Lyle F. Bachman - Böcker

U.S. public schools are responsible for educating large numbers of English language learners and students with disabilities. This book considers policies for including students with disabilities and English language learners in assessment programs. It also examines the research findings on testing accommodations and their effect on test performance. Keeping Score for All discusses the comparability of statesa (TM) policies with each other and with the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) policies and explores the impact of these differences on the interpretations of NAEP results. The book presents a critical review of the research literature and makes suggestions for future research to evaluate the validity of test scores obtained under accommodated conditions. The book concludes by proposing a new framework for conceptualizing accommodations. This framework would be useful both for policymakers, test designers, and practitioners in determining appropriate accommodations for specific assessments and for researchers in planning validity studies.

Statistical Analyses for Language Assessment enables practitioners to apply statistics effectively to the development and use of language assessments. The Workbook and CD contain datasets from actual language assessments and data analysis exercises.

This book documents a major study comparing the Cambridge First Certificate in English (FCE) with the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) to investigate similarities in test content, candidature and use. While both tests were designed to measure many of the same abilities, they represent radically different approaches to language test development, reflecting deeper differences between educational measurement traditions in the US and UK. The thorough investigation of the fundamental characteristics and operational utility of two of the most widely used English tests for foreign students makes this study a valuable contribution to language testing research. As such, it will be of considerable interest to language testing specialists and examination boards, as well as to academic researchers and graduate students in the field of language assessment more generally.

This book is essential reading for anyone interested in evaluating languages for specific purposes (LSP).

Written by a leading expert in both language testing and the nature of reading in a second or foreign language, this book provides a comprehensive treatment of the assessment of reading in a foreign or second language. The book reviews theory, research, and practice in the assessment of reading. It provides the novice with a comprehensive overview of the basic principles of reading assessment, and the researcher with an in-depth discussion of the major issues in the field.

The volume includes original papers addressing different aspects of the interface between second language acquisition and language testing research. This paperback edition provides a fresh look at areas of common interest to both SLA and LT research, and ways in which research in these two areas of applied linguistics can be fruitfully integrated. The volume includes original papers dealing with different aspects of the interface between SLA and LT research. This collection thus constitutes a starting point for a continuing and expanding dialogue between SLA and LT researchers.