English Language Proficiency and Test Performance: An Evaluation of Bilingual Students With the Woodcock‐johnson Iii Tests of Cognitive Abilities

Abstract

In this article, we report the findings of an exploratory empirical study that investigated the relationship between English Language Proficiency (ELP) on performance on the Woodcock‐Johnson Tests of Cognitive Abilities‐Third Edition (WJ III) when administered in English to bilingual students of varying levels of ELP. Sixty‐one second‐grade students, identified as Limited English Proficient, were recruited from a suburban public school district and were given the WJ III in addition to their annual state standardized assessment of ELP. The findings of this study provide evidence to support a linear, inverse relationship between ELP and performance on tests that require higher levels of English language development and mainstream cultural knowledge. The implications of the findings of the present study suggest that practitioners must consider an examinee's level of developmental language proficiency and cultural knowledge acquisition as continuous variables when determining the impact of such factors on test performance and evaluation regarding whether scores obtained from tests administered in English are indeed valid for interpretation.

Cognitive Assessment Practices: A Survey of School Psychologists

“…According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA §300.304, Evaluation Procedures), tests used as part of evaluations of students suspected of having a disability must be “selected and administered so as not to be discriminatory on a racial or cultural bias; and are provided and administered in the child's native language or other mode of communication” (§300.304, Evaluation Procedures). However, although the tests themselves are not biased, the manner in which they are selected and then interpreted by the examiner may be discriminatory if the effects of the examinee's unique developmental levels of acculturation and English‐language proficiency are not considered (Sotelo‐Dynega et al., ). Furthermore, although the administration of the test in the child's native language might, in some cases, be ideal, the fact of the matter is that there may not be enough highly qualified “bilingual school psychologists” that are able to communicate with students in their native language (Sotelo‐Dynega, Geddes, Luhrs, & Teague, ).…”

An Evaluative Framework for Reviewing Fairness Standards and Practices in Educational Tests

“…Narrow and limited definitions of subgroups that do not represent heterogeneity within groups is identified as an issue of inexact group classification and can occur when individuals are classified “by social address rather than educational histories” (Camilli, , p. 9). Sotel‐Dynega, Ortiz, Flanagan, and Chaplin () suggest that sample inclusion alone is insufficient to address fairness issues for ELLs and recommend defining factors that are more likely to be associated with performance differences such as length of language exposure and developmental language proficiency. Individuals with disabilities were identified according to disability status, but a wide range of differences in functional impairments can exist within these subgroups such as found with individuals on the autism spectrum.…”

The Reliability and Validity of Language Proficiency Assessments for English Language Learners

“…Besides, the construct measured in the tests should be included in the interpretation, which refers to "the concept or characteristic that a test is designed to measure" (p. 11). The following researches will examine the validity of English language proficiency, including "evidence based on test content", "evidence based on response processes", "evidence based on internal structure", and "evidence based on relations to other variables" (p. [14][15][16].…”