_Reviews; Uncommonly Taught Languages

Problems and issues in the field of native language proficiency assessment for Asian American students are examined. Language skills assessment in both English and the native language is a crucial step in the provision of equal educational opportunity to language minority students. Language assessment for Asian Americans, the fastest growing group of language minority students in the United States, should evaluate language preference, proficiency, and %dominance. A severe lack'of language assessment instrumonts dealing with Asian language was revealed by a review of the available language tests for bilingual students. The few tests available have not been systematically evaluated or disseminated. Among the many controversies surrounding language testing is the increasing emphasis on communicative competence as opposed to linguistic skills. Despite the new emphasis on communicative.competence, most tests consist o