Assessment language and equity in multilingual classrooms: Evidence from reading proficiency assessment in Ghana

In Ghana, learners are predominantly assessed through English despite their multilingual backgrounds that shape their everyday learning experiences. This raises important concerns about whether assessment language influences learners’ opportunities to demonstrate reading proficiency in multilingual classrooms. This study examined reading proficiency performance among 590 Junior High School students from three language groups in Ghana: Asante Twi, Ewe, and Dagbani. Using a repeated-measures design, students completed parallel test forms in English, French, and the selected local languages. Measurement invariance analyses confirmed structural equivalence across language forms. However, repeated-measures ANOVA revealed significant performance differences, with students consistently performing highest in the local language test forms and lowest in French. Generalisability Theory analyses showed that sources of score variability differed across regions, while reliability differences varied across the regions and language forms. The findings highlight that assessment language plays a critical role in shaping equitable opportunities for multilingual learners to demonstrate reading proficiency.