This report describes a project that is part of a national assessment program in Sweden under which the performance and attitudes of students in the 5th and 9th years of the compulsory school are being studied. The study focuses on the description of classroom activities and attained goals as well as on attitudes towards the subject, English as a…

Issues in testing proficiency in languages for special purposes (LSP) are examined in the context of the development of an advanced oral test in Japanese for tour guides. The test, designed at an Australian university for use in the Australian tourism industry, was to be designed to evaluate both language proficiency and skills in appropriate…

The restructuring of the Romance language program at Howard University to improve oral proficiency involved modification of goals, syllabi, classroom activities, and testing. Goals were adapted to American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)/Educational Testing Service (ETS) guidelines for oral proficiency. Assessment of French…

A study assessed the practical use of the simplified speech pattern approach to teaching lipreading in a tone language by comparing performance using an acoustic hearing-aid and a Sivo-aid in a tone labelling task. After initial assessment, subjects were given training to enhance perception of lexically contrastive tones, then post-tested. The…

This study examined whether an expert system approach involving intelligent selection of items (EXSPRT-I) is as efficient as item response theory (IRT) based three-parameter adaptive mastery testing (AMT) when there are enough subjects to estimate the three IRT item parameters for all items in the test and when subjects in the item parameter…

A test of English language proficiency designed for administration to school children with severe disabilities is presented. The test packet contains a manual for test administrators, a five-page form for recording student testing data, and a score sheet. The manual offers an introduction to the instrument, including its rationale, definitions of…

Development and validation of the Texas Oral Proficiency Test (TOPT) is described. The TOPT, a simulated oral proficiency interview, was developed in French and Spanish as a test of speech skills to be used by the state as part of its certification testing program for French, Spanish, and bilingual education teachers. An introductory chapter…

Issues arising from the need to develop better English proficiency testing for foreign students are discussed, considering three distinct groups of interested people: (1) the students; (2) decisionmakers responsible for the students' admission throughout the institution, including all faculty; and (3) field specialists, including teachers of…

The current situation of foreign language education at all educational levels in the United States, is examined with emphasis on new developments in instruction, testing, and program design. In a section titled "The Foreign Language Crisis," the combination of declining foreign language enrollment and increasing need for language skills…

This study investigates the extent to which beginning to advanced students of English as a second language (ESL) understand antecedent/anaphora relationships in written discourse. The findings are related to previous research on anaphoric reference in first and second language contexts, emphasizing the significance of this factor in measurement of…

This study investigates two fixed parameter models for calibrating test items for an item bank under local school district control. Mathematics, reading, and language tests administered to students (Grades 7-9) provided the criterion information. Model I used calibrations from the Northwest Evaluation Association Item Bank to calibrate new items…

The University of Texas at Austin conducted a validity study of the College Board Achievement Test in Russian Listening-Reading during the 1986-87 academic year. The test, a multiple-choice test with audio-taped and reading portions, was administered to 298 students in 22 sections of 8 courses in Russian. The purpose was to revalidate the test as…

Most of the criticism of Australian schools focuses on students' skills in literacy and numeracy. This study assessed levels of student achievement in Victoria's primary and secondary schools in 1988 in some key areas of literacy and numeracy. This report maps the performances of students in Years 5 and 9 on scales of development in mathematics,…

A study of Greek speakers' ability to understand and produce two varieities of codes--Katharevousa (K) and Demotic (D)--is reported. The investigation was undertaken to provide evidence supporting or refuting the Greek government's decision to legislate Demotic as the official language of the country. A sample of 545 informants were tested with a…

Deficiencies in the format, content, and predictive validity of a high school credit-by-examination test in Spanish I were addressed in a study of the proposed adoption of the Level-1 1988 National Spanish Examination (NSE) and a 20-item supplement written by S. Segal that required students to write one-word answers. The NSE, sponsored by the…