Numerous instruments used by school districts to assess language dominance are not designed to determine either language dominance or proficiency. Nor do they yield sufficient data for appropriate program placement. One example of such an instrument is the Del Rio Language Screening Test (DRLST), designed to screen children of three to seven years…

A study was conducted in 1980-81 at Santa Ana College (SAC) to collect data on the English communication skills of non-native English speakers and to determine if a relationship existed between these skills and student's educational success. A sample of 22 classes, with an enrollment of at least 50% non-native English speakers and representing a…

The first year of a three-year longitudinal study of the English language development of 175 French-speaking elementary and secondary school students in Quebec, Canada, is described. The major study goals are: to obtain precise longitudinal information on ESL development; to describe aspects of classroom interaction, including language used by the…

This teaching guide accompanies the speech skills and reading comprehension portions of a course in English as a second language for adult nursing aide students. The rationale of course organization is explained. The reading teacher is given general instructions on testing and review and the use of Cloze passages. The speech teacher is provided…

Book three, part one, of an intermediate-advanced level German refresher course for college students ls presented. The volume consists of 42 lessons of text material and 42 prerecorded tapes. A typical unit is made up of spontaneous dialogues, substitution drills, and tests. A dialogue for listening is a short conversation between German speakers…

Book three, part two, of an intermediate-advanced level German refresher course for college students is presented. The volume consists of 42 lessons of text material and 42 prerecorded tapes. A typical unit is made up of spontaneous dialogues, substitution drills, and tests. A dialogue for listening is a short conversation between German speakers…

In a study designed to validate oral language proficiency tests, it is planned to administer a series of tests to 100 native Mandarin Chinese-speaking subjects (foreign students and their spouses). The tests will measure communicative competence in speaking (ability to speak, exhibiting control of linguistic, sociolinguistic, and pragmatic rules;…

TESTING IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE PROGRAMS BECAUSE THE NATURE OF AUDIOLINGUAL TEACHING REQUIRES GREAT AMOUNTS OF FEEDBACK, REINFORCEMENT, AND VERIFICATION. TESTS CAN MEASURE APTITUDE AND ACHIEVEMENT, CAN DIAGNOSE, AND, MOST IMPORTANT, CAN BE AN EFFECTIVE TEACHING TOOL. MANY TEACHING TECHNIQUES ARE EXCELLENT FOR TESTING AND SOME…

This measure is designed to identify, assess, and diagnose the oral language capability of English and Spanish speakers, and to prescribe corrective or improvement activities. Part One provides minimum criteria to identify children who might need training in a second language. Part Two is designed to assess the child's primary or home language and…

English grammar testing practices from the middle school level to the first two years of the bachelor's degree in India are examined, and suggestions for change are presented. Ten to thirty percent of the total marks allotted to question papers in English are set aside for the testing of grammar and usage. It is argued that syllabuses at present…

Three measure of English language proficiency (a partial dictation [Cloze] test, a text-reading and recollection test, and a story-telling test) were administered to three groups of college-level students (Finns, Swedish-Finns, and Swedes). The results are analyzed in several articles presented here: (1) "The Comprehension of Function Words…

LANGUAGE PATTERNS OF BALTIMORE FIFTH-GRADERS FROM FOUR DISADVANTAGED, INNER-CITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS--TWO WHITE AND TWO NEGRO--AND FROM ONE WHITE MIDDLE-CLASS SUBURBAN SCHOOL WERE EXAMINED (1) TO IDENTIFY SUBGROUPS WHOSE LANGUAGE BEHAVIOR DIFFERS SYSTEMATICALLY FROM EACH OTHER AND FROM STANDARD ENGLISH, (2) TO GATHER INFORMATION ON THE LANGUAGE…

Outlined in this report developed at Goteborgs University are the construction and administering details for a test designed to measure passive proficiency in pronunciation of English as a second language. The phonemic choice, rhythm and intonation, and phonetic analysis factors of pronunciation are evaluated. A statistical correlation of the…

The Richfield, Minnesota, High School Language Arts Department studied the composition skills of 24 classes in grades 10, 11, and 12 to assess (1) improvement in writing skills from each grade level to the next as an indication of the effectiveness of a composition curriculum which emphasized expository writing, a d (2) the effects of lay readers…

The marked growth in foreign language instruction during the 1957-1960 period is noted and is attributed to the National Defense Education Act (NDEA) of 1958, to the establishment of language laboratory facilities, to the wider use of audiovisual aids and teaching machines, and to the application of linguistic science to language teaching.…