The document provides guidelines for appropriately assessing English language learners (ELLs). It outlines factors that influence ELL assessment, such as linguistic background and acculturation. It also describes steps in the assessment planning process, including defining the test purpose and specifications. Test items and scoring criteria should be developed while considering ELL needs. Materials should be reviewed by experts and tested on ELLs before full use. Accommodations, like translated text or extended time, aim to provide equitable testing for ELLs. Statistics are used to evaluate reliability and validity.

1. ETSGuidelines for the assessment of English language learners ESL 501 Article Presentation Summer Schoenberg

2. Key Terms Construct – the skill or proficiency an assessment is intended to measure Response – any type of performance to be evaluated as part of an assessment Task – a specific test item, topic, problem, question, prompt, or assignment Testing accommodation – any change to standardized testing conditions intended to make the test more fair and accessible for an individual or subgroup that does not change the construct being measured

3. LEP Section 9101 of Title IX states that an LEP student: Is between the ages of 3 and 21 Is enrolled or preparing to enroll in an elementary or secondary school Has one of these three profiles: Not born in the US or speaks a native language other than English Native American or Alaska native that comes from an environment where a language other than English has had a significant impact on his or her level of English language proficiency Is migratory, has a native language other than English, and comes from an environment where a language other than English is dominant

4. Has difficulties in speaking, reading, writing, or understanding the English language that are so severe as to deny the individual one of the following: The ability to meet the state’s proficient level of achievement on state assessments described in section 1111(b)(3) of the BCLB Act The ability to successfully achieve in classrooms where the language of instruction is English The opportunity to participate fully in society

5. Factors Influencing the Assessment of ELLs Different Linguistic backgrounds Varying levels of proficiency in English Varying levels of proficiency in native language Varying degrees of formal schooling in native language Varying degrees of formal schooling in English Varying degrees of exposure to standardized testing Varying degrees of acculturation to US mainstream

6. Steps within the Planning Process Test purpose – must be clear in order for valid interpretations to be made on the basis of test scores Defining the Instruction – definition of what the test is intended to measure Developing the assessment Specifications – define the content and explain how it will be assessed The state will provide content and performance standards Tests with more items will supply more reliable scores ELLs should have multiple ways to show what they know Assessments should include a variety of item and response types

7. The weight of a task is decided by the importance of the assessed task in relation to other tasks Assessment specifications will describe how tasks will be presented and how students are then expected to respond Diagrams, or tables will help ELLs to better demonstrate what they know Each educational agency should be able to provide information about the cultural backgrounds of its test taking population Test material should include references to major groups in the tested population and be aware of cultural diversity in readings and illustrations

8. Developing Test Items and Scoring Criteria Test items should link content and skill that the item is supposed to measure All test items should maintain specificity in their match to content guidelines Material should be appropriate and accessible to examinees and that it only measures the intended construct Item writers should not assume that students have had any previous experience with given tasks The criteria for the evaluation should also be made clear to the student

9. Language should be simplified in directions and given orally or in a language other than English if that will provide for the best understanding of ELLs Clear and accessible language should be used Colloquialisms and idiomatic expressions should be avoided Sentence structures should be kept simple The use of negatives should be avoided Simple context should be used in regards to fictional context Presentation should clear and consistent ETS Standards for Quality and Fairness should be applied

10. External Reviews of Test Materials Reviews offer an effective technique to improve the quality of assessments Reviewers are often chosen for their knowledge of the ELL population and specific challenges they may face Materials must pass committee reviews and should include content experts and professionals who are familiar with issues regarding different ELL populations

11. Some examples of questions that should be addressed by reviewers: Does each task match the purpose of the assessment and the assessment specifications? Are the formats of both the assessment and the response materials appropriate? Do the tasks and scoring criteria meet standards for fairness?

12. Evaluating the Tasks Through Tryouts Useful information is provided through field testing items Data collected during these tryouts is used to: Inform content and fairness reviews of the items, Evaluate the clarity of instructions to examinees, Assess whether ELLs of different proficiency levels can understand the text of the items

13. Types of Item Tryouts can include:

14. One-on-One Interviews Used to directly obtain information from students about their thought processes while answering the items Also used to obtain information a bout their understanding of complex language

15. Small-Scale Pilot Tests Used to figure out how items will work and how students will respond to items

16. Large-Scale Pilot Tests Used to obtain reliable and valid statistics that can be used when selecting items for test forms Statistics based on these responses are generally accurate indicators

17. Limitations of Item Try-outs Differences in Demographics Curriculum Culture * all three may make comparisons difficult

18. Scoring Rubrics are constructed after determining which English language skills are required for answering a given item English language skills should play in determining a score Scorers must have an understanding of the language or presentation style examinees use and will receive training of how to interpret responses and the scoring rubric in a linguistically sensitive way

19. Testing Accommodations for ELLs Equity and validity in assessment in the main purpose in providing examinees with testing accommodations The ETS Guidelines specifically state, “ELLs should have the same opportunity as students who have English as their first language to demonstrate their knowledge or skills in a content area”

20. Accommodations for ELLscan include changes made to: Presentation of test materials Students’ responses to test items Scheduling Test setting Testing modifications are a bit different and can alter what the assessment measures

21. Accommodations ELLs currently do not have any type of documentation (like an Individualized Education Plan) that identifies them as being eligible for accommodations However, if the proficiency level of an ELL is low enough to not produce a valid assessment, the student will receive accommodations

22. Accommodations When students receive accommodations in the classroom, the same accommodations are allowed in testing situations, as long as they are appropriate Students may receive: Direct linguistic support which makes adjustments to the actual language of a test such as translated texts Indirect linguistic support which involves changes in the testing environment such as extended time

23. Statistics are used to evaluate assessment and scoring Test Scores need to be reliable and valid Methods of investigating validity include Analysis of internal test structure Relations to other variables/constructs Test speededness These investigations are done by the ETS Standards for Quality and Fairness