Formative assessment for multilingual learners and English Language Learners K-12

This resource is designed to outline the different modes that formative assessment can take and explore the purpose and benefits for Multilingual Learners and English Language Learners (MLs and ELLs). While formative assessment can be done in any language and in any content area, you may want to consider which examples would work best for your instructional goals, or how you may want to adapt them to your language program, grade level or content area. Finally, keep in mind that what ultimately makes an assessment “formative” is the purpose for which the evidence is used—it is an idea, not a thing—and no matter which method or technique you employ, the adaptive shift to include MLs and ELLs in the development of their own thinking should be the goal.