Assessing Heritage Language Learners

Abstract

In the last few decades, research on how to best teach and assess heritage language (HL) learners has grown as enrollment of these students in language classes has increased. Recent work on the assessment of HL learners has been conducted in the context of higher education in the USA and has focused almost exclusively on placement testing. This chapter first reviews the various characterizations and characteristics of the heritage language population. The next section discusses approaches to placement testing of HL learners and reviews specific studies that have been conducted related to these different approaches. The approaches include the use of self‐placements and demographic questionnaires, standardized foreign language exams, and locally developed placement tests. Finally, the chapter concludes by discussing challenges in the placement testing of HL learners and future directions for research.

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