Developments in ESOL K-12 student and teacher assessments Reflecting on steps forward and backward since 2013

Abstract

Assessment within the field of TESOL K-12 has evolved considerably over the last 10 years for multilingual learners (MLLs) and their teachers in U.S. public schools. This retrospective piece documents changes in the assessment landscape related to student English language proficiency (ELP) assessments, i.e., WIDA and the New York-specific NYSITELL and NYSESLAT tests, as well as the teacher certification examination, Educative Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA), specifically in English as an Additional Language. In honor of NYS TESOL Journal’s 10th anniversary, this article highlights some of the field’s steps forward and backward in K-12 TESOL
assessment over the last decade and closes with reasons for both optimism and concern in the years to come.