《中国英语测试体系研究》作者张艳莉从二语习得理论和认知心理学等角度，着重讨论在教育的三个关键期(小学末、初中末及高中末)学生的认知发展特点。随后作者探讨如何把先进的语言测试理论和教学理论与中国学生的具体实践相结合，提出应根据不同阶段的课程目标和学生特点，科学有效地建立一种适应学习者特点、以课程标准为基础、标准参照类的测试框架和理念。在此基础上，作者分别描述了测试总框架以及听、说、读、写、语法与词汇等次框架，并从测试目的、测试结构、测试方法、任务类型、考试规则、材料选择、评分、结果解释和使用等维度，详细论述了“测什么”、“怎么测”和“如何达到预期效果”等问题，同时根据不同阶段与不同语言技能分别设计了考试范例。

张艳莉所著的《中国英语测试体系研究》在外语习得与学习理论及测试理论的基础上，以大、中、小学外语教学“一条龙”的整体构思为指针，深入探讨了与我国高中、初中及小学阶段学生年龄相仿的青少年在心理、认知、语言学习水平、思维和情感等方面互为联系又相区别的三个阶段的特点，针对在我国中、小学阶段外语测试中存在的考试内容和设计方法中的问题，提出了在小学、初中和高中阶段末三个关键期建立既有效衔接又呈螺旋式上升的“一条龙”英语测试体系的框架，并具体阐述了该评估体系框架的指导原则、操作步骤，描绘了语言交际能力各个层面的具体测试方法、试卷结构、任务特征、材料选取、评分体系等。

《中国英语测试体系研究》将先进的语言测试理论和语言学习理论运用到中国的英语测试的实际中来，以语言学习者在认知能力、语言水平和心理特点的不断发展为研究视角，希望弥补在该领域研究不足的现状，为我国的外语教师、考试命题人员和测试研究人员提供参考。

List of Acronyms

List of Tables

List of Figures

Chapter 1 Introduction

 1.1 Educafional Background

1.1.1 The Streamline Approach（SA）

1.1.2 Efforts Made under SA in China

1.1.3 From the Teaching Syllabuses to the Curricular Standard

 1.2 Language Teaching and Testing

1.2.1 Strevens’Model

1.2.2 Clarification of Some Terms

1.2.3 Testing Purposes

1.2.4 Washback&Impact

 1.3 The Status Quo of Language Teaching and Testing in Chinese Schools

1.3.1 The Research Background

1.3.2 Problems and Reflections

1.3.3 Introduction of Some“State-of-the-art” EFL Graded Tests

 1.3.3.1 The Public English Test System（PETS）

 1.3.3.2 The Cambridge Young Learners English Tests (CYLET)

 1.3.3.3 The English Graded Tests in Shanghai (EGT)

1.3.4 Comments on the Three Testing Provisions

 1.4 Purpose and Scope of the Present Study

 1.5 Layout of the Book

 1.6 Summary

Chapter 2 Theoretical Explorations and Literature Review

 2.1 Introduction

 2.2 Variables in SLA

2.2.1 Natural Route and Natural Rate

2.2.2 Affective Variables

2.2.3 Age Effects upon SLA

2.2.4 The Critical Period Hypothesis (CPH)

 2.3 From Language Performance (LP) to Communicative Competence (CC)

2.3.1 A Historical Sketch of CC

 2.3.1.1 Distinction between Competence and Performance

 2.3.1.2 Skills and Components Models of

 2.3.1.3 Hymes' Model of CC

 2.3.1.4 Others' Understanding of CC

 2.3.1.5 Canale and Swain's Model of CC

2.3.2 Bachman's (1990) and Bachman & Palmer's (1996) Models

 2.4 Variations in Language Testing

2.4.1 Test Takers' Variables

 2.4.1.1 Demographic Data/Personal Characteristics

 2.4.1.2 Knowledge Schemata

 2.4.1.3 Affective Schemata

 2.4.1.4 Cognitive and Metacognitive Skills

2.4.2 Test Method/Task Variables

 2.4.2.1 Setting or Testing Environment

 2.4.2.2 Test Rubric

 2.4.2.3 Input

 2.4.2.4 Expected Response

 2.4.2.5 Relationship between Input and Response

 2.5 Scoring Issues

2.5.1 Categories of Scoring: Holistic & Analytic

2.5.2 Criterion-referencing (CR) and Norm-referencing (NR)

 2.6 Summary

Chapter 3 Rationale for the SETS Framework

 3.1 Introduction

 3.2 Characteristics of Adolescent Language Learners

3.2.1 Cognitive Differences among Children, Adolescents and Adults

3.2.2 Theoretical Perspectives about Adolescent Thinking

 3.2.2.1 Piagetian Perspective

 3.2.2.2 Information,processing Perspective

3.2.3 Personality Development Perspectiye

3.2.4 Universals of and Particulars over Adolescence

 3.2.4.1 Commonalities of Adolescents

 3.2.4.2 Psychosocial Development of the Three Boundaries of Adolescence

 3.3 An Overview of the Streamline English Testing System (SETS)

3.3.1 Characteristics of Chinese School Students

3.3.2 A Sketch of the National English Curricular Standard (NECS)

3.3.3 Bases and Characteristics of the SETS Framework

 3.4 General Principles Governing the SETS Framework

3.4.1 Aft Overview of the Test Development

3.4.2 General Guidelines for the SETS Framework

 3.5 Summary

Chapter 4 Operationalization of the SETS Framework 

 4.1 Introduction

 4.2 Description of the 3-phase Overall Framework

4.2.1 The General Framework of the SETS

4.2.2 Detailed Descriptions of the Construction Procedures 

 4.3 Speaking

4.3.1 The SETS Subframework for Testing of Speaking

4.3.2 Discussions

4.3.3 Sample Speaking Tasks

 4.4 Listening

4.4.1 The SETS Subframework for Testing of Listening

4.4.2 Discussions

4.4.3 Sample Listening Tasks

 4.5 Reading

4.5.1 The SETS Subframework for Testing of Reading

4.5.2 Discussions

4.5.3 Sample Reading Tasks

 4.6 Writing

4.6.1 The SETS Subframework for Testing of Writing

4.6.2 Discussions

4.6.3 Sample Writing Tasks

 4.7 Grammar and Vocabulary

4.7.1 The SETS Subframework for Testing of Grammar and Vocabulary

4.7.2 Discussions

4.7.3 Sample Test Tasks

 4.8 Summary

Chapter 5 Conclusion and Recommendations

 5.1 Introduction

 5.2 Recapitulation

 5.3 Evaluation of the Present Study

5.3.1 Limitations of the Study

5.3.2 Recommendations

 5.3.2.1 Establishing a Two-tied Assessment Scheme

 5.3.2.2 Integration with Tests in Colleges

 5.4 Summary

Bibliography

Appendix 1 A Questionnaire

Appendix 2 The Questionnaire Takers

Appendix 3 The National English Curricular StandardThe Public English Test System（PETS）