Assessing DLLs and ELs

Assessing the educational progress of dual language learners (DLLs) and English learners (ELs) provides students with feedback on their learning and teachers with information that can be used to shape instruction and communicate with parents on the progress of their children. Assessments also offer school leaders information on areas of strength and weakness in instruction, and system leaders information on the overall performance of their programs.

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Despite well-established standards for assessing students and education systems, states vary widely in how they identify, assess, and reclassify ELs. Under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015, states will have primary responsibility for developing common assessment practices for identifying students as ELs, measuring their progress over time, and determining when they should exit from EL status.