Questions Arise Over Grants for ELL Tests

Only one consortium got funds to develop proficiency exams

While a group of 28 states forges ahead to develop a new generation of English-language proficiency tests, important questions have arisen about how the language needs of millions more English-learners living in the rest of the country will be met under the common-core academic standards.

Earlier this fall, a consortium of 28 states led by the Wisconsin education department was selected as the only winner of a $10.5 million competitive grant from the U.S. Department of Education to create new assessments of English-language proficiency that will measure the language demands of the common standards. The Wisconsin-led group is collaborating with the World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment Consortium , or WIDA, to develop the technology-based exams that its designers say will offer a much fuller picture of how English-learners are progressing toward mastering the language.

At the same time the Education Department awarded the Wisconsin consortium—which is home to about 1 million ELLs—it rejected a proposal from a second consortium of states led by California that also would have devised new assessments for ELLs. There is no clear effort underway now to craft new proficiency exams for the more than 2.5 million English-language learners who live in California, Arizona, Florida, and the 15 other...