Which practice supports fairness for linguistically diverse students?

• A. Using multiple measures and considering linguistic/cultural context.
• B. Administering only in a student's home language without trained interpreters.
• C. Relying solely on teacher observations.
• D. Ignoring student language preferences.

Answer: (A)

Assessing students fairly who come from diverse language backgrounds means gathering information from multiple sources and interpreting it with awareness of their language and cultural context. When you use a mix of measures—such as performance tasks, portfolios, standard assessments, classroom work samples, and observations—and you interpret results with an understanding of the student’s language development and cultural experiences, you get a more accurate and unbiased picture of what the student knows and can do. This approach reduces the risk that language differences are mistaken for a lack of ability and helps shape appropriate supports and decisions.

Relying on a single type of data, like observations alone, can be biased and incomplete because it doesn’t capture the full range of the student’s skills. Administering assessments only in the student’s home language without trained interpreters can lead to misunderstandings and inaccurate results. Ignoring language preferences overlooks important information about how the student communicates best.