Within the complex issue of second language (L2) proficiency, the editors intend this volume as a source of practical ideas to “narrow the gap between SLA research and language teaching by proposing concrete applications of advancements in SLA research for both pedagogical and research-based applications” (p. 15). The contributors were among the participants at a 2012 workshop on L2 proficiency assessment, and their chapters bring diverse perspectives and approaches to this extensive question.

More than a summary, Leclercq and Edmonds’ introductory chapter grapples with difficult, fundamental questions in the field (e.g., how to model and define proficiency and proficiency assessment) and emphasizes the need for practical proficiency measures that can be implemented easily and interpreted uniformly in SLA studies. The data for the 10 remaining chapters come from L2 French and L2 English. Using meticulously coded data from an oral corpus, Hilton reports on the frequency, duration, and location (i.e., clause internally vs. at a clause boundary) of pauses and hesitations in L2 and first language speech as well as the density of information units conveyed in a given stretch of speech. Osborne examines annotations posted to a web-based collaborative assessment site to see how assessment raters working with the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) apply the CEFR criteria and which features of L2 speech most influence their decisions. Callies, Díez-Bedmar, and Zaytseva provide an overview of three approaches to using (written) corpora in L2 assessment with particular reference to complexity, accuracy, and fluency, and they highlight the range of proficiency levels found within a single institutional level. Prince addresses listening comprehension by analyzing word recognition in comprehension-restitution tasks; his findings stress the importance of efficient word recognition and chunking in skilled listeners. Ankerstein presents a psycholinguistic study of lexical access, supporting the claim that the coefficient of variation, rather than raw response times and error rates, reflects the degree to which (lexical) processing is automatized and thereby nativelike. In another psycholinguistic lexical study, Bairstow, Lavaur, Laxén, and Aparicio probe the organization of bilingual lexicons through a translation recognition task involving high- and low-frequency words. Tracy-Ventura, McManus, Norris, and Ortega describe an elicited imitation task now available for French, following earlier development and validation of this easily administered instrument for five other L2s. Using data from oral interviews and a written essay, McManus, Tracy-Ventura, Mitchell, Richard, and Romero de Mills examine the French subjunctive to determine an acquisitional sequence that can then be applied to proficiency assessment; their findings suggest that the subjunctive emerges only at higher proficiency levels in L2 French. In a tightly focused study, Zoghlami inquires whether the Oxford Placement Test or the First Certificate in English more effectively measures listening comprehension. Finally, Gertken, Amengual, and Birdsong present the Bilingual Language Profile, a self-administered test of bilingual dominance that is available free of charge in nine language pairings (to date).

Typical of conference publications, the works in this volume present considerable heterogeneity with respect to L2 population, data, analyses, and results. Likewise, the chapters differ in how readily their findings can be applied in L2 proficiency measurement. Nevertheless, SLA generally, and the study of L2 proficiency as a subfield, are marked by a multiplicity of methods and objectives, and it is instructive and thought provoking to see a wide range of perspectives united around a common theme. It is all the more striking when numerous studies in the volume share a conclusion—for example, that SLA researchers cannot continue to conflate institutional level with proficiency. Others have already argued this point, but the field has yet to abandon this flawed (although convenient) practice, and one hopes that this volume helps move SLA research forward by stimulating discussion and adoption of more valid measures. The editors clearly (and correctly, in this reviewer’s view) see L2 proficiency measurement as a work in progress. Appropriately, this volume makes no professions of exhaustiveness, nor does it construe itself as a handbook. Rather, its value lies in renewing interest in a long-standing, thorny issue that often receives less contemplation than it is due. Researchers, testing and assessment specialists, and advanced students will find much to ponder, and the field should welcome and embrace the editors’ appeal for proficiency measures that are feasible, reliable, and that allow for comparisons between studies of different L2s.