This paper introduces criterion-referenced tests (CRTs), compares them with norm-referenced tests (NRTs), discusses how they can be evaluated and revised, and presents a study of an actual class and textbook test evaluation using CRTs. NRTs have dominated testing methodology since the mid-1970s; an example is the Test of English as a Foreign…

This paper presents the validation of an adaptive test developed for placement purposes in French at the post-secondary level, the French CAPT. Results from a second experiment are presented in which verbal protocols were obtained from nine college students of various levels with the thinking-aloud technique used during completion of the exam. The…

The assessment packet includes a series of oral tests to help develop speaking as an integral part of second language instruction at levels II and III. It contains: 8 mini-tests for use at level II; 9 mini-tests for use at level III; a rating scale and score sheet masters for evaluating performance on these tests; and a collection of suggested…

This research investigated the effects of homework completion on test scores for 401 undergraduate students, 94 percent African American, at an urban university in 2 levels of introductory Spanish, all with the same instructor. Five to six teacher-generated exams were administered during the course; the lowest test score for each student was…

This paper describes a battery of evaluation instruments designed to test the language skills of limited-English-proficient (LEP) elementary school students (K-6). The battery assesses students in four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing), uses educational tasks similar to those required in mainstream instruction, and reflects…

A discussion of the status of German second language instruction, particularly at the postsecondary level, focuses on the role of standards, curriculum, and testing in increasing interest in and support for foreign language education. A substantial decline in German enrollments in the first half of the 1990s is noted, and possible reasons are…

Taking into account the British government's decision to include foreign language learning as a foundation subject in the National Curriculum for all school pupils ages 11-16, this guide examines approaches to second language learning for adults. Chapters include the following: (1) The Adult Language Learner (learning as an adult, recognizing…

This paper discusses research conducted in the spring of 1991 that measured the relationship of reading subtest scores to teacher ratings of students' reading abilities. Sixty-eight advanced-level students in an intensive English program took an institutional version of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and a specimen reading…

This paper provides information concerning preschool narrative development in typically developing North American children, stressing previously documented links between early narrative skills and literacy development. Methods are provided for assessing narrative skills of language-impaired children. The methods involve eliciting from the children…

Alternatives to standard language proficiency testing of bilingual or language minority students are discussed in this educational policy bulletin. The New Mexico strategy is described, which uses multiple assessment techniques to identify students' home language, assess oral English proficiency through standardized testing and teacher…

Materials compiled for a conference on the assessment of Japanese second language proficiency include a partially annotated bibliography of references concerning proficiency testing as it may relate to the Japanese language and an overview essay entitled "Towards the Development of Proficiency and Other Tests in Japanese as a Foreign Language…

The third of three reports resulting from a study of the developing proficiency of adult migrants in English as a Second Language (ESL), this document describes the outcomes of a Victoria, Australia, research and development project to develop mechanisms for implementing evaluation procedures within the Adult Migrant Education Program (AMEP). The…

This paper examines points in oral test interviews where an interviewee explicitly seeks clarification from the interviewer on the content of a question posed, prior to attempting to answer a question. Some of the interviews are drawn from the Finnish Foreign Language Diploma for Professional Purposes examination (Tyoelaman kielidiplomi); others…

The text is designed for self-study of the grammar and pronunciation of standard oral North American English. It is not intended to replace learners' dialects but to provide alternative ways of speaking for appropriate situations. The book is divided into two main sections. The first outlines pronunciation differences between Standard English (SE)…

The question of whether students perform linguistically differently when writing under examination conditions than when writing term essays is addressed in this working paper. The study was prompted by the feeling by many students that their linguistic performance deteriorates in examination conditions and that this deterioration makes a…