Creating Quality Assessments for English Language Learners

Abstract

In the United States, students are becoming more linguistically and culturally diverse. English Language Learners (ELLs) are among this population of students, and many educators find challenge in responding to their diverse needs. This perspective prepares teachers to access students’ viewpoints, backgrounds, and cultures within their learning. The literature examined in this capstone identifies three central challenges that English Language Learners face, including sociocultural, linguistic, and assessment challenges. This capstone will synthesize ELLs’ challenges learning a second language as well as the key characteristics of multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, true-false, constructed-response, and essay items in high quality assessments for ELLs. The professional development provided in this capstone will coach educators of all students to provide high quality assessments, accommodations, and modifications for ELLs. This capstone is limited to English Language Learners at the elementary and secondary levels. More research is needed to create quality assessments for adult ELLs.