Resources

Standardized testing that seeks to measure students’ English language proficiency has improved significantly nationwide since 2001, when Congress passed the No Child Left Behind Act, according to English Language Proficiency Assessment in the Nation: Current Status and Future Practice. Such testing plays a critical role in the academic success of the nation’s estimated 5 million English learners.

The No Child Left Behind Act mandated reliable, valid annual assessments of students’ English proficiency. In response, the U.S. Department of Education awarded grants to four consortia of states in 2002, and directed each to create and field test a state-of-the-art assessment.

Robert Linquanti, former Project Director for English Learner Evaluation and Accountability Support in WestEd’s Comprehensive School Assistance Program, contributed to the report, the first to summarize the progress of the four efforts and to report on the current testing landscape nationwide.