MSI Press Blog

  Most learners at Level 3 think they know what their problems are. They’ll say, “I need more vocabulary,” or “My listening is bad,” or “I always mess up the grammar.” But here’s the truth: What you think your gaps are, and what your gaps actually are , rarely match. That’s where Diagnostic Assessment — DA — comes in. If Level 4 is the land of nuance, precision, and near‑native control, DA is the mapmaker. It shows you the terrain of your own language use: the habits, the blind spots, the micro‑skills you’ve been skipping over for years. 🔍 What DA Actually Does DA is not a test. It’s an X‑ray. Instead of ranking you on a scale, it breaks your performance into skills , subskills , and micro‑operations — the tiny things that make the difference between “advanced” and “near‑native.” Research in cognitive diagnostic assessment shows that DA can reveal fine‑grained patterns that traditional tests completely miss. Even learners with identical scores often have totally diffe...

           Just out! Volume 8 of the  Journal for Distinguished Language Studies . Read the abstracts. See something you like? Explore more! The JDLS is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, other online sellers, the MSI Press webstore -- and, in some (we hope, many) cases your local academic library. (If you want it at your local public library -- just ask the librarian to order it, or better,  subscribe  to it.) Volume 8 Abstracts Beyond the Language: Debating as High-Intensity Cultural Engagement & Leadership Emilie Cleret (French War College) This article discusses the use of debating in senior professional military education (PME) at the French War College in Paris to help officers reach native-like English language competence. In France, senior Professional Military Education (PME) is delivered by two schools – Ecole de Guerre (French War College) and Centre des hautes études militaires, (Centre for Higher Military Studies). Th...

Peek into the future! Wait just a bit. Coming up some time this year is the publication of  Diagnostic Assessment at the Superior/Distinguished Threshold , the second edition of a unique book by Bella Cohen, with an introduction by Steve Koppany Description: Diagnostic Assessment provides teachers of foreign-language students working at high levels of language proficiency with tools and techniques for determining gaps in students' knowledge and skills and with suggestions for tasks that can help students. The book is written by an experienced teacher, diagnostic assessor, proficiency tester, and tester trainer. The suggestions are based on work with literally hundreds of students in government language programs. Check out excerpts from the current edition. For more posts about Bella and her book, click  HERE . Book is available at discount from the  MSI Press webstore . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter Follow  MSI Press  on  Twitter ,  Face Boo...

  Peek into the future! Wait just a bit. Coming up some time this year is the publication of  Diagnostic Assessment at the Superior/Distinguished Threshold , the second edition of a unique book by Bella Cohen, with an introduction by Steve Koppany Description: Diagnostic Assessment provides teachers of foreign-language students working at high levels of language proficiency with tools and techniques for determining gaps in students' knowledge and skills and with suggestions for tasks that can help students. The book is written by an experienced teacher, diagnostic assessor, proficiency tester, and tester trainer. The suggestions are based on work with literally hundreds of students in government language programs. Check out excerpts from the current edition. For more posts about Bella and her book, click  HERE . Book is available at discount from the  MSI Press webstore . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter Follow  MSI Press  on  Twitter ,  F...

  Peek into the future! Wait just a bit. Coming up some time this year is the publication of Diagnostic Assessment at the Superior/Distinguished Threshold , the second edition of a unique book by Bella Cohen, with an introduction by Steve Koppany Description: Diagnostic Assessment provides teachers of foreign-language students working at high levels of language proficiency with tools and techniques for determining gaps in students' knowledge and skills and with suggestions for tasks that can help students. The book is written by an experienced teacher, diagnostic assessor, proficiency tester, and tester trainer. The suggestions are based on work with literally hundreds of students in government language programs. Check out excerpts from the current edition. For more posts about Bella and her book, click HERE . Book is available at discount from the MSI Press webstore . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter Follow  MSI Press  on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and...

  Peek into the future! Wait just a bit. Coming up some time this year is the publication of  Diagnostic Assessment at the Superior/Distinguished Threshold , the second edition of a unique book by Bella Cohen, with an introduction by Steve Koppany Description: Diagnostic Assessment provides teachers of foreign-language students working at high levels of language proficiency with tools and techniques for determining gaps in students' knowledge and skills and with suggestions for tasks that can help students. The book is written by an experienced teacher, diagnostic assessor, proficiency tester, and tester trainer. The suggestions are based on work with literally hundreds of students in government language programs. Check out excerpts from the current edition. For more posts about Bella and her book, click  HERE . Book is available at discount from the  MSI Press webstore . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter Follow  MSI Press  on  Twitter ,  F...

  Peek into the future! Wait just a bit. Coming up some time this year is the publication of  Diagnostic Assessment at the Superior/Distinguished Threshold , the second edition of a unique book by Bella Cohen, with an introduction by Steve Koppany Description: Diagnostic Assessment provides teachers of foreign-language students working at high levels of language proficiency with tools and techniques for determining gaps in students' knowledge and skills and with suggestions for tasks that can help students. The book is written by an experienced teacher, diagnostic assessor, proficiency tester, and tester trainer. The suggestions are based on work with literally hundreds of students in government language programs. Check out excerpts from the current edition. For more posts about Bella and her book, click  HERE . Book is available at discount from the  MSI Press webstore . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter Follow  MSI Press  on  Twitter ,  F...