This article describes the Oral and Written Language Scales, an assessment of receptive and expressive language for children and young adults aged 3 to 21. The test assesses overall language skills and specific performance in oral expression, listening comprehension, and written expression. Its administration, standardization, reliability, and…

This article describes the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test, a comprehensive measure of achievement for individuals in grades K-12. Eight subtests assess mathematics reasoning, spelling, reading comprehension, numerical operations, listening comprehension, oral expression, and written expression. Its administration, standardization,…

Utilizing a pre- and posttest research design, with an instructional intervention of good practices in notetaking, the notes taken by examinees during a computer-based listening comprehension test prior to and following the instructional intervention were examined for particular notetaking strategies. Questionnaires probed perceptions of the…

Efforts to improve the educational achievement of children, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, are at the heart of current government policies in the United Kingdom. The Peers Early Education Partnership (PEEP) is an intervention that, since 1995, has worked directly with parents and caregivers of children from infancy to 5 years of…

Papers on aspects of second language teaching include: "Cognitive Approaches to Listening Comprehension" (James S. Noblitt); "Popular Music in a Whole Language Approach to Foreign Language Teaching" (Sue Barry, Sidney Pellissier); "Language Maintenance: Bridging the Gaps in Foreign Language Education" (Jean W. LeLoup,…

Based on the questions of second language teachers concerning classroom practice, generated by survey, research on aspects of second language teaching and learning was reviewed and is summarized here. In each case, a question or questions are posed and a brief discussion follows, in layman's language and based on relevant research, with a brief…

Six conference papers are presented in this volume. They include: "Living Civilization: a Theoretical Model for Using Task-Based Activities To Combine the Teaching of Language and Culture" (Sharon Gwinn Scinicariello); "Foreign Language Reading versus Understanding: Using Think-Aloud Protocols To Identify L2 Reading Problems"…

This book presents an integrative model that teachers at the middle school and high school levels can use to encourage performance breakthroughs for students with learning disabilities and attention deficit disorders. Chapter 1 sets the stage by describing how learning difficulties, attention problems, and adolescence challenge students, and gives…

A study investigated how students of English as a second language (ESL) improved their use of learning strategies through awareness-raising in group interviews and informal training. Subjects were 68 Taiwanese university students in two freshman English classes. Subjects responded to an English learning strategy questionnaire in the beginning and…

California has developed a new series of credential examinations for foreign language teachers to make it possible to test the competence of teachers in six languages less frequently taught than Spanish and French. These languages are German, Japanese, Mandarin, Punjabi, Russian, and Vietnamese. Each assessment is based on the specifications…

The problems encountered in implementing an intensive summer course in English for specific purposes, designed to prepare students for graduate study in urban planning, urban design, and architecture, are discussed by the course's language and content specialists. Positive course results included development of useful classroom communication…

The Washington State Core Competencies Project is designed to implement competency-based adult education in the state's 38 adult basic education programs. A model curriculum was developed and field-tested over several years. The resulting curriculum outline of core competencies for English as a Second Language, level 2, is presented here. The…

The Washington State Core Competencies Project is designed to implement competency-based adult education in the state's 38 adult basic education programs. A model curriculum was developed and field-tested over several years. The resulting curriculum outline of core competencies for English as a Second Language, level 3, is presented here. The…

Instructional materials for telephone usage instruction address both personal and job-related telephone use needs. Six units are included on these topics: (1) telephone buttons and sounds, telephone book use, American names, telephone numbers, and taking messages; (2) greetings, information seeking, and carrying on a dialogue; (3) taking a message…

The Threshold Project examined the nature of the language and learning difficulties that black Standard Three (Std 3, or grade 5) children in South Africa experience when they change from their mother tongue to English as a medium of instruction and learning, a policy known as "delayed immersion." This report focuses on the first major…