This course examines the principles and practices of assessing language proficiency and academic achievement for culturally and linguistically diverse students. Students explore the use of Colorado language and content proficiency assessments, as well as formative and summative assessment practices used to monitor language development and content learning. Emphasis is placed on the adaptation of assessments to meet the linguistic needs of CLD students and the analysis of the validity and appropriateness of assessment instruments. Students learn to interpret assessment data and use results to make informed instructional decisions for multilingual learners.

At the completion of this course, the learner will be able to:

• Understand the principles and practices of language assessment for bilingual and ESL students. InTASC 5,6
• Analyze and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different types of assessment tools used for bilingual and ESL students. InTASC 6,8
• Design and administer culturally and linguistically appropriate assessments for bilingual and ESL students. InTASC 6,7
• Evaluate the effectiveness of assessment practices for bilingual and ESL students and identify areas for improvement. InTASC 6,9
• Analyze and interpret Colorado language and content proficiency assessments and formative and summative assessment data to monitor CLD students' language development, academic progress, and instructional needs. InTASC 6
• Evaluate the validity and appropriateness of assessment instruments and apply appropriate adaptations to assessments to provide equitable and accurate measures of CLD students' language proficiency and content learning. InTASC 2,6