Varying the order of the language arts subtests in the Wide Range Achievement Test did not significantly affect performance of 54 learning disabled students in grades one - nine. (CL)

The paper discusses four studies on the validity of a measure designed to assess prelinguistic communicative behavior. The measure elicits social-communicative behavior through presentation of 10 simple tasks. Both the concurrent and content validity of the elicited tasks were demonstrated through use with infant and toddler-age developmentally…

Four examples of general language performance measures for preschoolers are described to suggest a rationale for test selection. Advantages and limitations are noted for the Houston Test for Language Development, Preschool Language Scale, the Hannah-Gardner Preschool Language Screening Test, and the Test of Early Language Development. (CL)

Article contains a new intelligence test developed for use by teachers and administrators who are or will be working with Spanish-speaking pupils in the Texas Rio Grande Valley. (Editor/GB)

An analysis of Revised Preschool Language Scale (PLS) results on 672 preschool children reveal that one age-level grouping and five individual items appear to be inappropriately placed within the scale. Sex differences for both the auditory comprehension and verbal ability subtests, and for the total scale, were clinically insignificant.…

Discusses steps involved in designing a phonological assessment procedure for Welsh speakers in Britain. Shows that tests used for English speakers will not be adequate to assess bilinguals' competence in Welsh because of major phonological differences between these two languages.(Author/BK)

The usefulness of the grammaticality task as a clinical tool with the language impaired child is discussed by presenting the task as a method of eliciting a language sample. Data are presented supporting the validity of the procedure. (Author/SBH)

Comparison of deaf students' performance on Gallaudet University's English Placement Test found that those students involved in classes using materials from the Electronic Networks for Interaction (ENFI) project, which affords considerable practice in English, performed significantly better or showed significant improvement in some test areas than…

In this article, we use a dialogue format to explore the possible relevance of ideas in the hermeneutic tradition of social science for examining contemporary issues that lie at the intersection of concerns about validity and ethics in language assessment. Specifically, we focus on language testing as a socio-political-cultural practice and…

Grammar is central to language description and a "posteriori" construct validation of language tests consistently identifies grammar as a significant factor in differentiating between score levels and characterizing overall proficiency. However, there is currently no model of grammatical competence robust enough to be operationalized in tests.…

This paper attempts to tap the relationship between metacognitive strategy training and vocabulary learning of college students through a five week training program. It aims to answer the following question: Can metacognitive strategy training facilitate vocabulary learning of Chinese college students? Both questionnaire and tests were used in the…

Programs for adults learning English vary widely in size and scope. Some are large, multilevel programs, such as the Arlington Education and Employment Program (REEP) in Virginia, which has more than 45 staff members, over 100 volunteers, and an array of student services for the 7,500 learners served annually at the program's 7 locations. Others…

This study analyzed personal and fictional narratives of culturally/ethnically diverse students with and without learning disabilities. The participants were 82 fourth to seventh graders from urban and suburban schools located in a Midwest metropolitan area. Narratives were elicited in the context of naturalistic conversation and analyzed using…

This paper starts with an overview of the sociolinguistic context and a series of policy documents concerning English language education promulgated recently in China. It moves on to an analysis of disparities in English language education policies practised in different regions, differences between urban and rural areas, between social classes…

Cooperative play was investigated by a controlled pre/post-test intervention design with 28 dyads of 6-year-old students developmentally at-risk. Selection was based upon cut-off scores on a language development test and a nonverbal IQ test, and same-sex pairs were matched within classrooms. Co-variables were: socio economic status, free play time…