Assessment Of English Language Learners Research Articles

Fairer for all: Teachers identifying and solving problems with the assessment of English language learners in the mainstream classroom

The emphasis in classroom-based assessment on assessment for learning means that the classroom teacher now bears greater responsibility for assessment (Malone, 2008). The success of any assessment process depends on the skill the teacher brings to classroom assessment and their ability to make decisions which are appropriate for their specific learners in their particular contexts (Hill, 2017). This paper focuses on three teachers who conducted an inquiry into an aspect of assessment practice in their teaching context. These inquiries are examined through two theoretical frameworks. The first uses Hill’s (2017) Teacher assessment literacy framework to illustrate how teachers’ reflections on the three dimensions of oning of assessment practices. The second uses the Assessment Use Argument which outlines the steps which need to be taken to justify or challenge the use of a given assessment. The paper documents the problems that these three teachers identified at different stages of this argument sequence. Through conducting these inquiries the teachers realized that specific assessments used in the mainstream classroom were not valid when used with English language learners (ELLs). They drew conclusions and proposed adaptations, thus demonstrating that teachers can make appropriate assessment decisions to ensure fairer outcomes for these learners in their local contexts.

Differentiated instruction and assessment

The focus of this review paper is on the assessment of English Language Learners (ELLs) and the ways in which the language gap negatively influences ELLs in classroom assessments. The research body provides an outline of differentiated instruction and assessment highlighting the primary obstacles that hinder ELLs from achieving success in various classroom assessments. It explains the importance of addressing the language gap due to its wide-reaching impact. Additionally, it underscores the significance of differentiating instruction and scaffolding assessment to accommodate language, culture, and previous educational experience. This consideration is especially crucial as assessment results may be biased or inaccurate if these factors are not taken into account. Finally, the paper discusses several strategies that teachers can implement to enhance their instruction and assessment methods.

The Validity of Multiple Choice and Essay Composition Proficiency Assessment for English Language Learners

Students take assessment methods designed to examine their command of the English language in all four skill domains – reading, writing, speaking, and listening, as outlined by individual states. There has been much debate on whether multiple choice questions or essay compositions are valid in assessing students' English language proficiency. This paper aims to determine whether multiple-choice tests or written compositions are more reliable in gauging students' English competence. The author underlines that multiple choice tests could be successfully employed to test grammar, listening or reading skills. This research incorporated a qualitative methodology by utilizing deductive content analysis. The results of this study demonstrate that using multiple-choice questions is valid because they help students develop abilities for independent learning and raise their level of English proficiency. The deductive approach began with developing a theory that multiple choice questions are the most valid method of assessing a learner's proficiency in the English language. The author then found relevant and credible articles that address the research question. A hypothesis was then developed that teachers who use multiple choice questions can assess learners' English language proficiency compared to those who use compositions. Conclusions about the validity of the multiple choice questions are drawn and future research directions are also proposed.

Analyzing English language teacher candidates’ assessment literacy: A case of Bruneian and Japanese universities

English language teacher candidates should possess Language Assessment Literacy (LAL) to help them determine the most suitable kinds of assessment for English language learners. This study investigated English language teacher candidates’ preparedness for assessment responsibilities. Participants were 56 English language teacher candidates from Brunei and Japan studying in universities. A mixed-methods approach to data collection was taken involving questionnaires completed by the English language teacher candidates and interviews with a subset of 14 of the participants. The results from this study revealed that teacher candidates in both Brunei and Japan lacked sufficient knowledge of LAL, even though some of them possessed some teaching experience before entering their teacher education program. Implications for teacher training in English language (L2) contexts are discussed.

Assessment of English Foreign Language Learners: MOOC Material Resume and Review of Online Professional English Network (OPEN)

As a personal research note, this paper presents the summary and review of the course material "Assessment of English Language Learners" from the author's participation in the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) program offered by the U.S. Department of State as the Online Professional English Network (OPEN). This article is suitable for practical tests for ESL/EFL teachers in classes where students learn English as a second language. It aims to fill the lack of literature on assessing English Language Learners, especially regarding meaningful and purposeful assessment studies in L2 language classes. This paper serves the information as a contribution to 1) determine a meaningful assessment; 2) collect and use data to use the right assessment; 3) select the types of alternative assessment; 4) foster students' motivation and engagement through assessment; and 5) making assessment fun. This paper's contributions will supplement teachers in determining the most appropriate assessment in line with their students' needs. In addition, assessment should act as an evaluation tool and be turned into something fun in the classroom so that students can get many benefits at once, namely learning experiences and learning outcomes. This article is recommended for practical assessments for EFL teachers in English second language learning classes.

Toward Equitable Assessment of English Language Learners in General Chemistry: Identifying Supportive Features in Assessment Items

Many students experience a language-related barrier which may keep them from fully understanding and engaging in complex chemistry content. Although dense and technically rich scientific language is challenging for most students to interpret, it can become a systematic barrier for English Language Learner (ELL) students when it cognitively interferes with their ability to demonstrate their content knowledge in a competitive, fast-paced, and mandatory science course. However, little is understood about how ELL undergraduates can be assessed in introductory science courses in a fair and equitable manner. The current study examined the potential of an equity-driven, empirical method (the Equitable Framework for Classroom Assessment; EFCA) for modifying assessment items to meet the needs of ELL students in general chemistry. Such an initiative is crucial for impartially assessing the chemical content knowledge of linguistically diverse students. We employed the guidelines of the EFCA to modify three assessment items (about the topics of limiting reactants and percent yield) in a way that reduces their linguistic complexity without watering down their content difficulty. We then presented ELL students with both the original and the modified versions of the items and asked them to comment─during semistructured, retrospective interviews─about the features that were supportive to their comprehension. The students identified multiple supportive features, including those related to the items’ macrostructure (visual appearance) and its readability. They also identified specific types of scaffolds and representations that supported their understanding, as well as their ability to think through and set up the solution to the problems.

The Effect of Linguistic Factors on Assessment of English Language Learners’ Mathematical Ability: A Differential Item Functioning Analysis

ABSTRACT Increasing linguistic diversity in classrooms has led researchers to examine the validity and fairness of standardized achievement tests, specifically concerning whether test score interpretations are free of bias and score use is fair for all students. This study examined whether mathematics achievement test items that contain complex language function differently between two language subgroups: native English speakers (EL1, n= 1 000), and English language learners (ELL, n= 1 000). Confirmatory Differential Item Functioning (DIF) analyses using a SIBTEST were performed on 28 mathematics assessment items. Eleven items were identified to have complex language features, and DIF analyses revealed that seven of these items (63%) favored EL1s over ELLs. Effect sizes were moderate (0.05 ≤<0.10) for six items, and marginal (<0.05) for one item. This paper discusses validity issues with math achievement test items assessing ELLs and calls for careful test development and instructional accommodation in the classroom.

Coping with the Curriculum: Examining Critical Issues in Assessment of English Language Learners in the Secondary Classrooms of Bengal

In the last few decades there has been a paradigmatic shift in English language teaching all across the world with extensive research being conducted in the planning and preparation of an appropriate language curriculum- one that will address the manifold needs of learners in a given context and time. In the post-Independence phase of English language teaching in India, the necessity of upgrading the existing language curricula and making it at par with global standards was recognized. In West Bengal too, a similar understanding underlined the series of revisions in the syllabus, methodological approach, and development of TLM (Teaching-Learning materials) and assessment of learners, especially after the 1950s. Interestingly, the curricular revision of English in 2011 in the aftermath of the political turnover in the state, overhauled the earlier curriculum with a new functional, communicative approach that led to massive changes (from the primary level through the higher secondary level of school) in the syllabus, course content, methodology and assessment of linguistic and communicative competence of the learners. Replacing the previous mid-term and annual evaluation process, the new curriculum has introduced continuous assessment pattern with special focus on formative assessment.This article traces the evolution in approach and techniques of assessment in the light of changing curricular needs worldwide and then studies the revised assessment approaches adopted in the present curriculum (after the curricular revision in 2011) of West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE).

Evaluating English language learners’ conversations: Man vs. Machine

This study investigated a new conversation-based assessment for English language learners. In this assessment, students converse with animated agents in natural language conversations to assess various aspects of English language learning. In a between subjects design, 31 students (N = 31) were asked questions by either the newly created system or human interviewers. Results revealed that there was no difference in answers in regards to impacting the constructs under investigation. However, there were other differences including higher word count and potentially more complex language usage when speaking to a human. Furthermore, students liked interacting with the system. These results suggest that the newly created system can assess students’ English capabilities comparably to human interviewers and implementing such a formative assessment is feasible.

Assessment of English language learners in New Zealand primary schools: Purposes, principles, and practices

As of March 2015, it is mandatory for all New Zealand primary and secondary schools with English language learners (ELLs) to use the stages of the English language learning progressions (ELLP)(Ministry of Education, 2008) to determine learners’ eligibility for Ministry funding for resourcing of ESOL programmes. This represents a significant change from the previous cohort-based system of determining funding eligibility. Teachers with ELLs in their classrooms are now expected to “use a wide range of assessment tasks, activities and observations to make an OTJ (overall teacher judgment) with reference to the various descriptors on the ELLP matrices” (Ministry of Education, 2013). The guidelines provided to teachers regarding the new assessment process are fairly brief, and the Ministry advises that the assessment used to arrive at an OTJ should not be additional to the school’s “usual age-appropriate assessment tools, activities and observations”. This paper provides the background to the current assessment situation, which is located in the wider context of a move to standards-based assessment. It then examines three key considerations for teachers relating to aspects of the new assessment process. Firstly, how should teachers view the purpose of the assessment activities for determining funding eligibility – achievement, proficiency, diagnosis, or a combination of these? Secondly, what principles should guide teachers as they make assessment choices and decisions for ELL funding eligibility, including considerations such as validity, reliability, fairness, practicality and authenticity? Finally, what assessment practices are currently being chosen by teachers – how many assessment activities are used, how are they implemented, and what use is made of the results? Little is known regarding current practices in regard to the assessment of ELLs using the new guidelines, and this paper includes a pilot study of a small number of teachers regarding this. Suggestions are also made for ongoing research in this area.

Construct Relevant or Irrelevant? The Role of Linguistic Complexity in the Assessment of English Language Learners’ Science Knowledge

This article addresses the issue of language-related construct-irrelevant variance on content area tests from the perspective of systemic functional linguistics. We propose that the construct relevance of language used in content area assessments, and consequent claims of construct-irrelevant variance and bias, should be determined according to the degree of correspondence between language use in the assessment and language use in the educational contexts in which the content is learned and used. This can be accomplished by matching the linguistic features of an assessment and the linguistic features of the domain in which the assessment is measuring achievement. This represents a departure from previous work on the assessment of English language learners’ content knowledge that has assumed complex linguistic features are a source of construct irrelevant variance by virtue of their complexity.

Assessment of English Language Learners in the Era of New Academic Content Standards

Assessment of English Language Learners in the Era of New Academic Content Standards

Evaluating Phonological Systems of Bilingual (Spanish-English) Children with Highly Unintelligible Speech

Several investigators have documented the need for better assessment practices of bilingual children. Based on results reported by Skahan, Watson, and Lof, for example, practicing speechlanguage pathologists (SLPs) shared that they rely more on informal measures or, in some cases, assessment in English only when evaluating children with suspected speech sound disorder (SSD). Given what we know about preferred bilingual assessment procedures, both the native language and second language should be evaluated; which is supported by federal mandates ‘unless it is clearly not feasible to so provide or administer’. More recently, however, some challenges have been posited by speech sound experts in relation to the assessment of english language learners (ELLs) with SSD.

Improving Content Assessment for English Language Learners: Studies of the Linguistic Modification of Test Items

This article describes two research studies conducted on the linguistic modification of test items from K–12 content assessments. In the first study, 120 linguistically modified test items in mathematics and science taken by fourth and sixth graders were found to have a wide range of outcomes for English language learners (ELLs) and non‐ELLs, with regard to performance on the original and modified versions of the same items. The original items were disclosed items from two states and were used in their standards‐based assessments. The modified versions of these items were developed by a team of Educational Testing Service (ETS) assessment developers and researchers. The ETS research team identified several kinds of modifications that appeared promising and applied the modifications systematically. Ideally, modifying items leads to improved performance by ELLs while having little to no impact on the performance of non‐ELLs. However, both groups of students performed better on some items, about the same on some other items, and worse on yet some other items. Cognitive interviews were conducted as a follow‐up study to investigate which features of the linguistically modified items produced the observed outcomes for ELLs and non‐ELLs. The results from this study added little clarity with regards to which of the linguistic modifications were effective and how they improved the understanding and performance of ELLs on these content items.

The Use of Computer Technology in Designing Appropriate Test Accommodations for English Language Learners

Among the several forms of accommodations used in the assessment of English language learners (ELLs), language-based accommodations are the most effective in making assessments linguistically accessible to these students. However, there are significant challenges associated with the implementation of many of these accommodations. This article reviews studies that explain the impact of language factors on the assessment of ELLs, presents major forms of language-based accommodations, and discusses how computers can assist in the proper administration of these accommodations.

The Role of Language Learning Progressions in Improved Instruction and Assessment of English Language Learners

This article addresses theoretical and empirical issues relevant for the development and evaluation of language learning progressions. The authors explore how learning progressions aligned with new content standards can form a central basis of efforts to describe the English language needed in school contexts for learning, instruction, and assessment. Learning progressions, in contrast with standards, can articulate incremental growth and are positioned to support teachers' formative assessment practices with K–12 students who are acquiring English as an additional language. Extending learning progressions that have taken hold in other areas of student learning to language learning and development requires conceptualizing (1) in what ways language progresses, and (2) how language growth can be supported by educators. The authors illustrate both considerations with the example of a new language learning progression and formative assessment initiative that are based on the characterization of explanations generated by students with a wide range of experiences with English.

Situating Practice in Schools and Communities: Case Studies of Teacher Candidates in Diverse Clinical Experiences with English Language Learners

With climbing percentages of linguistic diversity within the United States population, teachers must be prepared to work with English language learners in school and community settings. In this paper, we utilized a multiple-case study design to describe and explore the learning of four undergraduate teacher candidates enrolled in a university course on the assessment of English language learners. Working to fulfill the course and clinical requirements for the English as a Second Language endorsement, candidates engaged in fieldwork and conducted authentic language assessments to glean the unique sociocultural and linguistic backgrounds, abilities, and needs of students to inform subsequent instruction. Findings indicated that candidates benefited from diverse school and community field placements that matched their programs of study and cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Additionally, findings demonstrated the affordances of community sites where candidates had authentic and low-stakes opportunities to engage in professional practice, juxtaposed with high-stakes classroom settings where cooperating teachers often limited candidate involvement due to the focus on standardized testing. We close with implications and recommendations for field-based teacher preparation for English language learners.

Assessment tools to differentiate between language differences and disorders in English language learners

English language learners (ELLs) who are in the process of acquiring English as a secondlanguage for academic purposes, are often misidentified as having Language LearningDisabilities (LLDs). Policies regarding the assessment of ELLs have undergone many changesthrough the years, such as the introduction of a Response to Intervention (RTI) model, assessmentin both first and second languages, and utilization of supplemental assessments. The purpose ofthis study is to take stock of the assessment tools and district policies that are in place to make adifferential diagnosis. A total of 75 participants from California school districts, consisting ofspeech language pathologists, school psychologists, special educators, and paraprofessionals,completed an online survey. The results indicate that while professionals in the field utilizestandardized cognitive abilities tests, informal assessments, and bilingual language tests as part oftheir assessment battery, there is still a need for bilingual language support and a standardizedRTI model across schools and districts.

English-language learners and the Progressive Achievement Test: Mathematics

The Progressive Achievement Test of Mathematics (PAT: Mathematics) provides norm-referenced information about students’ level of achievement in the skills and understanding of mathematics. This knowledge guides teachers’ decisions about mathematics teaching programmes and aligns with the current evidence-based approach to teaching and learning. In practice, these assessment tools are also used to inform overall teacher judgements (OTJs) when reporting to parents and to the Ministry of Education against National Standards in numeracy. This article sets PAT: Mathematics within the context of literature on the assessment of English-language learners and reports on one teacher’s exploration of an English-language learner’s experience in sitting PAT: Mathematics. The findings indicate that teachers and schools should be cautious about interpreting results when English-language learners sit assessments developed for native English speakers.

The Impact of Setting Accommodation on Large-scale Assessment of English Language Learners with and without Learning Disabilities: Balanced vs. Unbalanced Data in Latent Class Analyses

This exploratory study examined the effect of setting accommodation on Grade 6 students’ number sense and numeration skill in relation to whether they speak a language other than English at home, have a learning disability, and received setting accommodation for a large-scale math assessment. A set of latent class analyses was conducted to investigate students’ response patterns and latent class memberships in both balanced and unbalanced data; three- and two-way ANOVA were also performed to examine the effect. The results suggest that a 4-class model with a covariate and indirect effects have better model fit to the balanced and unbalanced data. Percentage correct and missing response rate in two datasets were also compared and discussed. The results indicate that number sense and numeration skill of accommodated Grade 6 students with LD was comparable to their non-accommodated peers with LD when their response patterns were taken into account. For non-disabled groups, non-accommodated Grade 6 students outperformed their accommodated counterparts. The language spoken at home by students was not a significant indicator of the effect. The implication for data design of latent class analysis and parametric statistics for large-scale data was also discussed in this paper.