Building English Proficiency in Young Multilingual Learners: The Impact of Consistent and Equitable Assessment

ssessment of elementary-aged multilingual learners (MLLs) is often narrowly associated with the ACCESS test, an annual evaluation designed to measure English Language Proficiency (ELP) across the four domains: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. However, research highlights the benefits of equitable and ongoing methods of assessment for MLLs. This capstone project, based on an extensive literature review and a professional presentation of findings, addresses the question: In what ways do frequent, more consistent assessments support early elementary-aged multilingual learners’ English development in all four domains? The research concludes that ongoing, inclusive assessment practices benefit MLLs by providing up-to-date and valid data to inform instructional decisions, identifying students’ strengths and areas for growth, delivering consistent feedback, and fostering stronger student-teacher relationships.