Offers an evaluative assessment of the main English language examinations available, in order to find what testing techniques are being used and which appear to be the most fruitful in terms of what they say about the candidates. Looks at the range of skills tested and the styles of questions. (SED)

Revised methods of scoring the Token Test and Reporter's Test were developed to accommodate specific types of errors committed by language-disordered children during a previous standardization study. Test modifications are explained as are the results of administering the revised tests to both normal and language-disordered school-aged children.…

Common problems in using and scoring the Developmental Sentence Scoring procedure to quantify young children's grammatic structure expressive language are reviewed. Scoring examples are provided to help clinicians learn the DDS procedure. (Author/CL)

Performance of 136 kindergarteners on five language screening tests was compared with performance on a diagnostic criterion language measure consisting of the Test of Language Development, Test for Auditory Comprehension of Language, and Carrow Elicited Language Inventory. The Language Identification Screening Test for Kindergarten was highly…

Reports on a study done to test the validity of the Test of Spoken English (TSE) in evaluating foreign nursing graduates. Results show that the TSE is a valid measure of oral proficiency in the nursing profession and that it is possible to establish professionally-based standards of proficiency. (SED)

Outlines the history of the use of dictation in foreign language teaching from the 16th century to the present day. Shows that the evolution of attitudes toward dictation has run parallel to the evolution of attitudes toward foreign language teaching.(SED)

Regression analyses and classification accuracy on 136 kindergarteners indicated that performance on the Language Identification Screening Test for Kindergarten was at a level comparable to the Bankson Language Screening Test and above the Test of Language Development, the Test for Auditory Comprehension of Language, and the Carrow Elicited…

Evaluates John Oller's contribution to a theory of language testing, particularly his provision of detailed empirical work. Argues that Oller's work is of sufficient importance for serious flaws to be noted. Three flaws are discussed in the areas of communication, pragmatics, authenticity, and the unifactorial/one best test approach. (Author/SED)

Discusses the grading of the 1984 examination for the advanced placement Latin program. The program consists of two courses, one on Vergil and one on Horace and Catullus and is for secondary school students capable of taking college level courses. Lists essay questions from the exam and reader reactions to them. (SED)

Reports on study in which students of Hebrew as a second language took four versions of oral proficiency test. Results indicate that different speech styles and topics significantly affected students' scores, and correlational analyses between pairs pointed to low reliability and lack of stability of the test. Urges caution in making decisions…

This digest discusses the simulated oral proficiency interview (SOPI), a performance-based, tape-mediated speaking test. The SOPI follows the general structure of the oral proficiency interview (OPI) used by government agencies and the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) to measure speaking proficiency. Whereas the OPI is…

General recovery of an aphasic patient was monitored via averaged electroencephalic response audiometry and standard language testing. (Author/CB)

Describes the preparation, structure and experimental testing of an examination designed to test student achievement in the subsidiary German course at the Lanchester Polytechnic, Coventry, one of several subsidiary language courses aimed at giving Modern Language students a sound working knowledge of a third language. (FB)