English-Learner Proficiency
Learn more about the reclassification of former English-learners, including the proficiency tests they take
Education
WIDA Tally: North Carolina is 18th State to Join
North Carolina has become the 18th state to adopt an English-language-proficiency test for English-learners developed by the World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment, or WIDA, consortium. Yet another state has also joined the WIDA consortium and thus adopted the test, but Timothy Boals, the executive director of WIDA, is not yet announcing which state that is.
Federal
States Seeking Proper Balance in Use of ELL Test Scores
Most states seem to be taking steps toward standardizing the use of English-language-proficiency tests.
Education
South Dakota Adopts ACCESS for ELLs
South Dakota has become the 17th state to decide to adopt ACCESS for ELLs, which is being used by more states than any other English-language-proficiency test to comply with the federal No Child Left Behind Act's requirement that schools test ELLs every year in their progress in English. The test is designed to assess ELLs in reading, writing, speaking, and listening, and was created by the World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment, or WIDA, consortium. WIDA was formed for the purpose of developing English-language-development standards and a test aligned with them.
States
State Guidance on English-Language Learners Lags
Most states have yet to give local school districts assistance in how to translate English-language proficiency standards into a curriculum.
Federal
New Era for Testing English-Learners Begins
The No Child Left Behind Act has pushed states to an unprecedented level of testing the reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills of students who are learning English. Today, 4½ years after the measure was signed into law, the results remain a closely watched work in progress.
English Learners
Report Roundup
Texas Singled Out for Lacking Consistent English-Language Learner Policy
Unlike other states with large numbers of English-language learners, Texas has not established a single, statewide process for schools to identify and assess these students and redesignate them as fluent in English, according to an examination of states’ policies for English-language learners.
Federal
Tests of Youngest English-Learners Spark Controversy
At a time when many states are poised to roll out new standardized tests to evaluate English-language proficiency in unprecedented depth, California is balking at carrying out a federal requirement to test the literacy of young children who are learning English.