Randomly selected, elementary-age boys (N=156; 31% majority, 69% minority) participated in three "processing-dependent" language measures and one "knowledge-dependent" language test. Results suggest that processing-dependent tests hold considerable promise for distinguishing between students with language disorders (whose poor performance reflects…

Sheds light on some of the possibilities and pitfalls of question design for examinations, referring to a specific academic setting as an illustrative case study. A narrative account is presented of a staff "consciousness raising" workshop in which the presenters drew on writing prompts that examiners judged to have work or not work in practice.…

Examines the contributions made by stakeholders such has learners, teachers, and parents to the language assessment process. Examines the relationship between experts and government in the United Kingdom. It is argued that participation by stakeholders is not limited to providing a forum but includes equipping teachers, parents, and others with…

Reviews current and developing technology uses that are relevant to language assessment and discusses examples of recent linguistic applications from the laboratory at the Educational Testing Service. The processes of language test development are described and the functions they serve from the perspective of a large testing organization are…

Suggests that any model of washback must include insights from the theory of educational innovation to help explain why tests do not always have the desired or feared effect. Key concepts in educational innovation are reviewed, showing how these concepts are manifested in a case study in washback and outlining how they are being applied in recent…

Examines standards in language testing, in the context of the legal framework of the United States and the United Kingdom. The article argues that research into test reliability and validity by testing bodies in the United States has a legal basis and examines areas in which examination boards offering English as a foreign language tests in…

Steps are outlined in the development of an academic language proficiency test in Spanish, to measure teacher candidates' language abilities necessary to conduct instruction in Spanish-English bilingual classrooms. Such tests must consider linguistic tasks that bilingual teachers generally perform and communicative skills in academic interaction.…

Two studies investigated the developmental trends and concurrent validity of the Language Proficiency Profile-2 (LPP-2), a measure of language and communication skills for deaf children. Results indicate that the LPP-2 has good utility not only as a measure of overall language development but also as a predictor of achievement for English language…

Discusses the Mabar experiment underway at WIZO High School in Rehovot, Israel. The experiment aims to make Bagrut exams accessible to students thought incapable or uninterested in taking the exam. (CK)

Discusses the development of the Adaptive Testing Linguistic Achievement Significance (ATLAS) test used to evaluate second language proficiency of Belgian civil servants. Notes that testers encountered various problems caused by the complexity of language, the difference in background of the candidates and the absence of official objective test…

FACETS many-facet Rasch analysis software was utilized to look at two consecutive administrations of a large-scale second language oral assessment in the form of a peer group discussion task with Japanese English-major university students. Results are discussed. (Author/VWL)

Issues in measuring language proficiency of monolingual and bilingual persons are discussed. Psychometric procedures in developing both English- and Spanish-language proficiency instruments are illustrated through development of the New York City Language Assessment Battery, an assessment of proficiency in both languages used to screen eligibility…

To streamline the process of collecting spontaneous language samples, a modified format of the "Multilevel Informal Language Inventory" was administered to 150 public school children, aged four-six. Administration, scoring, and analysis required approximately 35 minutes per child. Scores obtained were used to compute normative data on a…

A project explored university students' reactions to various lesson design features in computer-assisted French lessons. Results indicated that drill-and-practice software could incorporate mastery-level learning goals when supported by adequate learner assistance, and that computer quizzes had a useful function. (Author/CB)

Explores the few studies that compare the psycholinguistic processes characterizing second language acquisition in the classroom and native-speaking environments. A description of a study that found that, although intermediate Spanish students extensively monitored language usage in both environments, their monitored knowledge was still quite…