Factors Influencing the Assessment of English Language Learners
This section describes factors to consider when developing assessments and making decisions
regarding testing accommodations for ELLs. The factors are not guidelines per se, but rather provide
useful context for the guidelines presented in the later parts of the document.
Language Factors
• Different linguistic backgrounds—ELLs in the United States possess a wide range of
linguistic backgrounds. While the majority of ELLs come from Spanish-speaking
backgrounds, it has been estimated that approximately 400 different native languages are
spoken by ELLs nationally. This is particularly important to keep in mind when
considering the use of native language testing accommodations, since it may not be
possible to provide assessments in all native languages represented in a large school
district or a state.
• Varying levels of proficiency in English—ELLs vary widely in their level of English language
proficiency, and furthermore, ELLs may have varying levels of oral and written English
proficiency. Do not assume that students who can converse easily in English will have
the literacy skills necessary to understand the written directions for a standardized test.
Some ELLs may be proficient in the English used for interpersonal communications but
not in the academic English needed to fully access content-area assessments. Studies
show that the level of language proficiency has an influence on processing speed. In
other words, compared with native speakers, ELLs generally take longer on tasks
presented in English. This is important to keep in mind when designing and scoring the
assessment, as well as when making decisions about testing accommodations.
• Varying levels of proficiency in native language—ELLs also vary in their levels of proficiency
and literacy in their native languages. Therefore, do not assume that speakers of other
languages will be able to understand written test directions in their native languages. In
fact, a large proportion of ELLs were born in the United States and may not have had
any formal schooling in their native language. This is important to keep in mind when
considering the use of native language accommodations.
Educational Background Factors
• Varying degrees of formal schooling in native language—As mentioned previously, ELLs vary
widely in the level of formal schooling they have had in their native languages. The
degree of native-language formal schooling affects not only native language
proficiency—specifically, literacy in the native language—but also the level of contentarea
skills and knowledge. For example, students from refugee populations may enter
the U.S. educational system with little or no formal schooling in any language. These
students must learn English and content-area knowledge simultaneously, while also
being socialized into a school context that may be extremely unfamiliar. Other ELLs
may come to the United States with more formal schooling and may have received
instruction in the content areas in their native languages. The primary challenge for these
students is simply to transfer their existing content knowledge into English. Again, these
factors come into play when making decisions about appropriate accommodations.
• Varying degrees of formal schooling in English—ELLs also vary in the number of years they
have spent in schools where English is the language of instruction. A distinction may
also be made between students who have studied English as a foreign language while in
their home countries and students who have studied English as a second language only
in the United States. Furthermore, ELLs differ in the type of instruction they have
received while in English-speaking schools. Bilingual, full English immersion, and English as
a second language are but three of the many existing instructional programs for non-native
English speakers, and there are great variations in how these programs are implemented.
In addition, ELLs from migrant populations may spend many years in English-speaking
schools but may also experience repeated interruptions and relocation to different cities
in the United States in the course of their schooling, which may have an impact on both
their English language proficiency and on their content-area knowledge.
• Varying degrees of exposure to standardized testing—It should not be assumed that all ELLs
have had the same exposure to the standardized testing that is prevalent in the United
States. Students in some countries may have had no exposure to multiple-choice
questions, while those from other countries may never have seen a constructed-response
question. Even ELLs from educationally advantaged backgrounds and with high levels
of English language proficiency may not be accustomed to standardized, large-scale
assessments and may be at a disadvantage in these testing situations.
Cultural Factors
Cultural factors can also be potential sources of construct-irrelevant variance that add to the
complexity of appropriately assessing ELLs.
• Varying degrees of acculturation to U.S. mainstream—ELLs come from a wide range of
cultural backgrounds, and cultural differences may place ELLs at a disadvantage in a
standardized testing situation. Lack of familiarity with mainstream American culture, for
example, can potentially have an impact on test scores for ELLs. Students who are
unfamiliar with American culture may be at a disadvantage relative to their peers because
they may hold different assumptions about the testing situation or the educational
environment in general, have different background knowledge and experience, or
possess different sets of cultural values and beliefs, and therefore respond to questions
differently. Students from cultures where cooperation is valued over competition, for
example, may be at a disadvantage in those testing situations in the United States where
the goal is for each individual student to perform at his or her best on his or her own.
Students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds may also respond to questions
differently and may have background knowledge and experiences that are different from
those presumed by a test developer.
المادة المعروضة اعلاه هي مدخل الى المحاضرة المرفوعة بواسطة استاذ(ة) المادة . وقد تبدو لك غير متكاملة . حيث يضع استاذ المادة في بعض الاحيان فقط الجزء الاول من المحاضرة من اجل الاطلاع على ما ستقوم بتحميله لاحقا . في نظام التعليم الالكتروني نوفر هذه الخدمة لكي نبقيك على اطلاع حول محتوى الملف الذي ستقوم بتحميله .
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