Discusses the development, administration, and evaluation of the Test of Metalinguistic Ability (TAM). Developed at the University of Rome, the TAM consists of 96 items divided into 6 parts: comprehension, synonyms, acceptability, ambiguity, grammatical function, and phonemic segmentation. (CFM)

This paper suggests group role-play as an oral exam alternative, describes how such an exam can be set up, and provides examples. The examples discussed draw on vocabulary, grammar structures, and topics presented in most textbooks and can be designed for use in the first two years of language learning. (JL)

A study of 15 Messiah College (Pennsylvania) courses that students rated exemplary for testing looked at external and internal characteristics that distinguished them. External characteristics included class size, grading patterns, course type, and teacher experience. Internal factors included teaching and evaluation strategies. Lack of peer…

Examines the relative contributions of linguistic and strategic competence to the performance of international teaching assistants (ITAs) on a teaching task. Study one examines the relative contribution of language and teaching skills to overall test performance, and study two examines the effect of a one-semester training class on the retest…

Discusses assessment in the context of a national curriculum and issues that have arisen in England as a result of the introduction of a national curriculum about seven years ago. Outlines the public view, the official view, and teachers' views about assessment that were obtained using questionnaires. (JRH)

Contends that there are specific reasons that most college application essays are poorly written. Explains what English teachers can do to change this situation. (HB)

Assessment is described from the perspective of counselor inferential judgment. The problem with the conceptualization of assessment as a list of questions or measure is the possibility of getting stuck in the content of assessment. Types of cognitive bias and ways to avoid inferential error are discussed. (LKS)

This article examines the effects of test format and task type on candidate output in direct and semidirect versions of the oral interaction subtest of the Australian Assessment of Communicative English Skills. Results are discussed in relation to the degree of interactiveness and other factors that appear to influence lexical density and to the…

Rather than being a handbook of resources, this book is primarily a glossary of testing terms from the routine to the obscure. Although the title suggests a focus on performance-based evaluation, the book concentrates on orthodox testing procedures. (SLD)

This report discusses a study on the use of modern media techniques in long-distance oral testing that preserve the possibility of interaction by using video teleconferencing. Two test administration modes, face-to-face and screen-to-screen, are compared in an experimental design. (10 references) (VWL)

This review looks at the impact of word finding deficits, psycholinguistic considerations in naming (including relevant intrinsic and extrinsic variables), behaviors indicative of word finding difficulty, screening for word finding disorders in the classroom, direct assessment (both formal and informal), individual differences, and word retrieval…

Discusses a survey of Nebraska Teachers (n=397) concerning their measurement training, beliefs about the adequacy of training, influences on measurement knowledge, and perceived measurement abilities. Forty-seven percent reported their measurement training inadequate; most reported learning measurement by trial and error; most considered their…

Examines definitions and goals of the field of performance technology. Topics discussed include a model for visualizing performance technology; needs assessment; front-end analysis; the design and development of relevant and cost-effective training/educational interventions; testing; implementation; evaluation; and job aids. (LRW)

Describes one teacher's habit of bending the rules with relation to issues of English curriculum and testing. Describes teaching as being often a subversive activity. (HB)

Describes how one English teacher came up with the idea of developing creative literature tests which were both demanding and fun for the students. Illustrates the idea with an actual outline of events used in a literature unit. (HB)