Author: Ludo Verhoeven
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing
ISBN: 902722112X
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 221
Book Description
This books aims to open up new perspectives in the study of language proficiency by bringing together current research from different fields in psychology and linguistics. All contributions start out from empirical studies, which are then related to applications in language assessment. The book also serves as a survey of recent developments in psycholinguistic research in the Netherlands. The book starts out with a thorough introduction of international literature on models of language proficiency, language development and its assessment. Section 1 deals with first language proficiency and addresses such problems as grammar in early child language, grammatical proficiency and its (in)variance across a range of ages, reading abilities, and writing skills. Section 2 focuses on multilingual proficiency and deals with test bias in relation to the background of the second language learner, bilingual proficiency in ethnic minority children, the development of the second language learner lexicon, communicative competence of school-age children in the context of second language learning, the assessment of foreign language attrition and the dimensionality in oral foreign language proficiency.
The Construct of Language Proficiency
Author: Ludo Verhoeven
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing
ISBN: 902722112X
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 221
Book Description
This books aims to open up new perspectives in the study of language proficiency by bringing together current research from different fields in psychology and linguistics. All contributions start out from empirical studies, which are then related to applications in language assessment. The book also serves as a survey of recent developments in psycholinguistic research in the Netherlands. The book starts out with a thorough introduction of international literature on models of language proficiency, language development and its assessment. Section 1 deals with first language proficiency and addresses such problems as grammar in early child language, grammatical proficiency and its (in)variance across a range of ages, reading abilities, and writing skills. Section 2 focuses on multilingual proficiency and deals with test bias in relation to the background of the second language learner, bilingual proficiency in ethnic minority children, the development of the second language learner lexicon, communicative competence of school-age children in the context of second language learning, the assessment of foreign language attrition and the dimensionality in oral foreign language proficiency.
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing
ISBN: 902722112X
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 221
Book Description
This books aims to open up new perspectives in the study of language proficiency by bringing together current research from different fields in psychology and linguistics. All contributions start out from empirical studies, which are then related to applications in language assessment. The book also serves as a survey of recent developments in psycholinguistic research in the Netherlands. The book starts out with a thorough introduction of international literature on models of language proficiency, language development and its assessment. Section 1 deals with first language proficiency and addresses such problems as grammar in early child language, grammatical proficiency and its (in)variance across a range of ages, reading abilities, and writing skills. Section 2 focuses on multilingual proficiency and deals with test bias in relation to the background of the second language learner, bilingual proficiency in ethnic minority children, the development of the second language learner lexicon, communicative competence of school-age children in the context of second language learning, the assessment of foreign language attrition and the dimensionality in oral foreign language proficiency.
A Principled Approach to Language Assessment
Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309675480
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 113
Book Description
The United States is formally represented around the world by approximately 14,000 Foreign Service officers and other personnel in the U.S. Department of State. Roughly one-third of them are required to be proficient in the local languages of the countries to which they are posted. To achieve this language proficiency for its staff, the State Department's Foreign Service Institute (FSI) provides intensive language instruction and assesses the proficiency of personnel before they are posted to a foreign country. The requirement for language proficiency is established in law and is incorporated in personnel decisions related to job placement, promotion, retention, and pay. A Principled Approach to Language Assessment: Considerations for the U.S. Foreign Service Institute evaluates the different approaches that exist to assess foreign language proficiency that FSI could potentially use. This report considers the key assessment approaches in the research literature that are appropriate for language testing, including, but not limited to, assessments that use task-based or performance-based approaches, adaptive online test administration, and portfolios.
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309675480
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 113
Book Description
The United States is formally represented around the world by approximately 14,000 Foreign Service officers and other personnel in the U.S. Department of State. Roughly one-third of them are required to be proficient in the local languages of the countries to which they are posted. To achieve this language proficiency for its staff, the State Department's Foreign Service Institute (FSI) provides intensive language instruction and assesses the proficiency of personnel before they are posted to a foreign country. The requirement for language proficiency is established in law and is incorporated in personnel decisions related to job placement, promotion, retention, and pay. A Principled Approach to Language Assessment: Considerations for the U.S. Foreign Service Institute evaluates the different approaches that exist to assess foreign language proficiency that FSI could potentially use. This report considers the key assessment approaches in the research literature that are appropriate for language testing, including, but not limited to, assessments that use task-based or performance-based approaches, adaptive online test administration, and portfolios.
Language Dominance in Bilinguals
Author: Jeanine Treffers-Daller
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107044499
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 315
Book Description
With contributions from an international team of leading experts, this volume offers new ways to explore and measure language dominance.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107044499
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 315
Book Description
With contributions from an international team of leading experts, this volume offers new ways to explore and measure language dominance.
Language Proficiency in Native and Non-native Speakers
Author: Jan H. Hulstijn
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Company
ISBN: 9027269025
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 209
Book Description
This book, written for both seasoned and novice researchers, presents a theory of what is called Basic and Higher Language Cognition (BLC and HLC), a theory aimed at making some fundamental issues concerning first and second language learning and bilingualism (more) empirical. The first part of the book provides background for and explication of the theory as well as an agenda for future research, while the second part reports on selected studies of language proficiency in native speakers, as well as non-native speakers, and studies of the relationship between literacy in a first and second language. Conceptual and methodological problems in measuring language proficiency in research on second language acquisition and bilingualism are also discussed. Further, the notion of levels of language proficiency, as rendered by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), is critically examined, suggesting ways of empirically investigating a number of questions that the CEFR raises but is not capable of answering.
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Company
ISBN: 9027269025
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 209
Book Description
This book, written for both seasoned and novice researchers, presents a theory of what is called Basic and Higher Language Cognition (BLC and HLC), a theory aimed at making some fundamental issues concerning first and second language learning and bilingualism (more) empirical. The first part of the book provides background for and explication of the theory as well as an agenda for future research, while the second part reports on selected studies of language proficiency in native speakers, as well as non-native speakers, and studies of the relationship between literacy in a first and second language. Conceptual and methodological problems in measuring language proficiency in research on second language acquisition and bilingualism are also discussed. Further, the notion of levels of language proficiency, as rendered by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), is critically examined, suggesting ways of empirically investigating a number of questions that the CEFR raises but is not capable of answering.
Assessing English Language Proficiency in U.S. K–12 Schools
Author: Mikyung Kim Wolf
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1000053016
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 252
Book Description
Assessing English Language Proficiency in U.S. K–12 Schools offers comprehensive background information about the generation of standards-based, English language proficiency (ELP) assessments used in U.S. K–12 school settings. The chapters in this book address a variety of key issues involved in the development and use of those assessments: defining an ELP construct driven by new academic content and ELP standards, using technology for K–12 ELP assessments, addressing the needs of various English learner (EL) students taking the assessments, connecting assessment with teaching and learning, and substantiating validity claims. Each chapter also contains suggestions for future research that will contribute to the next generation of K–12 ELP assessments and improve policies and practices in the use of the assessments. This book is intended to be a useful resource for researchers, graduate students, test developers, practitioners, and policymakers who are interested in learning more about large-scale, standards-based ELP assessments for K–12 EL students.
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1000053016
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 252
Book Description
Assessing English Language Proficiency in U.S. K–12 Schools offers comprehensive background information about the generation of standards-based, English language proficiency (ELP) assessments used in U.S. K–12 school settings. The chapters in this book address a variety of key issues involved in the development and use of those assessments: defining an ELP construct driven by new academic content and ELP standards, using technology for K–12 ELP assessments, addressing the needs of various English learner (EL) students taking the assessments, connecting assessment with teaching and learning, and substantiating validity claims. Each chapter also contains suggestions for future research that will contribute to the next generation of K–12 ELP assessments and improve policies and practices in the use of the assessments. This book is intended to be a useful resource for researchers, graduate students, test developers, practitioners, and policymakers who are interested in learning more about large-scale, standards-based ELP assessments for K–12 EL students.
Language Testing Reconsidered
Author: Janna D. Fox
Publisher: University of Ottawa Press
ISBN: 0776616315
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 191
Book Description
Language Testing Reconsidered provides a critical update on major issues that have engaged the field of language testing since its inception. Anyone who is working in, studying or teaching language testing should have a copy of this book. The information, discussions, and reflections offered within the volume address major developments within the field over the past decades, enlivened by current "takes" on these issues. The real value of this collection, however, lies in its consideration of the past as a means of defining the future agenda of language testing.
Publisher: University of Ottawa Press
ISBN: 0776616315
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 191
Book Description
Language Testing Reconsidered provides a critical update on major issues that have engaged the field of language testing since its inception. Anyone who is working in, studying or teaching language testing should have a copy of this book. The information, discussions, and reflections offered within the volume address major developments within the field over the past decades, enlivened by current "takes" on these issues. The real value of this collection, however, lies in its consideration of the past as a means of defining the future agenda of language testing.
The Routledge Handbook of Second Language Acquisition and Language Testing
Author: Paula Winke
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351034774
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 543
Book Description
This Handbook, with 45 chapters written by the world’s leading scholars in second language acquisition (SLA) and language testing, dives into the important interface between SLA and language testing: shared ground where researchers seek to measure second language performance to better understand how people learn their second languages. The Handbook also reviews how to best measure and evaluate the second language (L2) learners’ personal characteristics, backgrounds, and learning contexts to better understand their L2 learning trajectories. Taking a transdisciplinary approach to research, the book builds upon recent theorizing and measurement principles from the fields of applied linguistics, cognitive science, psychology, psycholinguistics, psychometrics, educational measurement, and social psychology. The Handbook is divided into six key sections: (1) Assessment concepts for SLA researchers, (2) Building instruments for SLA research, (3) Measuring individual differences, (4) Measuring language development, (5) Testing specific populations, and (6) Measurement principles for SLA researchers.
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351034774
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 543
Book Description
This Handbook, with 45 chapters written by the world’s leading scholars in second language acquisition (SLA) and language testing, dives into the important interface between SLA and language testing: shared ground where researchers seek to measure second language performance to better understand how people learn their second languages. The Handbook also reviews how to best measure and evaluate the second language (L2) learners’ personal characteristics, backgrounds, and learning contexts to better understand their L2 learning trajectories. Taking a transdisciplinary approach to research, the book builds upon recent theorizing and measurement principles from the fields of applied linguistics, cognitive science, psychology, psycholinguistics, psychometrics, educational measurement, and social psychology. The Handbook is divided into six key sections: (1) Assessment concepts for SLA researchers, (2) Building instruments for SLA research, (3) Measuring individual differences, (4) Measuring language development, (5) Testing specific populations, and (6) Measurement principles for SLA researchers.
Allocating Federal Funds for State Programs for English Language Learners
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309216737
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 240
Book Description
As the United States continues to be a nation of immigrants and their children, the nation's school systems face increased enrollments of students whose primary language is not English. With the 2001 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) in the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), the allocation of federal funds for programs to assist these students to be proficient in English became formula-based: 80 percent on the basis of the population of children with limited English proficiency1 and 20 percent on the basis of the population of recently immigrated children and youth. Title III of NCLB directs the U.S. Department of Education to allocate funds on the basis of the more accurate of two allowable data sources: the number of students reported to the federal government by each state education agency or data from the American Community Survey (ACS). The department determined that the ACS estimates are more accurate, and since 2005, those data have been basis for the federal distribution of Title III funds. Subsequently, analyses of the two data sources have raised concerns about that decision, especially because the two allowable data sources would allocate quite different amounts to the states. In addition, while shortcomings were noted in the data provided by the states, the ACS estimates were shown to fluctuate between years, causing concern among the states about the unpredictability and unevenness of program funding. In this context, the U.S. Department of Education commissioned the National Research Council to address the accuracy of the estimates from the two data sources and the factors that influence the estimates. The resulting book also considers means of increasing the accuracy of the data sources or alternative data sources that could be used for allocation purposes.
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309216737
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 240
Book Description
As the United States continues to be a nation of immigrants and their children, the nation's school systems face increased enrollments of students whose primary language is not English. With the 2001 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) in the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), the allocation of federal funds for programs to assist these students to be proficient in English became formula-based: 80 percent on the basis of the population of children with limited English proficiency1 and 20 percent on the basis of the population of recently immigrated children and youth. Title III of NCLB directs the U.S. Department of Education to allocate funds on the basis of the more accurate of two allowable data sources: the number of students reported to the federal government by each state education agency or data from the American Community Survey (ACS). The department determined that the ACS estimates are more accurate, and since 2005, those data have been basis for the federal distribution of Title III funds. Subsequently, analyses of the two data sources have raised concerns about that decision, especially because the two allowable data sources would allocate quite different amounts to the states. In addition, while shortcomings were noted in the data provided by the states, the ACS estimates were shown to fluctuate between years, causing concern among the states about the unpredictability and unevenness of program funding. In this context, the U.S. Department of Education commissioned the National Research Council to address the accuracy of the estimates from the two data sources and the factors that influence the estimates. The resulting book also considers means of increasing the accuracy of the data sources or alternative data sources that could be used for allocation purposes.
Local Language Testing
Author: Slobodanka Dimova
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0429960328
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 228
Book Description
Local Language Testing: Design, Implementation, and Development describes the language testing practice that exists in the intermediate space between large-scale standardized testing and classroom assessment, an area that is rarely addressed in the language testing and assessment literature. Covering both theory and practice, the book focuses on the advantages of local tests, fosters and encourages their use, and provides suggested ideas for their development and maintenance. The authors include examples of operational tests with well-proven track records and discuss: the ability of local tests to represent local contexts and values, explicitly and purposefully embed test results within instructional practice, and provide data for program evaluation and research; local testing practices grounded in the theoretical principles of language testing, drawing from experiences with local testing and providing practical examples of local language tests, illustrating how they can be designed to effectively function within and across different institutional contexts; examples of how local language tests and assessments are developed for use within a specific context and how they serve a variety of purposes (e.g., entry-level proficiency testing, placement testing, international teaching assistant testing, writing assessment, and program evaluation). Aimed at language program directors, graduate students, and researchers involved in language program development and evaluation, this is a timely book in that it focuses on the advantages of local tests, fosters and encourages their use, and outlines their development and maintenance. It constitutes essential reading for language program directors, graduate students, and researchers involved in language program development and evaluation.
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0429960328
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 228
Book Description
Local Language Testing: Design, Implementation, and Development describes the language testing practice that exists in the intermediate space between large-scale standardized testing and classroom assessment, an area that is rarely addressed in the language testing and assessment literature. Covering both theory and practice, the book focuses on the advantages of local tests, fosters and encourages their use, and provides suggested ideas for their development and maintenance. The authors include examples of operational tests with well-proven track records and discuss: the ability of local tests to represent local contexts and values, explicitly and purposefully embed test results within instructional practice, and provide data for program evaluation and research; local testing practices grounded in the theoretical principles of language testing, drawing from experiences with local testing and providing practical examples of local language tests, illustrating how they can be designed to effectively function within and across different institutional contexts; examples of how local language tests and assessments are developed for use within a specific context and how they serve a variety of purposes (e.g., entry-level proficiency testing, placement testing, international teaching assistant testing, writing assessment, and program evaluation). Aimed at language program directors, graduate students, and researchers involved in language program development and evaluation, this is a timely book in that it focuses on the advantages of local tests, fosters and encourages their use, and outlines their development and maintenance. It constitutes essential reading for language program directors, graduate students, and researchers involved in language program development and evaluation.
English Language Proficiency Assessments for Young Learners
Author: Mikyung Kim Wolf
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317379039
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 330
Book Description
English Language Proficiency Assessments for Young Learners provides both theoretical and empirical information about assessing the English language proficiency of young learners. Using large-scale standardized English language proficiency assessments developed for international or U.S. contexts as concrete examples, this volume illustrates rigorous processes of developing and validating assessments with considerations of young learners’ unique characteristics. In this volume, young learners are defined as school-age children from approximately 5 to 13 years old, learning English as a foreign language (EFL) or a second language (ESL). This volume also discusses innovative ways to assess young learners’ English language abilities based on empirical studies, with each chapter offering stimulating ideas for future research and development work to improve English language assessment practices with young learners. English Language Proficiency Assessments for Young Learners is a useful resource for students, test developers, educators, and researchers in the area of language testing and assessment.
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317379039
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 330
Book Description
English Language Proficiency Assessments for Young Learners provides both theoretical and empirical information about assessing the English language proficiency of young learners. Using large-scale standardized English language proficiency assessments developed for international or U.S. contexts as concrete examples, this volume illustrates rigorous processes of developing and validating assessments with considerations of young learners’ unique characteristics. In this volume, young learners are defined as school-age children from approximately 5 to 13 years old, learning English as a foreign language (EFL) or a second language (ESL). This volume also discusses innovative ways to assess young learners’ English language abilities based on empirical studies, with each chapter offering stimulating ideas for future research and development work to improve English language assessment practices with young learners. English Language Proficiency Assessments for Young Learners is a useful resource for students, test developers, educators, and researchers in the area of language testing and assessment.