Educators and State Policymakers Would Benefit from More Research, Federal Input in Shaping Use of Native Language Assessments for English Learner Students

WASHINGTON — Educators and policymakers rely on standardized test scores to track how well public school systems are educating students, including those from traditionally underserved populations such as students of color and English Learners (ELs), and to target resources to low-performing schools. Yet test scores for ELs may not fully reflect how much they have learned if they cannot demonstrate their knowledge in a language they are not yet fluent in.