ABSTRACT
Chapter Overview In Chapter 2, we discussed the role of language in teaching and learning and how the linguistic features of tests influence the performance of students on tests. We showed how these influences are particularly important for students who are not proficient in the language in which tests are administered. In this chapter, we focus on a specific content area-mathematics. We discuss the relationship between language and mathematics and present a framework for comprehensively analyzing the language of assessments from three perspectives, structural (formal), functional, and cultural. We use the framework to discuss findings from a series of research projects on assessment development and adaptation for English language learners (ELLs) that show the critical role that teachers can play in ensuring more culturally valid assessment for these students.
