Assessment of English Language Learners
The assessment of English Language Learner (ELLs) consists of a variety of practices. Different terms are used when in the evaluation of ELLs in educational settings. Additional terms utilized when conducting assessments of ELLs include bilingual assessment or nondiscriminatory assessment. Although the term bilingual assessment may suggest that the student has mastered both languages and is, in fact, bilingual, in practice the term generally refers to a student who speaks a native language other than English. It is understood that this other language may have a significant impact on the academic and social performance of the student in school. [1]
Federal Laws and Court Cases
Civil Rights Act of …show more content…
In California, the class action suit of Diana vs. State Board of Education of 1970 resulted in reform of the evaluative practices conducted with children with different linguistic backgrounds. School psychologists need to realize that since the 1970s, when Diana v.California Board of Education (1970) called for the use of nonverbal tests of intelligence and the development of intelligence tests in Spanish with English learners, and when Jose P. v. Ambach (1979) called for the hiring of bilingual diagnostic professionals, the knowledge base on the assessment of bilingual children has become more extensive and more complex. [7]
Larry P. vs. Riles (1979)
Larry P. v. Riles (1979) is universally recognized as a landmark case with enormous potential implications for the practice of school psychology. [8] Larry P. vs. Riles was a California class-action case that focused on IQ testing of young black children, and argued that those children had been inappropriately placed in Educable Mentally Retarded (EMR) classrooms solely on the basis of an IQ score. [9]
Current Practices in the Assessment of English Language …show more content…
When a bilingual, or multilingual, evaluator is available s/he can, often times, be assigned with the task of completing all ELL evaluations. This task can be challenging when the number of ELL students referred is high. Conducting an evaluation in the student’s primary language can be challenging when an evaluator who is fluent in the primary language is not readily available. The number of ELLs in the educational settings has increased over the years and continued growth is expected. Educational systems who do not have bilingual/multilingual evaluators, often times use translators/interpreters. Interpreters must be available if needed and professionals conducting the assessment should be skilled and knowledgeable about the cultural implications of the assessment process. [13] When interpreters are used in the assessment process it is typically recommended that they are trained in standardization procedures and well before the first administration. The use of a translator/interpreter in the testing process represents a violation of standardized procedures, which by itself, can undermine the reliability and validity of the results and continues to prevent interpretation.
The assessment of English Language Learner (ELLs) consists of a variety of practices. Different terms are used when in the evaluation of ELLs in educational settings. Additional terms utilized when conducting assessments of ELLs include bilingual assessment or nondiscriminatory assessment. Although the term bilingual assessment may suggest that the student has mastered both languages and is, in fact, bilingual, in practice the term generally refers to a student who speaks a native language other than English. It is understood that this other language may have a significant impact on the academic and social performance of the student in school. [1]
Federal Laws and Court Cases
Civil Rights Act of …show more content…
In California, the class action suit of Diana vs. State Board of Education of 1970 resulted in reform of the evaluative practices conducted with children with different linguistic backgrounds. School psychologists need to realize that since the 1970s, when Diana v.California Board of Education (1970) called for the use of nonverbal tests of intelligence and the development of intelligence tests in Spanish with English learners, and when Jose P. v. Ambach (1979) called for the hiring of bilingual diagnostic professionals, the knowledge base on the assessment of bilingual children has become more extensive and more complex. [7]
Larry P. vs. Riles (1979)
Larry P. v. Riles (1979) is universally recognized as a landmark case with enormous potential implications for the practice of school psychology. [8] Larry P. vs. Riles was a California class-action case that focused on IQ testing of young black children, and argued that those children had been inappropriately placed in Educable Mentally Retarded (EMR) classrooms solely on the basis of an IQ score. [9]
Current Practices in the Assessment of English Language …show more content…
When a bilingual, or multilingual, evaluator is available s/he can, often times, be assigned with the task of completing all ELL evaluations. This task can be challenging when the number of ELL students referred is high. Conducting an evaluation in the student’s primary language can be challenging when an evaluator who is fluent in the primary language is not readily available. The number of ELLs in the educational settings has increased over the years and continued growth is expected. Educational systems who do not have bilingual/multilingual evaluators, often times use translators/interpreters. Interpreters must be available if needed and professionals conducting the assessment should be skilled and knowledgeable about the cultural implications of the assessment process. [13] When interpreters are used in the assessment process it is typically recommended that they are trained in standardization procedures and well before the first administration. The use of a translator/interpreter in the testing process represents a violation of standardized procedures, which by itself, can undermine the reliability and validity of the results and continues to prevent interpretation.