A testing technique is reported for testing oral production which attempts to combine the advantages of the interview test and the standardized, discrete-point test and to improve standardization of tests of oral production. (RM)

Tests to discover the nature of the second language learner's language are discussed. Such tests are based on the assumptions that the development of the system of the foreign language in the learner follows certain regular patterns, and that the learner's grammar is essentially systematic at any stage of his learning. (RM)

Gives the results of the language examinations given in the spring of 1974 in the people's colleges. Examination fields were: German as a foreign language, Russian, Spanish, English, English (Hotel work), Italian, French. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)

The Cloze test is explained, and an experiment described which was conducted by the Ministry of Education in 1973 using Cloze tests as language exercises in the matriculation examination. Results of the test and teachers' evaluations are reported, and sample passages given. (RM)

A discussion of the present potential impact of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) and Proficiency Guidelines on classroom teaching and curriculum design argues that proficiency-oriented instruction cannot and should not claim to be a new method for foreign language teaching. Although many…

Two Australian language curriculum development projects are discussed: the Australian Language Levels (ALL) Project and the National Assessment Framework for Languages at Senior Secondary Level (NAFLSSL). While distinct, both projects are closely linked. Each project was launched in 1985 in a favorable climate and in response to cost, enrollment,…

The influence of the communicative approach to second language teaching on the design of the new Certificates in Communicative Skills in English tests is examined, and the evaluation of the tests in practice is discussed from that perspective. It is proposed that a number of characteristics of the new series should relate directly and consciously…

This study examines the effects of foreign students' knowledge of a particular academic area on their comprehension of written texts in English. The students' university majors or areas of study included administration and finance, engineering, math and/or physics, and liberal arts. In two studies, the students performed tasks related to texts in…

Assessment of communicative language learning means evaluating not only whether the language used is correct or incorrect, but also whether it is appropriate for the context. In structuring a communicative exchange for the purpose of testing, it must be determined that the problem used as the subject of an assessment interaction is suitable, and…

Whereas testing is limited to the parameters of the instrument used, evaluation is a broader assessment of a situation. Wholistic evaluation amplifies the concept to include both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Student-centered evaluation acknowledges that differentiated inputs may attribute to differentiated outputs. Select sociolinguistic,…

A study examined inter-rater reliability on the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages/Educational Testing Service (ACTFL/ETS) oral language proficiency rating scale. Seven raters, all elementary or intermediate college Spanish teachers given only brief formal training in the use of the scale, evaluated recorded interviews with…

This study was designed to determine the amount of information obtainable when age-cluster norms (whereby student norms are available for 2- to 3-month age-group norms) are used instead of the usual grade-level norm grouping procedures. This distinction is particularly significant for studies of young children. Data included pre- and post-test…

A self-assessment test of Swedish as a second language is described. The test was designed as a self-diagnostic instrument for adult migrants to Sweden studying Swedish at labor training centers. The 1,500-item test provides students with information about their Swedish proficiency level as well as the proficiency needed for their professional…

Holistic evaluation, defined as the grading of an entire piece of writing without tallying or correcting specific errors, is discussed as preferable to discrete point testing or objective measures in assessing writing proficiency of English as a second language (ESL) students. The assessment process, in which the papers are evaluated as excellent,…

Since Upshur's (1969) original paper describing a picture-description test of oral communication ability, four empirical studies have been completed in which variants of the tests have been used. From these studies considerable new information on the tests' reliability and validity has become available. Indications are that the reliability is…