different typographic settings on the speed and accuracy of responses to cloze procedure reading tests. Concludes that in-text responding and dashes produce significantly higher scores. (SRT)

Studies the application of the letter-deletion procedure (LDP), which matches the advantages of both rational deletion and C-Tests and avoids their disadvantages to English-as-a-Second-Language tests. LDP flexibly reduces redundancy in a text by deleting letters in item words according to specified principles. (Author/LMO)

Analyzes the effects of selected deletion patterns, blank conditions, and scoring modes on the cloze test performance of sixth-grade students. (FL)

A Monte Carlo design examined how the effects of guessing and item dependence influence test characteristics and student scores. Although validity for cloze variants was high, multiple-choice cloze had significantly lower reliabilities than did true score equivalents. (Author/PN)

College students were trained on a hierarchical mapping technique designed to facilitate prose processing. The students studied a geology passage and five days later were given four types of tests. The treatment group significantly outperformed a control group; the major differences were attributable to concept cloze and essay exams. (Author/RD)

The design, administration, revision, and validation of the Southeast Asian Summer Studies Institute proficiency examinations are reported. The examinations were created as parallel language proficiency tests in each of five languages: Indonesian, Khmer, Tagalog, Thai, and Vietnamese. Four tests were developed in each language: multiple-choice…

Test scores were compared for two types of objective achievement tests--multiple choice tests and the recently developed Multi-Digit Test (MDT) procedure. MDT is an approximation of the fill-in-the-blank technique. Students select their answers from long lists of alphabetized terms, with each answer corresponding to a number from 001 to 999. The…

The development and validation of a test of listening comprehension for English as a second language at the Dutch National Institute for Educational Measurement (Cito) is described. The test uses two distinct item formats: true-false items and modified cloze items with two options. Both item formats were found to measure foreign language listening…

The purposes and methods of testing in bilingual and English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) education are discussed. Different instruments, including specific published tests, are listed and described briefly. They include language proficiency assessments, achievement tests, and assessments in special education. Introductory sections address topics…