English Language Learners (ELLs) in Schools (Part 2): Evaluating ELL students

*If you missed it, you can read “English Language Learners (ELLs) in a School Environment (Part 1)” here: https://anthromed.education/2020/12/13/english-language-learners-ells-in-a-school-environment-part-1/

There are many facets of working with an ELL population in school.  So many that this could easily turn into a three or four or five part series!  The part I’d like to focus on today is assessment of ELL students. There are some standardized tests for bilingual and ESL students, as well as modifications to other existing testing materials.  What I’d like to discuss is some of the informal/qualitative information we can gather during the assessment process.

One of the most crucial aspects of an evaluation for a bilingual student is a parent/caregiver interview.  This will provide information that may not be observable in the school environment and may have a significant impact on the interpretation of information you obtain.  I will discuss some important questions below and why the information is useful for our evaluation purposes.

When was the student first exposed to each language?  (at birth, upon starting school, etc)

As previously discussed in Part 1 of this article, the answer to this question can help determine where the student is in their timeline of L2 acquisition (remember social vs academic language?)

What is the balance of the various languages in the home?  

How often does the student hear their L1 or L2/English?  Is the L1 limited to certain situations (church, home) or people (grandparents, extended family)? Sometimes, children may only be exposed to English through television – in these cases, its not uncommon for those students’ English vocabulary to be centered around pre-academic concepts and cartoon characters. For some reason, I also find it common for families to use their L1 for the majority of communication but substituting English words for names of objects. For example, I may hear “Donde esta car? (where is the car?)

Does the student demonstrate the ability to distinguish between languages and code switch appropriately?

When the child is spoken to in their L1, do they respond in the same language?  Do they know that their grandmother only speaks L1 and cannot understand English? When it comes to code switching, keep in mind that its not uncommon for adults in the US to combine their L1 and English (such as Spanglish).  If this is a common practice for the parents, don’t be surprised to hear the same patterns in the student.   

When/where is the student exposed to English?  Is it only at school?  Are there proficient English speakers in the home? 

This is an important question.  In some cases, families choose to make a switch to all English once students start school, or sometimes even before they start school.  (This is usually based on outdated recommendations that are no longer supported by evidence.)  As a result, the student is often exposed to “non-proficient” English and lacks exposure to a fluent and proficient L1. Here is an example to demonstrate the importance of this: I once met a 4 year old whose parents has chosen to focus mainly on English in their home environment when their child was born.  While the parents knew some English, they were not proficient, and their English contained many errors characteristic of ESL learners.  The 4 year old student had basically only been exposed to “non-proficient” English and had limited exposure to a fluent strong language model.  As a result, her English also reflected many characteristics of ESL learners, although it was her only language.

Does the family notice any concerns or challenges with the child communicating in their L1?

In many cases, this may be your best source of information on the child’s L1 abilities.  Depending on your access to an interpreter and use of culturally/linguistically sensitive test materials, you may not be able to complete an in-depth assessment of L1 within the school environment. However, we must also keep in mind this is not always a black and white answer.  For example, if a middle school student who has been receiving instruction and consistent exposure to English since starting school is only exposed to their L1 on holidays with their extended family, it is quite possible that they have had some L1 loss and may no longer be proficient in that language.  If an interpreter is available during your evaluation, you can ask a similar question to your interpreter.  Do they feel the child is fluent in their L1?  Do they appear to have difficulty understanding the questions or directions the interpreter provides?  Does the interpreter notice difficulties in speech intelligibility/articulation in L1?

As you become more familiar with the particular needs and challenges of the population you work with, you may find other questions or details useful. I suggest using this as a guide and starting place. This frame of reference may help to steer your thought processes as you enter the world of ELL in schools.