Discusses ways to change foreign language teaching in the British school system so that more students achieve A level passes. Covers such topics as the first term, topic-based work, material choice, sources and resources, equipment, foreign exchange visits, listening and speaking practice, reading and writing practice, translation, homework, and…

Discusses the foreign language tests constructed by the Natonal Bureau of Education in Stockholm that Swedish students take during their school career. Looks at tests dealing with productive skills (written and spoken), tests dealing with comprehension (listening and reading), and tests that are a mixture of comprehension and productive skills.…

Surveys the development of language tests toward authenticity and discusses the advantages and disadvantages of indirect and direct (authentic) language tests. Discusses the difficulty of applying appropriate psychometric measures to tests using real-life language, and the large number of tests variables which interfere with the authenticity of…

Analyzes the relationship between field sensitivity and cloze test performance for 286 subjects between the ages of 15 and 19 in six Pacific Island cultures. A significant relationship was found between field dependence/independence and cloze scores. (SED)

Describes the procedure and content of a test given to second graders who had completed a 10-week course (three 20-minute sessions per week) in German as a second language. The items of the test were taken directly from the material that was presented in the 10-week course. (SED)

Discusses the concept of graded language levels (GLL) and three distinguishing features of the Australian situation that must be taken into account when importing this concept from Great Britain. Describes the English (GOML) and the Scottish (GLAFLL) variants of graded language levels. Offers suggestions for designing a GLL package for Australia.…

Examines and contests the claim that all language tests are in reality testing the same underlying ability which is very similar to the Spearman g-factor for intelligence. Conclusions indicate that the argument for the existence of a g-factor in language tests is not tenable on statistical grounds. (SL)

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.…

Research shows that many students entering teacher education programs are deficient in writing skills. This article focuses on how to develop, administer, and score a writing sample. (Author/CB)

Examines the case for performative testing of communication skills for purposes of academic study. Also, the merits and limitations of performance tests and communicative tests are considered in relation to reinforcing teaching and learning and selecting and recommending students for future courses of study. (SL)

Looks at some of the methods of testing foreign language learning which are closely related to, yet pre-date, Wilson Taylor's cloze procedure. These include the Ebbinghaus Completion Method, which was first reported in 1897 and was used to test mental ability. Describes later modifications of the Ebbinghaus Method. (SED)

Describes the "Texas Project," a project to train a cadre of Texas-based college-level teachers of French, German, and Spanish to serve as oral-proficiency interviewers and raters. Discusses the four goals of the project and reports on its current status. (SED)

Describes a first-year German course at Portland State University whose dominant feature is regular, frequent individual oral testing using the Interagency Language Roundtable model of the oral interview. Each student was individually tested every two weeks. Describes the testing procedure, giving sample test scripts and the transcript of an…

Discusses a study of the reliability of a categorical instrument for evaluating compositions written by upper intermediate university English as a second language students. The instrument tests organization, logical development of ideas, grammar, mechanics, and style. Results indicate that the scoring instrument is moderately reliable. (SED)

A study determining that a single test incorporating several special features can adequately place and evaluate native speakers and nonnative learners of Spanish is described. The description of native speaker proficiency is also refined. (MSE)