Foreign language aptitude is defined as one's potential to learn a second language. A language learner with higher aptitude is predicted to learn more, faster, and reach a higher level of proficiency. If this is the case, one way to validate the construct of aptitude and its measure is to conduct a validation study in which measures of aptitude is…

Concepts of second language proficiency and how proficiency may be assessed have changed considerably over the last 20 years. New notions of validity with respect to the interpretation and uses of test scores have begun to shape discussions about test validity and quality assurance in college world language departments, in government, and in…

K-12 English language proficiency tests that assess multiple content domains (e.g., listening, speaking, reading, writing) often have subsections based on these content domains; scores assigned to these subsections are commonly known as subscores. Testing programs face increasing customer demands for the reporting of subscores in addition to the…

This article provides preliminary validity evidence for the shorter Mandarin version of the Vocabulary Size Test (VST) under the content aspect, technical quality, substantive and generalizability aspect of Messick's (1995) construct validity framework. The shorter version with 177 Chinese university students in three proficiency levels indicates…

Provides a history of validation in language testing, discusses current approaches to validation in language testing (hypothesis about testing outcomes, relevant evidence for testing the hypothesis, developing a validity argument), and gives an overview of current challenges in language-test validation (defining the language construct to be…

Discusses validation studies of three British English language proficiency tests--the English Proficiency Test Battery, the English Language Battery, and the English Language Testing Service. Concludes that valid language tests depend on test constructors' knowledge of language and on their judgment as to the parameters of language proficiency.…

Reviews developments in language testing research and practice over the last 20 years, and suggests future directions in the areas of professionalizing the field and validation research. Argues that concerns for ethical conduct must be grounded in valid test use, so that professionalization and validation research are inseparable. (Author/VWL)

Provides a bibliography of published research papers that either describe the history of the TOEFL, offer a critical review of the test, or interpret TOEFL research findings. Some topics include: the correlation of TOEFL with other standardized tests of English language proficiency, TOEFL's role as a predictor of academic performance, the…

Testing and assessment in English-for-Academic-purposes (EAP) contexts has traditionally been carried out as a needs analysis of learners or a content analysis of courses. This article reassesses this approach to the development and validation of EAP tests on the basis of a theoretical model and recent research into content specificity. (VWL)

Part One of this guide explores issues in English proficiency testing. Tests are discussed in terms of the aspect of language tested, and of different kinds of test tasks. The following kinds of test task defects are treated: (1) tests that required literacy skills, (2) tasks that reduce to a vocabulary test, and (3) errant notions of linguistic…

This guide has the broad purpose of improving large-scale academic assessments for limited-English-proficient (LEP) students. It was written because large-scale assessments are studded with problems that affect not only how equitable the achievement of LEP students can be measured, but also how effectively LEP students' mastery of content is…

To date, little work has been done to ensure limited English proficient (LEP) students are accurately assessed on a large scale. The purpose of this guide is to help scorers in high volume situations to be able to effectively evaluate the open-ended responses of this population. Section one of this guide presents a brief overview of the State…

This paper aims to provide practical advice for creating a placement test for English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) or English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) instruction. Three forms of concrete assistance are provided: a detailed literature review; detailed steps focusing on the creation of placement tests; and a set of recommendations focusing on…

One of the ways in which language testing interfaces with applied linguistics is in the definition and validation of the constructs that underlie language tests. When language testers and score users interpret scores on a test, they do so by implicit and explicit reference to the construct on which the test is based. Equally, when applied to new…

This study shows the relationship between English language proficiency and achievement. A consistent pattern is demonstrated that the English proficiency level of English as a second language (ESL) students can predict student performance on state measures --the high stakes Texas Educational Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS). TAAS is a…