Assessing Second Language Reading


Book Description

This book investigates the issue of cloze-validity as a measure of second language reading comprehension. It starts off by making a distinction between general reading ability and the more specific reading comprehension followed by a thorough review of the related research on L2 reading comprehension and sorting out the confusion in the literature in this categorization. A comprehensive account of cloze procedure is presented discussing its origin, different versions, its use for teaching and testing purposes, as well the latest research on cloze as measures of readability, language proficiency and second language reading. The book includes studies conducted at several stages on validating cloze as a measure of reading and interview and questionnaire techniques are applied to investigate the validity of eight cloze tests, criterion reading tests, and other cloze and reading tests in general. Two new cloze tests, i.e. reader-centered cloze test and phrase cloze test, are also introduced and researched as measures of reading ability. The book concludes with suggestions for developing tests that can better measure reading comprehension in light of recent research insights on the complex and dynamic nature of reading. This book will appeal to researchers, lecturers and graduate and post-graduate students taking a course in Second Language Acquisition, Applied Linguistics, TESOL, Language Assessment, and Educational Measurement.




Literacy Assessment of Second Language Learners


Book Description

Theoretical and practical information about assessment in the bilingual and English-language-learner classrooms.




Handbook of Second Language Assessment


Book Description

Second language assessment is ubiquitous. It has found its way from education into questions about access to professions and migration. This volume focuses on the main debates and research advances in second language assessment in the last fifty years or so, showing the influence of linguistics, politics, philosophy, psychology, sociology, and psychometrics. There are four parts which, when taken together, address the principles and practices of second language assessment while considering its impact on society. Read separately, each part addresses a different aspect of the field. Part I deals with the conceptual foundations of second language assessment with chapters on the purposes of assessment, and standards and frameworks, as well as matters of scoring, quality assurance, and test validation. Part II addresses the theory and practice of assessing different second language skills including aspects like intercultural competence and fluency. Part III examines the challenges and opportunities of second language assessment in a range of contexts. In addition to chapters on second language assessment on a national scale, there are chapters on learning-oriented assessment, as well as the uses of second language assessment in the workplace and for migration. Part IV examines a selection of important issues in the field that deserve attention. These include the alignment of language examinations to external frameworks, the increasing use of technology to both deliver and score second language tests, the responsibilities associated with assessing test takers with special needs, the concept of 'voice' in second language assessment, and assessment literacy for teachers and other test and score users.




Examining Reading


Book Description

"This volume develops a theoretical framework for validating tests of second language reading ability. The framework is then applied through an examination of tasks in Cambridge ESOL reading tests from a number of different val;idity perspectives that reflect the socio-cognitive nature of any assessment event." --Back cover.




Assessing Reading


Book Description

This book is the most comprehensive of the assessment of reading in a foreign or second language.




Reading Assessment


Book Description

A groundbreaking integrated approach to reading assessment that addresses each child's unique Learning Profile Fifteen to twenty percent of our nation's children have reading difficulties. Educational evalua-tors must be able to use progress monitoring and diagnostic tools effectively to identify students who may be at risk, evaluate the effectiveness of school-wide reading programs, and suggest interventions that will improve reading skills. Written from a strengths-based perspective, Reading Assessment: Linking Language, Literacy, and Cognition is the first book of its kind to present a research-based, integrated review of reading, cognition, and oral language testing and assessment. Author Melissa Lee Farrall explores the theoretical underpinnings of reading, language, and literacy, explains the background of debates surrounding these topics, and provides detailed information and administration tips on the wide range of reading inventories and standardized tests that may be used in a reading psychoeducational assessment. With a focus on how to craft professional evaluation reports that illuminate a student's strengths—not just weaknesses—Reading Assessment enables school psychologists and diagnosticians, reading specialists, and special education professionals to conduct evaluations and develop effective interdisciplinary remedial recommendations and interventions. Clear, engaging, and inviting, Reading Assessment features: Case examples and practice exercises Chapter-opening reviews of each theory Strengths, weaknesses, and potential problems of tests and their interpretations Chapter-ending review questions that foster skill development and critical thinking Comprehensive information on more than 50 different assessment tests Reading Assessment is an invaluable resource that helps professionals gain the knowledge and skills to confidently interpret test results and prepare detailed and effective evaluation reports designed to meet each child's unique needs as a learner.




Understanding Advanced Second-Language Reading


Book Description

What distinguishes this book is its broad, yet thorough, view of theory, process, and research on adult second-language reading. Offering extensive discussions of upper-register second-language texts (both expository and narrative) that adult second-language readers encounter daily across the globe, it also presents an assessment schema for second-language text comprehension as well as for the assessment of teaching. Understanding Advanced Second-Language Reading: includes languages other than English in the discussion of second language reading is firmly anchored in a theory of second language reading ─ the concept of compensatory processing emphasizes the multi-dimensionality and dynamic nature of L2 reading development focuses on comprehension of upper-register literary texts balances theory and instructional practices. Filling the need for a coherent, theoretically consistent, and research-based portrait of how literate adolescents and adults comprehend, and learn to comprehend, at greater levels of sophistication and whether that ability can be enhanced by instruction, this is a must-have resource for reading and second-language researchers, students, and teachers.




Assessing Language and Literacy with Bilingual Students


Book Description

From expert authors, this book guides educators to conduct assessments that inform daily instruction and identify the assets that emergent bilinguals bring to the classroom. Effective practices are reviewed for screening, assessment, and progress monitoring in the areas of oral language, beginning reading skills, vocabulary and comprehension in the content areas, and writing. The book also addresses how to establish schoolwide systems of support that incorporate family and community engagement. Packed with practical ideas and vignettes, the book focuses on grades K–6, but also will be useful to middle and high school teachers. Appendices include reproducible forms that can be downloaded and printed in a convenient 8 1/2" x 11" size.




Developing, Modelling and Assessing Second Languages


Book Description

This edited volume brings together the work of a number of researchers working in the framework of Processability Theory (PT), a psycholinguistic theory of second language acquisition (SLA) (Pienemann 1998; 2005). The aim of the volume is two-fold: It engages with current issues in both theory development and theory application and focuses on theoretical developments within the framework of PT as well as issues related to second language teaching and assessment. In coordinating approaches to addressing both theoretical and applied aspects of SLA, this volume aims at bridging the gap between theory and practice. It also reflects the richness of debate within the field of PT-based research. The volume is intended for postgraduate students, SLA researchers as well as language teachers. As of January 2019, this e-book is freely available, thanks to the support of libraries working with Knowledge Unlatched.




Reading in a Second Language


Book Description

Abstract: