A study investigated the factorial distinctiveness of two receptive language skills, listening and reading, and the equivalence of factor structure across two groups. Subjects were 156 students, Korean-Americans and non-Korean-Americans, in grades two through four in a two-way bilingual education program. Students were tested in listening and…

Fifty years ago poetry was a key element in the English programme in most secondary schools in New Zealand. Today many teachers avoid teaching poetry for several reasons, one of these being the nature of the assessment of the subject, English, by the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) set up by the New Zealand Qualifications…

The purpose of this study was to understand relationships between English proficiency and academic performance for a group of English language learners (ELLs) from 4 elementary schools. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to examine scores from the Language Assessment Scales, the Woodcock-Munoz Language Survey, and the Colorado…

This paper examines the nature of confidence in relation to cognitive abilities, personality traits, and metacognition. Confidence was measured as it was expressed in answers to each test item during the administration of reading and listening sections of the TOEFL® iBT. The confidence scores were correlated with the accuracy scores from the TOEFL…

The purpose of this study is to ascertain whether the type of instruction (English as vehicular language and English as a subject) is related to the use of reiteration ties. In the first place, we identified, classified, and counted the number and kind of reiteration ties used by two groups of EFL learners. Secondly, we examined whether…

The Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) was interested in evaluating components of a statewide pilot program to support instruction in World Languages (particularly Spanish and French). The first component was an online student assessment, the Standards-based Measurement of Proficiency (STAMP) to measure the learning outcomes. The DDOE also…

One of the main aims of the Teaching Content in a Foreign Language (TCFL) program, an in-service teacher training program at the Continuing Education Centre of the University of Jyvaskyla (Finland), was to improve the participants' proficiency in English. To promote this objective, English was made the operating language for the whole program.…

The main goal of this practicum was to increase general science achievement and improve acquisition of Spanish as a second language in a group of 21 sixth-grade Spanish immersion students. The students were having some difficulty with Spanish learning due to lack of Spanish science vocabulary, lack of appropriate science materials accommodating…

The manual provides information to assist secondary school level program and curriculum designers in the creation and administration of second language programs. It is not a how-to manual, but includes descriptive data about program types in existence and criteria for evaluating language proficiency. It contains: a list of terms used and their…

This paper traces developments in educational psychology and measurement that led to the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) and the application of educational measurement terms such as validity and reliability to testing. Use of a table of specifications for planning…

This paper discusses the construction of language tests, particularly for English as a Second Language (ESL), that focus on language use in real situations. Linguistic theories that provide background for language test construction are reviewed, and application of those theories to ESL instruction in Japan is examined, with attention to the…

A collection of essays addresses issues in alternative assessment in English as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction. Chapter 1, "Toward a Definition of Alternative Assessment," (Priscilla Butler) gives an overview of the concept of alternative assessment and introduces some theoretical considerations. Chapter 2, "The Roots of…

A study investigated alternative methods of assessing student language skills in Arlington County (Virginia) public schools' Spanish/English two-way bilingual partial immersion program, with the objective of improving information for developing more effective teaching. A team of teachers from each participating school worked with researchers to…

This document consists of the separately published test booklet, two student answer booklets, and test administration guide for Alberta's beginning-level French as a second language test. The student test booklet contains instructions, largely in English, and questions, largely in French, on aspects of daily life in and out of school. Three…

This resource guide is designed for teachers and others interested in fostering Spanish instruction in the schools of the United Kingdom, especially at the secondary level. The first of nine chapters looks at the status of and rationale for Spanish language instruction in the United Kingdom. The second chapter addresses topics in instructional…