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The academic success of an English language learner
(ELL) in the United States is largely dependent upon
the child’s mastery of academic language, which
is very different from the social language used during
the course of general interactions.
Academic language is the type of English used in schools
in the service of learning. It is necessary in order
to understand learning materials, teachers, and students
in content area lessons and in order to participate
in classroom discussion and learning activities. Academic
language plays an equally important role in the area
of assessment because children must know how to express
what they know to take content-specific tests. For example,
being unfamiliar with words such as osmosis, renaissance
and monarchy will not hamper a child’s ability
to engage in casual social conversation, but it will
hamper the student’s ability to demonstrate his/her
understanding of science, social studies and history
on a test. Similarly, knowing what it means to discuss
a topic in an essay test and knowing that they need
to use words like examine and cause in a science report
is an essential part of showing learning at school.
Thus, in order to succeed in the classroom, to earn
good grades in classroom tests, and to score successfully
on any standardized test, ELL students must master proficiency
in basic ‘social’ language as well as ‘academic’
language. They must know general academic words like
examine, specialized academic words like osmosis, and
special ways of structuring their answers, like a conceptual
discussion.
Under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), states
must demonstrate “adequate yearly progress”
toward state learning standards for all groups of students
— including English language learners. Additionally,
all states are required to assess the English language
development (ELD) of English language learners. Existing
language proficiency assessments typically measure social
language and do not gauge a student’s level of
academic language proficiency.
Dr. Alison L. Bailey and Dr. Frances A. Butler of the
National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards
and Student Testing (CRESST) at the University of California,
Los Angeles (UCLA), have conducted evidence-based research
to develop a framework for characterizing academic language
for K-12 test development purposes. They have noted
that existing ELD assessments are incomplete and that
what is needed are English language assessments that
are able to go beyond measuring general, social language
and capture academic language proficiency as well, thereby
covering the full spectrum of English language ability
needed in a school setting.
Drs. Bailey and Butler are key members of Ballard &
Tighe’s IPT Advisory Board. The research design
for the new IPT testing system was based on their CRESST
framework for defining academic language and using the
definition in creating learning materials and tests.*
As part of the IPT test development process, the IPT
assessment team designed a comprehensive research plan
(comprising five research strands**) aimed at identifying
the scope of academic language ELLs need to function
in mainstream classrooms. Test specifications developed
from the results of this research form the basis for
assessing academic language proficiency in the IPT tests.
The tests include non-specialized social words as well
as general and specific academic words, therefore the
new IPT will measure the full spectrum of English language
ability — both social and academic.
To comply with the accountability requirements of NCLB,
states must look for the next generation of language
assessments designed to measure a student’s level
of proficiency in both social and academic language
— such as the IPT.
* See: Bailey, A. L., & Butler, F. A. (2002).
An Evidentiary Framework for Operationalizing Academic
Language for Broad Application to K-12 Education: A
Design Document (CSE Tech. Rep. No. 611). Los Angeles:
University of California, Center for Research on Evaluation,
Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST).
** For more details on the five IPT research strands
– see Research
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