1st Edition

Assessing English Language Proficiency in U.S. K–12 Schools

Edited By Mikyung Kim Wolf Copyright 2020
    290 Pages 33 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    290 Pages 33 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    Assessing English Language Proficiency in U.S. K–12 Schools offers comprehensive background information about the generation of standards-based, English language proficiency (ELP) assessments used in U.S. K–12 school settings. The chapters in this book address a variety of key issues involved in the development and use of those assessments: defining an ELP construct driven by new academic content and ELP standards, using technology for K–12 ELP assessments, addressing the needs of various English learner (EL) students taking the assessments, connecting assessment with teaching and learning, and substantiating validity claims. Each chapter also contains suggestions for future research that will contribute to the next generation of K–12 ELP assessments and improve policies and practices in the use of the assessments. This book is intended to be a useful resource for researchers, graduate students, test developers, practitioners, and policymakers who are interested in learning more about large-scale, standards-based ELP assessments for K–12 EL students.

    Series Editors’ Foreword

    Acknowledgements

    Contributors

    Illustrations

    Acronyms

     

    Introduction

      

    Chapter 1

    Introduction: Assessing K-12 English Learners’ English Language Proficiency

     

    Mikyung Kim Wolf

      

    Section I. Contexts and Fundamental Considerations in the Development of K-12 ELP Assessments

      

    Chapter 2

    Standards-Based K-12 English Language Proficiency Assessments in the United States: Current Policies and Practices

     

    Edynn Sato & Karen D. Thompson

      

    Chapter 3

    The Construct of English Language Proficiency in Consideration of College and Career Readiness Standards

     

    Alison L. Bailey & Mikyung Kim Wolf

      

    Chapter 4

    Innovations and Challenges in K-12 English Language Proficiency Assessment Tasks

     

    Ahyoung Alicia Kim, Mark Chapman, & Heidi Liu Banerjee

      

    Chapter 5

    A Review of Validity Evidence for K-12 English Language Proficiency Assessments: Current State and Future Direction

     

    Timothy Farnsworth

      

    Section II. Empirical Research and Practical Considerations on the Development of K-12 ELP Assessments

    Chapter 6

    Collaborating with Educators on the Development of English Language Proficiency Assessments

     

    Maurice Cogan Hauck & Emilie Pooler

      

    Chapter 7

    Examining Students’ Response Processes in a Computer-Based English Language Proficiency Assessment

     

    Mikyung Kim Wolf, Danielle Guzman-Orth, Cathryn Still, & Phoebe Winter

      

    Chapter 8

    Generating Score Reports: Psychometric Issues to Consider

     

    Hanwook (Henry) Yoo, Joyce Wang, David P. Anderson, & Eric Zilbert

      

    Chapter 9

    Validating Threshold Scores for English Language Proficiency Assessment Uses

     

    Patricia Baron, Robert Linquanti, & Min Huang

      

    Chapter 10

    Accessibility Considerations for English Learners with Disabilities in English Language Proficiency Assessments

     

    Danielle Guzman Orth, Lorraine Sova, & Traci Albee

     

    Section III. Some Future Considerations in K-12 ELP Assessment

    Chapter 11

    Using Automated Scoring in K-12 English Language Proficiency Assessments

     

    Keelan Evanini, Yoko Futagi, & Maurice Cogan Hauck

      

    Chapter 12

    Teachers’ Perspectives on the Use of Summative English Language Proficiency Assessments for Instructional Purposes

     

    Alexis A. Lopez & Georgia Earnest García

      

    Chapter 13

    Towards a Model of Validity in Accountability Testing

     

    Micheline B. Chalhoub-Deville

     

    Subject Index

    Biography

    Mikyung Kim Wolf is Senior Research Scientist at the Center for English Language Learning and Assessment Research at Educational Testing Service.

    "The requirement for the valid and reliable assessment of English language proficiency has grown remarkably since the need initially arose as a consequence of the Civil Rights Act and the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Lau v. Nichols in 1974. As the English Learner population increased and the nature of Federal assistance to these students evolved, the linguistic theories and the technologies involved also advanced. This book captures the state of the art, telling an important story about how assessment development responds to policies, practices and theories to serve the needs of educators and students.  It is a critical resource for graduate students, researchers, test developers and educational leaders."

    Kenji Hakuta, Stanford University, USA.

    "This timely volume expertly tackles the complexity involved in the development, validation, and use of large-scale, standards-based assessments of English proficiency in K-12 education. By addressing research on key assessment development considerations while attending to the diversity of the test taker population and the historical and policy context in which these assessments take place, the authors in this volume offer new insights that will certainly stimulate further discussion and inquiry. Those interested in the assessment of English language proficiency, whether in the U.S. or in other countries, will find this book to be an invaluable resource." 

    Lorena Llosa, New York University, USA.