Assessments Required of ELL Students

1. All ELL students must be included in the state assessment required of all students. Inclusion in this assessment must begin immediately when the student enrolls in school, and no exemptions are permitted on the basis of English proficiency. For the first three years, however, ELL students may take the assessment in the student’s native language, but the assessment must be aligned with the state content and achievement standards. After three years of attending school in the United States, a student MUST be assessed in reading/language arts in English, unless the school district determines, on a case-by-case basis, that a native language assessment would yield more accurate and reliable information.
2. Districts must annually assess ELL students on their English language proficiency to determine how proficient they are in listening, speaking, reading and writing, and this proficiency data must be sent to the state for compilation. Each state is required to set annual measurable objectives for school districts in moving ELL students toward English proficiency.