Equitable Assessment and Evaluation of Young Language Learners: Reflections From a Teacher Training Context

Introduction

Theoretically, the teaching, learning and assessment of language for young language learners (YLLs) are embedded in a common curricular matrix (Nikolov, 2016) where innovation in one triad requires a corresponding change—or alignment (Kinesh & Knight, 2013)—in the other two. This complex relationship between assessment and curricula for young learners has clearly emerged as a field for both research and professional assessment development (Bailey, 2017; Wolf & Butler, 2017; Inbar-Lourie & Shohamy, 2009; McKay, 2006; Papp, 2018 Rixon, 2016).

We define YLLs as bilingual/multilingual school pupils 6–12 years of age with varying social, linguistic and cultural backgrounds. While YLLs can refer to primary-age students in any ethnolinguistic setting, the vast majority worldwide form the primary school population in countries where English is taught as a foreign language and are specifically designated as Young English Language Learners (YELLs). Thus, for non-anglophone contexts, we use YLLS and YELLs interchangeably. Although these YLLs might not have met the world of high-stakes certifying examinations, they are generally familiar with internal testing in the school and some external testing from entities, such as school districts or ministries of education, in their own countries. Literature on characteristics of YLLs, such as minimal literacy and a short attention span requiring stimulating activities, and the effect these have on assessment design and methods (Hasselgreen, 2005; McKey, 2006; Bailey, 2017) has suggested the following demands be satisfied in preparing assessments of YLLs:

• 1.

  Learning and assessment tasks should be interesting and appealing, with elements of games and fun because YLLs are still growing socially, cognitively, emotionally and physically. Assessment tasks influence their motivation and concentration spans, and their memories may restrict their ability to hold language in their minds for a longer duration.

• 2.

  Different types of formative and summative assessments should be used in conformity with the capacities of learners and the expectations of parents and teachers. Assessments should also consider individual characteristics, needs and preferences in addition to contextual factors, such as cultural and linguistic background.

• 3.

  Scaffolding should be provided in some assessment activities to support student learning and the carrying out of difficult tasks. YLLs are still developing literacy skills in their L1 and these skills may not transfer easily to their L2 learning, so scaffolding plays a major role in their assessment.

• 4.

  The assessment tasks and feedback on these tasks should be designed in such a way that they highlight learners’ strengths and weaknesses, keeping in mind that young learners are vulnerable to failure and criticism.

In sum, the most effective and beneficial assessment for YLLs will be responsive to the purposes and uses of assessment; learners’ age; the context of instructions and assessments; the amount of YLL exposure to English; and the inferences made from the assessment results.

However, there are also a few concerns about assessment in general, and specifically standardized language testing, that are foundational to a discussion of Young Language Learner Assessment (YLLA, also YELLA). The first concern regards the process of assessment itself. Like the other classroom teaching and learning activities, assessment is not an event but numerous activities at once which involve grading, evaluating, and comparing students (Carless, 2007).

Further, there is evidence that assessment tasks are not always evenly distributed in courses, and examinations are often critiqued for requiring memorization and rote learning (Carless, 2007). We haven’t yet capitalized on the full potential of formative assessment and feedback processes (Black & Wiliam, 1998, 2018; Carless, 2007). While mindset theorists (Blackwell, Trezeniewski, & Dweck, 2007; Patterson, 2017) have documented the positive feedback in creating a growth mindset in children of all ages regarding learning and assessment tasks, research on mindset theory has only recently addressed second language learning (Lou & Noels, 2019).