English Proficiency Testing Has Improved
Standardized testing that seeks to measure students’ English language proficiency has improved significantly nationwide since 2001, when Congress passed the No Child Left Behind Act, according to a UC Davis report released today [November 28, 2007].
I was shocked to have found an article that focused on standardized testing for English and NCLB. The article I read posted in the UCDAVIS is set in California, but I think it was important to read nonetheless because it can be applied to anywhere. Professor of Education at the University of California, and editor of the report, Jamal Abedi believes that testing students in English proficiency plays a huge role in the success of the nation’s estimated 5million English learners. Abedi states:
This is important because one of the greatest influences on English language learners’ academic careers, when instructed and assessed in English, is their level of English proficiency.
I agree with this statement. If you’re going to pursue a career in the English language, you must be proficient in that language. I’m not saying that I’m perfectly proficient in English, but I have seen many other English students who would like to pursue a career in this language but they are struggling with learning it. The best way, and I feel the only way to tell whether or not a student is proficient is to test them. You can’t always tell just by talking to someone. A lot of the mistakes come out in writing as well.
The No Child Left Behind Act mandated reliable, valid annual assessments of students’ English proficiency. In response, the U.S. Department of Education awarded grants to four consortia of states in 2002, and directed each to create and field-test a state-of-the-art assessment.
A report was made that summarized the results and progress of the four efforts. The full report, “English Language Proficiency Assessment in the Nation: Current Status and Future Practice,” can be viewed here.
According to the previous report, approximately 25 states are now using at least one of the four tests.
The report found that there are still some technical issues to be resolved in English-proficiency testing. Even so, unlike many of the pre-2001 tests, the newly developed tests;
- assess academic English as well as everyday English;
- are aligned with individual states’ English language proficiency academic standards;
- cover kindergarten through 12th grade, rather than focusing on a particular grade or age level;
- allow grade-to-grade comparisons as well as measurement of a range of proficiency levels within the same grade;
- assess speaking and listening, and not just written English;
- cannot be acquired independently by students or parents seeking an edge in high-stakes testing situations; and
- have proved valid and reliable through vigorous field testing: the tests accurately measure students’ English proficiency, and test results closely correlate with students’ performance in the classroom.
The two bullet points that I found interesting were: #3) cover kindergarten through 12th grade, rather than focusing on a particular grade or age level, and #5) assess speaking and listening, and not just written English. I liked #3 because it allows people to look at the progress in proficiency the students have made and looks at that as a whole, not just a certain part. They do not just grade the students on how proficient they are at a certain age/grade level, but look at how far they have come in learning the English language. I liked #5 because, like what I said before, you can’t just grade the students on what they say, this bullet shows that they test the students in speaking and listening, as well as written English.
I will end with this:
Abedi, one of the country’s leading experts on standardized testing of English learners, ends the report with a chapter in which he recommends next steps. Among them:
- Ensure all tests are tailored to the curriculum standards of each state that uses the test.
- Conduct research to ensure tests fairly assess all English learner subgroups.
- Use assessment results to help make informed decisions about English learner participation in standardized testing designed for native English speakers, since these tests may not be valid for students with lower levels of English proficiency.
- Ongoing review and field testing of the new assessments to ensure their quality.
The four consortia are listed in the article.
USDAVIS News and Information
November 28, 2007
Contacts: Jamal Abedi, School of Education
Donna Justice, School of Education
Claudia Morain, UC Davis News Service
