Assessing Multilingual Language Learners

Bibliographic Data

ID23725679
AuthorsGessica De Angelis (0000-0001-7498-3474), Britta Hufeisen (0000-0003-4736-9019)
Year2025
Pages1-6
Publication date2025-12-02
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeCHAPTER
VenueEncyclopedia of Applied Linguistics (SOURCE_BOOK)
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/9781405198431.wbeal20398
OpenAlexW4416917963
ISBN9781405198431
LanguageEN
References cited12

For many teachers and education systems around the world, assessing students from multilingual backgrounds has become a growing challenge due to the variety of languages they speak and use in their learning. As a result, many researchers and educators are beginning to question whether traditional monolingual assessment practices are still the best and most appropriate for the kind of learners we find in today's classrooms. This contribution examines this question in detail. After reviewing the existing research on testing multilingual student populations in different contexts and the types of accommodations and modifications that can feasibly be introduced to make tests more accessible, the entry introduces the distinction between monolingual, holistic, and integrated approaches to multilingual testing and assessment and highlights the most common multilingual learner profiles. This is followed by an overview of the different types of tests that can be used with multilingual student populations, focusing on the key differences between three main test formats: monolingual, multilingual‐by‐translation and multilingual‐by‐design. It also examines the types of modifications and accommodations that can be made to monolingual tests, and how effective they have proven to be with multilingual test‐takers.

Key (lock) · Language proficiency · Multilingual Education · Multilingualism · Test (biology) · Variety (cybernetics)

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