By analyzing the language proficiency interview style developed by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) in a different way, proficiency profiles can be created that will be of greater use to business language programs and prospective employers than are the ACTFL rankings alone. From the interview, this profile can…

Organized to help make use of dialogue journals, this pamphlet presents a description of how this instructional aid can be used in a number of different classroom settings and for a variety of purposes. The booklet provides many samples of dialogue writing that enable the reader to see how this form of natural writing can become an effective…

A study focused on the problems of poor performance in classroom assignments and state-wide writing assessments of middle grade students in the practicum setting. The goals of the practicum plan were: (1) to improve teacher competency in the steps of the writing process; (2) to improve student attitudes about writing; and (3) to improve writing…

Teachers should begin to think about how they mete out responsibility for spoken and written discourse in the classroom. Research indicates that most teachers initiate and sustain a question-answer-evaluation pattern. This pattern is doubly enacted in the composition course in writing as well as speaking. Unfortunately, this pattern may also…

Intended for elementary and secondary school language arts teachers, this guide lists suggested outcomes in the development of successful communicators, based on knowledge of child development. Following an introduction, the guide discusses key considerations and procedural sugestions for developing the communications/language arts curriculum. The…

Although by traditional measures of test validity, the verbal section of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) is not culture biased, it, along with the English Composition Test and the Test of Standard Written English, reinforces a narrow view of academic excellence that excludes culturally different youths. Designed to prevent admission errors, the…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 17 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) reasoning strategies used by gifted and average fifth grade children in written discourse; (2) the effect of mode of discourse on the syntactic complexity of…

This manual provides information concerning the basic skills needed to perform the tasks of the occupation of entry-level clerk-typist. It is intended for vocational program directors and administrators, vocational counselors, vocational instructors, basic skills instructors, and curriculum developers. An introduction reviews the study to link…

This manual provides information concerning the basic skills needed to perform the tasks of the occupation of entry-level welder. It is intended for vocational program directors and administrators, vocational counselors, vocational instructors, basic skills instructors, and curriculum developers. An introduction reviews the study to link basic…

This report details the performance of recent high school graduates on entrance exams given at Miami-Dade Community College (MDCC) in fall of school year 1987-88 to assess basic reading, writing, and algebra skills. The following data are provided: (1) the numbers and percentages of MDCC students from Dade County high schools who submitted…

From March through October of 1986, 44,453 students took the New Jersey College Basic Skills Placement Test (NJCBSPT) at the 30 New Jersey public colleges and 11 participating independent institutions of higher education. Designed to provide data for summary reports to the Board of Higher Education and to help colleges place already admitted…

The Writing Center at Troy State University (Troy, Alabama), is described in this report. Currently in its seventh year of operation, the Center functions under the philosophy that any student can be successful given the appropriate method of instruction and sufficient time. It provides a multiplicity of services including one-to-one tutorials,…

Results of the New Jersey College Basic Skills Placement Test are presented for fall 1984 entering freshmen. The test consists of an essay and four multiple choice sections: reading comprehension, sentence sense, computation, and elementary algebra. New forms of the test are developed each year. A total of 46,465 freshmen at 30 public colleges and…

Intended as a tool for bringing instruction and research together for curriculum directors, supervisors, administrators, and classroom teachers, this document reports recent English language arts research that will affect curriculum development and instructional patterns. The chapters discuss the following topics: (1) organization and staff…

This training packet, consisting of a workshop guide, two instructional guides, and assorted pamphlets and brochures, is intended for use by volunteer tutors who are themselves learning how to work with adults enrolled in an adult literacy program. The following topics are covered in the training workshop guide: the objectives and workings of…