Multiple Languages In Large Scale Assessments: A Practical Perspective Large Scale Assessment Confer

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Multiple Languages In Large Scale Assessments
A Practical PerspectiveLarge Scale Assessment
ConferenceSan Francisco, California June 27,
2006Don E. Watson Ph.D.Assistant Secretary
Assessment and Accountability New Mexico Public
Education Department

• An Observation of Two Western States

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Why Or Why Not Provide Assessments in Other
Languages

• Good Instructional Practice
• Accurate Evaluation of Student Learning
• Political and Emotional

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Good Instructional Practice

• We should assess students in their Native
  Language because that is how they have been
  taught.
• We should not assess students in their native
  language because that is not the way they should
  be taught.

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Accurate Evaluation of Student Learning

• By assessing students in their Native Language we
  get an accurate understanding of what they have
  learned.
• By assessing students in their Native Language we
  do not get an accurate understanding of what they
  are learning in English .

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Political and Emotional

• We need to respect the background and culture of
  our students as they learn English.
• Students need to learn English as quickly as
  possible and assessing them in another language
  slows the process.

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Considerations When Providing Assessments in
Other Languages

• What Languages Should Be Tested?
• New Mexico is
• 40 Hispanic
• 13 Native American
• .05 Asian Pacific Islander
• Out of 300,000 students
• Colorado is
• 27 Hispanic
• 1 Native American
• 3 Asian Pacific Islander
• Out of 780,333 students

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Considerations When Providing Assessments in
Other Languages

• Tests need to be developed in alignment with the
  states Content Standards
• Accurate and appropriate translation
• Provide for external alignment study independent
  of the English Version
• Provide for the validation of translation by an
  external source.

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Considerations When Providing Assessments in
Other Languages

• Provide reasonable guidelines for determining
  which students to assess in their Native
  Language.
• Federal Requirements (Three years in U.S. with up
  to two additional years on a case by case basis)
• Assess students in the Language in which they are
  instructed

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Considerations When Providing Assessments in
Other Languages

• In 2005 New Mexico Assessed
• 1,572 Students in the Third Grade
• 1,251 Students in the Fourth Grade
• 837 Students in the Fifth Grade
• 662 Students in the Sixth Grade
• 728 Students in the Seventh Grade
• 655 Students in the Eighth Grade
• 670 Students in the Ninth Grade
• In 2005 Colorado Assessed
• 1726 Students in the Third Grade
• 436 Students in the Fourth Grade

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What do we learn from New Mexico's Data
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Implementing an assessment in another language
is

• Complicated
• Relatively Expensive
• Yields data that may or may not be used
  appropriately
• May have unexpected political consequences