Challenges in Assessing California's Diverse Dual Language Learners

Many of the assessments of young children's academic and social-emotional skills currently available are only in English. These assessments have been developed primarily for use with English speakers and they have been normed mostly with monolingual English-speaking children in the United States. Assessing dual language learners (DLLs) only in English may not reveal their full set of knowledge and skills. Ideally, DLLs should be assessed in both English and their home language so that the sum total of the child's strengths and areas for development can be measured accurately. This paper explains how researchers on the First 5 California DLL Pilot study responded to the lack of multilingual assessments by using assessments that have been translated or adapted. It also discusses the challenges associated with using adapted or translated assessments with young DLLs and some possible solutions. The authors conclude with a discussion of possible next steps.