planning the assessment
in planning assessments to be taken by the general student population, including ells, the
general principles of good assessment practices apply. this section describes different steps within
the planning process, highlighting issues most relevant to the assessment of ells.
test purpose
the purpose of a test must be clear in order for valid interpretations to be made on the basis of
the test scores. tests have different purposes. for example, one test may be used to evaluate
students’ readiness to advance to the next grade, while another evaluates students’ need for
remediation. it is also important to outline the specific interpretations that will be made based on the
scores. for example, tests used as a criterion for high school graduation will affect students
differently than tests designed to inform instructional decisions
defining the construct
a second criterion for validity is a precise and explicit definition of the construct the test is
intended to measure. for k-12 assessments, state standards underlie the test specifications.
sometimes other state documents, such as curriculum frameworks, may clarify knowledge and skills
stated in the standards. when defining a construct for an assessment to be given to ells, consider in
particular how english language skills interact with the construct. for example, when defining the
construct for a mathematics test, consider whether it is intended to be a test of mathematics, in
which case the test should require no or absolutely minimal english proficiency, or a test of the
ability to do mathematics within an english-language educational environment, in which case the
ability to comprehend word problems in english may be part of the construct. similarly, those who
define the construct should pay attention to how much of the vocabulary of the discipline in english
is to be viewed as part of the assessment.4 defining english proficiency as part of a target construct
for an assessment in mathematics or science is neither right nor wrong. it is essential, however, that
these definitions be explicit. furthermore, even if english proficiency is part of the construct, take
care to define what level of english proficiency should be expected of students. when defining the
linguistic demands to be included in the construct, make an effort to include professionals with
backgrounds in educating ells.
developing the assessment specifications
assessment specifications define the test content and explain how that content will be assessed.
assessment specifications also provide a link between a state’s content standards and the items or
tasks that appear in a particular test. ells will likely constitute a significant portion of the population
of many k-12 tests therefore, considering ells during the initial development of assessment
specifications is utterly important. the following points relevant to ells should be addressed when
writing k-12 assessment specifications.
domain of knowledge and skills
states are likely to have documented content standards for the subject area to be assessed. states
may also provide performance standards and other documents that define the domain and their
expectations for student achievement. test developers should review these documents carefully and
note the degree to which each standard calls for the ability to read, write, speak, or listen in english.
share the results of this review with the educational agency and clarify the level of english
proficiency that each standard implies. educational agencies may not be aware of ambiguities in their
content standards regarding this issue. content standards are often developed by committees of
experts focused primarily on the subject area. defining expectations about the use of english, use of
ells’ first languages, and use of visual representations is important both to ensure an efficient
development process and to gain educational agencies’ confidence in the validity of an assessment.
many states define expectations for test questions in detail in item specifications, as distinct from
assessment specifications. the item specifications contain detailed notes about acceptable vocabulary,
content limits, and focus for each of the state standards assessed. develop—and have the state
approve—item specifications before the assessment program’s first content or bias and sensitivity
reviews. updating details in the specifications when items are reviewed, with state approval.
number and types of items or tasks
in general, all other things being equal, tests with more items will supply more reliable scores.5
reliability refers to the extent to which scores obtained on a specific form of an assessment can be
generalized to scores obtained on other forms of the assessment, administered at other times, or
possibly scored by some other rater(s). thus, as is true for all students, it is desirable to provide ells
with multiple opportunities to show what they know and can do.
some have posited that ells should have not only multiple opportunities, but also multiple ways
to show what they know, and that assessment specifications should include a variety of item and
response types that may lead to assessments on which ells are more likely to be able to show their
strengths. for example, items with visuals, performance tasks, or oral responses are sometimes
suggested as ways to allow ells to better demonstrate proficiency. however, in the literature base,
there is no consistent agreement as to whether these varied item types are in fact beneficial. in
addition, more items and more sets of directions may tax the reading ability of ells, as well as the
rest of the examinee population. lastly, educational agencies will always have limitations regarding
time and costs and must decide what is realistic for a given testing program.
therefore, we suggest making an effort to present the best options for task types that allow ells
to show what they know and can do within the practical limits of the assessment program. item tryouts,
discussed in a later section, may be a way of exploring the use of different item types with ells.
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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