Testing Supports for English Learners: A Literature Review and Preliminary ACT Research Findings. ACT Working Paper 2018-1

In the fall of 2017, ACT began providing a limited number of supports (also known as accommodations) to English Learner (EL) students in the US taking the ACT® test. The goal of the supports is to remove construct-irrelevant variance in students' scores related to limited English proficiency and allow students to more accurately demonstrate their true proficiency on the construct being measured. This paper presents a summary of previous research on the impact of providing supports to EL students and a summary of a preliminary analysis conducted by ACT based on data from states who administered the ACT statewide, captured students' EL status, and provided accommodations to EL students. ACT's future research agenda for providing validity evidence for this initiative is also discussed.