State Assessment Policies, Practices, and Language Minority Students

J. Michael O’Malley · Lorraine Valdez Pierce

12 citations0/0 files storedEducational Assessment

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Multilingual Education and Policy EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning Educational Assessment and Improvement

Abstract

State assessment policies define the context for local school districts to identify language minority students who need language-based instructional services and to follow the performance of these students in school. This survey of state education agencies (SEAs) in the eastern half of the United States addressed two questions: What assessment policies are states using to identify and reclassify English language learning (ELL) students from special language programs, and what assessment policies are states using to determine the participation of ELL students in statewide testing programs? Results indicated that fewer than one third of the SEAs required assessment for identification or placement of ELL students through state law or policy, leaving most of the states without procedures that would prevent mislabeling and inaccurate student counts. Almost half the states required a minimum score on a statewide test for students to be eligible for a high school diploma, yet less than one fifth of these had some kind of alternative plan for students not obtaining the minimum score. Recommendations offered to states for designing accurate and equitable assessment practices for language minority students are (a) use uniform requirements for identification and reclassification, (b) monitor district-level assessment practices, (c) select ELL students for inclusion in statewide testing based on English language proficiency, (d) use statewide testing programs to monitor the progress of former ELL students, (e) use multiple assessment procedures in statewide testing, and (f) provide alternative procedures for ELL students to meet stare test requirements for high school graduation.

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References

1987Bilingualism and Special Education: Issues in Assessment and Pedagogy 2001Educational Leadership 1987Learning From Experience: Lessons From Policy Implementation 2011A True Test: Toward More Authentic and Equitable Assessment 1989Empowering minority students 1989How Long? A Synthesis of Research on Academic Achievement in a Second Language 1993A Practical Guide to Alternative Assessment 1994Is It Real for All Kids? A Framework for Equitable Assessment Policies for English Language Learners

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2007Cultural and Home Language Influences on Children's Responses to Science Assessments 1998High-stakes testing in education.2020Assessment Accommodations for English Language Learners: The Case of Former-LEPs 1999Focus-Group Research on Minnesota's Implementation of Graduation Standards Testing 2023Authority over power in English learner accountability policies: Maintaining a national role within a context of local control

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