This article explores the effect of raters' background on assessments made in an occupation-specific oral language test, the Japanese Language Test for Tour Guides. Assessments of 51 test candidates made by 33 assessors were compared in order to determine what effect background has on assessments made on both linguistic and "real-world"…

This paper argues that it is necessary for researchers and test developers in the area of language performance testing to have a clear understanding of the role of underlying performance capacities in second language performance. It critically evaluates the models proposed by Hymes, Canale and Swain, and Bachman. (71 references) (MDM)

Reports results of variety of validity analyses involving American Council on Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Oral Proficiency Interview as it was administered to 59 learners of English and 60 learners of French. Concludes that ACTFL guidelines can be useful as an assessment tool and offer advantages that warrant serious consideration in the…

Reports on an international test development project in which a revision team worked with experts in applied linguistics, and their varied opinions on language theory, test design and validation, and needs analyses, to identify the appropriate construct for the English Language Testing Service (ELTS) test. (52 references) (CB)

Analysis of the American College Test (ACT) scores of 17,451 students applying for college admission between 1981 and 1985 found that high school students who studied a foreign language consistently scored higher on ACT English and mathematics components than did students who did not study a foreign language in high school. (nine references) (CB)

Two cohorts of children (ages four and five, n=700) were screened with the Fluharty Preschool Speech and Language Screening Test. Results suggest that the Fluharty is too insensitive for screening programs aimed at identifying preschool children with language disorders, although it appears to have promise for the identification of children with…

The value of open-ended responses for computer-assisted-language-learning lessons and language tests is asserted. Results from a study in which students' notes and recall protocols of computerized reading passages were scored by both people and computers indicate that computer programs can score reliably with people, and in less time. (45…

Study looks at whether Spanish-speaking learners of Brazilian Portuguese as a foreign language demonstrates advantage or disadvantage in acquisition of semi-open vowels e and o. To research the question, eight students enrolled in first-year Portuguese were given a listening discrimination test composed of 18 minimal pairs to determine the extent…

Discusses the applicability and relevance of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) scale and guidelines when applied to secondary school students. The argument is made that measurements of proficiency have already exceeded the theory and should be slowed from further development. (21 references) (GLR)

Explores properties of second-language (L2) lexicon by examining word forms in the lexicon. Studies of native speaker lexical disruptions are surveyed. Then L2 interpretation errors are discussed and tests to elicit these errors and measure their significance are described. Finally, the data are discussed in terms of the features of the L2…

Describes a workshop used in teacher development programs to help teachers know what to look for when assessing a students ability to speak English. Also examined is how the selection and weighting of those criteria should depend on the circumstances in which the test takes place. (11 references) (JL)

German advanced English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) students' productive knowledge of English collocations consisting of a verb and a noun were investigated in a translation task and a close task. Results suggest that EFL students should concentrate on collocations that cannot readily be paraphrased. The tasks are appended. (32 references)…

The circumstances that led the University of Pennsylvania to use proficiency as the organizing principle for the evaluation of students satisfying its language requirement are described as well as the procedures that have been established to carry out the policy. (two references) (VWL)

Some guidelines are offered that detail the complexities involved in interviewing for language testing purposes. They cover strategies for structuring interviews (informal conversational, interview guide, standardized open-ended), questions, interviewing skills, and physical setting. (five references) (LB)

Testing issues and concerns that should receive renewed and increased professional attention are highlighted. These include curriculum concerns, developmental matters; generalizability, content and format considerations, contextualization issues, and technology concerns. (JL)