Bilingual/ESL - Information Series 2, No. 3

State Superintendent's Advisory Council on Bilingual/ESL Education Info Series 2, No. 3 Miriam Meeks, Lead Developer

Assessment of Limited-English Proficient Students

Accurate assessment of limited-English proficient (LEP) students is a major concern for educators. Standardized tests do not take into consideration the following implications that may affect the results. School districts are aware of the need to accurately assess the proficiencies of LEP students and are becoming aware of issues that impact assessment.

• Cultural Background
  Previous educational experiences affect how the family will adjust to the new educational process. A family with little or no formal educational experience may need assistance understanding where they fit in to the educational system.
  
  New arrival families are at different stages of acculturation to their new way of life. Acculturation is affected by:
  
  • religious and cultural beliefs
  • health and psychological traumas that occurred before immigration
  • language proficiency
  
  Often families do not remain intact when they arrive in the United States. If family members were left behind, remaining members may still be grieving this loss. Be aware of types of family groups such as single parent families, extended families, or families headed by teen parents or siblings.
  
  
• Academic progress
  To ensure academic progress, programming needs of students are determined by:
  
  • age at immigration
  • literacy skills
  • previous formal education
  
  Age appropriate placement is essential.
  
  Often the economic situation of the family has an effect on the academic progress of the student. Children of poverty have more school readiness issues.
  
  Strategies should be in place to assist LEP students to meet the mainstream classroom goals. If such strategies are in place and LEP students still do not meet mainstream goals, it must be determined if it is an issue of language proficiency development or an exceptional educational need. When an exceptional educational need is suspected, identification can often be difficult due to a lack of appropriate assessment tools.
  
  
• Standardized Testing
  Types of standardized tests include:
  
  • Achievement tests--usually given to all students at a grade level as required by districts and or the department of public instruction
  • Language assessment tests--used for identification, placement, and programming for limited-English proficient (LEP) students.
    
    Please refer to the state superintendent's advisory council on bilingual/ESL education fact sheet: Entry/Exit Criteria for specific information on language assessment tests.
  
  Standardized testing may not be realistic for an LEP student; other alternative assessment techniques may have to be implemented.
  
  Standardized tests are biased towards a normed group. These biases have an impact on how well LEP students will perform. Please refer to the DPI Guidelines to Facilitate the Participation of Students with Special Needs in State Assessments for more information.
  
  Inconsistencies may exist around the state as to how the data from testing is interpreted. However, consistency within each district is strongly encouraged.
  
  Modifications such as translating (verbally or in writing) either the directions or the entire test may be made in some testing situations. Consult bilingual/ESL professionals regarding testing modifications. Please refer to the DPI Guidelines to Facilitate the Participation of Students with Special Needs in State Assessments for more information.

For questions about this information, contact Tolu T. Sanabria (608) 267-9235

Last updated on 2/25/2008 1:42:59 PM