English Language Proficiency Measures and Accommodation Uses

Mikyung Kim Wolf, Joan L. Herman, Lyle F. Bachman, Alison L. Bailey & Noelle Griffin
CRESST/University of California, Los Angeles

The National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST) and the Center for the Study of Evaluation (CSE) at the University of California, LA issued this report in July, 2008. The fastest growing subgroup in the nation is ELLs. In the past 10 years, the growth of this subgroup was 60%; additionally, this population is increasingly diverse with over 400 different languages represented. This group typically fails to meet the proficient level in academic standards testing across the country. States face huge challenges in educating and assessing this subgroup.

As a result of NCLB, states must learn how to deal with ELLs needs. This report addresses questions related to proficiency and the development of new assessment methods.

Retrieved from the web, February 25, 2009.  Click here to access the PDF