Assessing the Language of Young Learners
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ASSESSING THE LANGUAGE OF YOUNG LEARNERS
INTRODUCTION
The specific differences between the language-learning population at large and the young language learners that Inbar, Shohamy, and Gordon (2005) refer to earlier necessitate this chapter. Much of what has been examined elsewhere in this volume (e.g., Abedi, Utilizing Accommodations in Assessment; Chapelle, Utilizing Technology in Language Assessement; Xi, Methods of Test Validation, Volume 7) is reconsidered in this chapter from the points of view of those who must create valid (i.e., fair and effective) tests for assessing the language of young learners, and those who must administer and interpret them. These view points require familiarity with testing purposes, and an understanding of developmental and cultural issues as they impact the design and use of language assessments. While not exclusively the case, this chapter deals predominantly with tests of students’ English language development (ELD). This is a reflection of both the increasing number of young children learning English in various contexts around the world (Graddol, 2006), and the fact that much research has been conducted on the assessment of English. From a recent review of the available assessments for measuring language minority students’ progress in English language and literacy in the USA, it appears that much is still to be done to improve the assessment of English (August and Shahanan, 2006). The chapter is organized around five main sections: First, I provide construct definitions that will prove important for establishing a common understanding of testing issues with young children, starting with a definition of the term ‘young learner’ itself. Second, I review the types (e.g., summative, formative) and purposes (e.g., accountability, diagnostic) of language testing in preschool and elementary (primary) school contexts. Third, I address the developmental child level concerns that need to be taken into account in assessing this population of test takers, including a review of general guidelines and best practices for assessing young children. In the fourth section, I consider culture as an additional contextual factor that, while possibly impacting all language-testing situations, may have particular significance for the testing of young children. Finally, in the fifth section, I conclude
E. Shohamy and N. H. Hornberger (eds), Encyclopedia of Language and Education, 2nd Edition, Volume 7: Language Testing and Assessment, 379–398. #2008 Springer Science+Business Media LLC.
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ALISON L. BAILEY
with work in progress and some future directions for test development involving school-based research, standards-setting endeavors, and technology initiatives. CONSTRUCT DEFINITIONS
Many key constructs already encountered in other chapters will need special definition in the context of assessing young language learners. Constructs such as ‘foreign language learner’, ‘language for specific purposes’, and even the language modalities themselves will need adjustments to definitions for their application
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