This case study examined the general question: "What are the best practices for teaching. English language learners how to read?" Furthermore, this study sought to discover specifically: How do students using Houghton Mifflin Reading Program with supplementals and Rigby Reading Program with supplementals compare in terms of academic gains?; What…

Performance assessments have become the norm for evaluating language learners' writing abilities in international examinations of English proficiency. Two aspects of these assessments are usually systematically varied: test takers respond to different prompts, and their responses are read by different raters. This raises the possibility of undue…

The IBT TOEFL has become the principal example of online high stakes language testing since 2005. Most instructors who do the preparation for IBT TOEFL face two main realities: first, students are eager and highly motivated to take the test because of the prospective implications; and, second, specific studies would be necessary to see if…

It is argued that institutional requirements of language in use suggest a reassessment of notions of correctness, noting that description generally implies prescription. It is concluded that there are two basic kinds of correctness in English. Specific sections address the following: (1) prescription, relativism, and norms; (2) three levels of…

This study investigates the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), in particular the relative contributions to score dependability (analogous to classical theory reliability) of various numbers of items and subtests as well as the decision dependability at different cut points. Research questions that apply to the overall TOEFL battery and…

In this article, the author outlines and describes eight assessment tips for language thematic Units. The tips include: (1) Knowing where you are going (creation of appropriate assessment tools); (2) Having a Plan (setting your communication and language goals); (3) Mapping it Out (teaching in the same way you will assess students); (4) Testing…

Analyzes briefly the results of a questionnaire distributed to secondary English teachers in Ghana, Nigeria, and Ethiopia, concerning the use of objective tests, their effects on teaching, and teacher attitudes toward them. School leaving certificate examinations in these countries are closely linked to employment opportunities. (MSE)

Two kinds of objective tests are discribed which are fairly easy to construct and which stress overall language ability and language predictability. Cloze tests involve filling in passages from which every nth word is missing; noise tests the interpretation of recordings on which noise is superimposed. (RM)

A definition of objective test items is given. The disadvantages and advantages of objective tests are discussed, and some examples of objective items are given. Hints on writing objective items are offered, and some non-objective items are discussed. (RM)

The development and validation of the English-Spanish Verbatim Translation Exam (ESVTE) is described. The test is for use by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the selection of applicants for the positions of Language Specialist or Contract Linguist. The report is divided into eight sections. Section 1 describes the need for the test,…

The primary purpose of the interview-type of language proficiency evaluation is to get a rough idea of the language learner's ability at oral communicative exchange. However, interview examinations are often structured in such a way that true exchange is unlikely. Questions elicit obvious answers in a way unlike everyday conversation. Potential…