Features of the writing tests reported on here were: the presentation of instructions by means of tapes and written guidelines, and emphasis on factual rather than imaginative subjective matter, and a standardized system of grading. (FWB)

Greater understanding of language and social forces constraining language performance has complicated the view of language as a code and the learner as an object to be conditioned. Serious questions arise, then, regarding effective testing of linguistic/communicative competence and the use of test results for educational decision making.…

Suggests using an immediate recall protocol, in which students read a passage as often as they like, surrender the text and then write down everything they can remember, as a way to circumvent the pitfalls of traditional test design and focus on communication between test and reader. (EKN)

Provides short descriptions of the major standardized language proficiency tests currently available for English and French as a second language. Contains annotated lists of references on testing global language proficiency and communicative competence and on the testing of individual skill proficiencies. (EKN)

Results of a study which examined inter- and intrarater reliability of the Oral Interview test suggest that communicative tests such as the Oral Interview can be used reliably, in spite of their subjective nature. (EKN)

Reviews four standardized tests geared to helping development educators in placing students in courses and assessing their learning levels: the Davis Reading Test; the Descriptive Tests of Language Skills; the Descriptive Tests of Mathematics Skills; and the Nelson-Denny Reading Test. (CAM)

Discusses the present state of assessing students' oral language proficiency. Includes a comparison of achievement and proficiency test formats, an explanation of the ratings system, and a discussion on the need for a common standard. The adoption of frequency ratings by the academic community is a way off. (PJM)

The study investigated the relationship among the grammatical distinctions produced by three language-delayed or language-disordered children on the expressive part of the Northwestern Syntax Screening Test, the Carrow Elicited Language Inventory, and the Menyuk Sentences and those generated in a spontaneous language sample. (PHR)

Cloze testing and language performance is discussed as are two techniques for awarding partial credit: the quick performance measurement and feedback technique and the three-stage scoring hierarchy for partial credit. A figure and tables are included. (EJS)

Investigates how skilled and less skilled readers answered a gap-filling test in order to examine whether such tests can measure text-level processing ability. Japanese learners of English completed a gap-filling test while thinking aloud about their test-taking processes. Results showed both skilled and less-skilled readers used text-level…

An extensive adaptation exercise was undertaken by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) when it was decided to modify the 1998 version of the American "SIGI Plus" (System for Interactive Guidance, plus more) for Australian conditions. Although the same language was involved, there are substantial differences in…

Presents an adaptable, context-sensitive model for ESL/EFL program evaluation, consisting of seven steps that guide an evaluator through consideration of relevant issues, information, and design elements. Examples from an evaluation of the Reading for Science and Technology Project at the University of Guadalajara, Mexico are given. (31…

Eight cloze passages were analyzed for the text quantity required to cue closure and the linguistic category of the deleted word. The results indicate that standard fixed-ratio cloze procedures are not erratic in their selection of item types and are generally consistent in the ways they measure language knowledge and comprehension. (36…

Describes ways that language test design can be computerized, and illustrates some test construction methods derived from the field of operations research. (CB)