Recommendations for Assessing English Language Learners: English Language Proficiency Measures and Accommodation Uses. Recommendations Report (Part 3 of 3). CRESST Report 737.

Abstract

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB, 2002) has had a great impact on states’ policies in assessing English language learner (ELL) students. The legislation requires states to develop or adopt sound assessments in order to validly measure the ELL students’ English language proficiency, as well as content knowledge and skills. While states have moved rapidly to meet these requirements, they face challenges to validate their current assessment and accountability systems for ELL students, partly due to the lack of resources. Considering the significant role of assessment in guiding decisions about organizations and individuals, validity is a paramount concern. In light of this, we reviewed the current literature and policy regarding ELL assessment in order to inform practitioners of the key issues to consider in their validation process. Drawn from our review of literature and practice, we developed a set of guidelines and recommendations for practitioners to use as a resource to improve their ELL assessment systems. The present report is the last component of the series, providing recommendations for state policy and practice in assessing ELL students. It also discusses areas for future research and development. Introduction and Background English language learners (ELLs) are the fastest growing subgroup in the nation. Over a 10-year period between the 1994–1995 and 2004–2005 school years, the enrollment of ELL students grew over 60%, while the total K–12 growth was just over 2% (Office of English Language Acquisition [OELA], n.d.). The increased rate is more astounding for some states. For instance, North Carolina and Nevada have reported their ELL population growth rate as 500% and 200% respectively for the past 10-year period (Batlova, Fix, & Murray, 2005, as cited in Short & Fitzsimmons, 2007). Not only is the size of the ELL population is growing, but the diversity of these students is becoming more extensive. Over 400 different languages are reported among these students; schooling experience is varied depending on the students’ 1 We would like to thank the following for their valuable comments and suggestions on earlier drafts of this report: Jamal Abedi, Diane August, Margaret Malone, Robert J. Mislevy, Charlene Rivera, Lourdes Rovira, Robert Rueda, Guillermo Solano-Flores, and Lynn Shafer Willner. Our sincere thanks also go to Jenny Kao, Patina L. Bachman, and Sandy M. Chang for their useful suggestions and invaluable research assistance.