After the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, distance teaching brought on unforeseen challenges around the world, including classroom-based assessment practice. However, little attention has been paid to teachers' assessment practice and their identity as assessor in the new teaching situation. This study examines Chinese K-12 in-service EFL…

Oral language is foundational to literacy. Because their language is under construction, emergent bilingual students have unique needs related to literacy development regardless of the language of instruction. Knowledge teachers gain through formative assessment of student oral language can guide decisions about literacy instruction. The purpose…

This study investigated a new conversation-based assessment for English language learners. In this assessment, students converse with animated agents in natural language conversations to assess various aspects of English language learning. In a between subjects design, 31 students (N = 31) were asked questions by either the newly created system or…

Using running records as a lens to facilitate multilingual students' language and literacy development can help teachers recognize and build on students' linguistic capital. The authors analyzed 123 running records of Spanish-speaking first graders to begin to identify the types of language-related errors they made when reading. Using an assets…

There has been a growing interest among educators over the past few years in formative assessment. Formative assessment, referred to as assessment for learning or assessment as learning, is a planned, ongoing process during which teachers collect information on students' academic performance to enhance the learning and teaching experience and…

The growing demand for Indigenous language education in the United States often relies on community teachers with widely varying proficiencies as part of local language reclamation efforts. While these English-dominant 'teacher-learners' play a central role in the success of classroom-based K-12 language programs, their classroom experiences and…

A collection of cognitive, linguistic, and spelling measures were administered to third-grade English L1 and L2 learners. To capture formative assessments of children's developing mental graphemic representations (MGRs), spelling errors in isolation were subjected to analysis across three metrics: (1) Phonological constrained; (2)…

The purpose of this case study is to explore effects of digital gamification on engagement and achievement in a third-grade social studies course for students of multiple nationalities and with varied native languages attending the English language international branch of a private, affluent school in eastern China. The case study is framed by…

Teachers often tend to discuss their English language learners (ELLs) in terms of "level." Writes the author, "But if I were to say to a teacher, 'You have four level 2s in your class,' how does that help us have a common understanding of the students' needs?" One approach that has great potential to increase students' language…