States Clear Initial Hurdle on ELL Tests

All states and the District of Columbia have now ushered in new English-language-proficiency tests to comply with No Child Left Behind Act requirements for those still learning the language. Still, it’s too early to tell if a passing score predicts that a student will do well in a regular classroom or on other mandatory state tests, according to a nationwide examination of such assessments released today.

“We see systematic improvement” in the new generation of English-proficiency tests, Jamal Abedi, a professor of education at the University of California, Davis, and the editor of the report, said in a phone interview. “But we don’t know how they actually translate into performance of English-language learners.”

The report, “English Language Proficiency Assessment in the Nation: Current Status and Future Practice,” released by Mr. Abedi’s university, is a collaboration by 32 experts on testing and ELLs to provide an overview of the new era of...