Attempts to identify latent variables affecting the item responses of the diverse language groups taking the Test of English As a Foreign Language indicated that latent group effects were small. Results support equating with item response theory and suggest the use of a restrictive assumption of proportionality of item response curves. (Author/CB)

Reports on an experiment undertaken to explore further whether language proficiency is divisible or unitary, using the principal factor analysis, and to identify the factors involved with the scores of 58 subjects of similar language and cultural backgrounds. (Author/CB)

The Communicative Use of English as a Foreign Language (CUEFL) examination applies to language testing the principles of the communicative approach to language teaching. The issues and problems of composing the reading part of the CUEFL are discussed. (Author/VWL)

Discusses the development and production of TOPIC (Training for Oral Proficiency Interviewing Competence), an interactive video refresher training program that teaches interviewing and evaluation skills to German oral proficiency testers. The program can be used as a prototype for the development of refresher training programs in other languages.…

Information in published articles on communicative testing is examined and discussed from the point of view of a classroom teacher. The administrability, reliability, and validity of communicative language testing are highlighted. (MSE)

Provides a detailed evaluation of the oral proficiency interview and its underlying assumptions of validity and value. The similarities and differences between interviews and conversations are examined, and some of the major problems of proficiency interviewing are illustrated and discussed. (39 references) (Author/VWL)

Describes the use of the partial credit form of the Rasch model in the analysis and calibration of a set of writing tasks in which assessment scales and criteria were adapted to suit each task's specific demands. Potential applications of the partial credit model in language testing are discussed. (Author/CB)

Second language teachers responded to a questionnaire eliciting their opinions about the proficiency movement in second language education. Teachers had varying opinions and definitions of proficiency, of the potential benefits of teaching and testing for proficiency, and of theoretical and practical obstacles to implementating proficiency…

This paper suggests group role-play as an oral exam alternative, describes how such an exam can be set up, and provides examples. The examples discussed draw on vocabulary, grammar structures, and topics presented in most textbooks and can be designed for use in the first two years of language learning. (JL)

Working definitions of proficiency and performance in language testing are established, and their role in multidimensional testing is examined. The discussion also covers the relationship between proficiency and performance, a comparison of both types of tests, and performance test scoring dilemmas. (Contains 17 references.) (Author/LB)

This study investigated the nature of progress made in learning Chinese as a Foreign Language by adult learners in an intensive summer program in an American university setting. Chinese language ability of 22 students was measured by a multiple choice test and an interview test. Data are interpreted and discussed in terms of implications for…

Second-language (L2) researchers suggest that C-tests, developed as norm-referenced measures for proficiency and placement testing, can be used in L2 vocabulary research. This article illustrates how researchers can use measurement theory for L2 research by weighing validity justifications. A theoretical definition of vocabulary ability is…

Examines the relative contributions of linguistic and strategic competence to the performance of international teaching assistants (ITAs) on a teaching task. Study one examines the relative contribution of language and teaching skills to overall test performance, and study two examines the effect of a one-semester training class on the retest…

Bachman's framework of language testing and standard of authenticity for language testing instruments were used to evaluate three instruments--the SPEAK (Spoken Proficiency English Assessment Kit) test, OPI (Oral Proficiency Interview), and a performance test--as language tests for nonnative-English-speaking teaching assistants. (Contains 53…

Expert judgments of prompt difficulty in essay tests were examined to discover whether they could be used at the item-writing stage of test development. Findings show that "expert judges" share considerable agreement about prompt difficulty and prompt task type, but they cannot predict which prompts will result in high or low scores for…