Linguistically Unbiased Assessment

Normative Samples: The normative samples of most standardized language assessments are based on the demographics of the U.S. population. As a result, the language skills of children from minority backgrounds are compared to children who are largely representative of the majority cultural and linguistic group (Stockman, 2000; Hendricks & Adolf, 2020).

Test Content: Standardized, norm-referenced language assessments are most often developed based on the vocabulary, morphosyntax and pragmatics of General American English (i.e., School English, Academic English). As a result, the responses of children who speak other varieties of English may be penalized based on the test’s scoring system (Peña & Quinn, 1997).

Test Format: Standardized tests may include response formats and interaction styles that are unfamiliar to children from diverse cultural backgrounds. For example, testing interactions often include labeling and pointing to objects upon command, maintaining eye contact with an adult, and producing narratives in a linear, sequential manner. As a consequence, the language abilities of children who are unfamiliar with mainstream testing formats and pragmatic expectations may be underestimated (Wyatt, 2012)

Linguistic and Dialectal Differences: Norm-referenced language assessments are developed based on the developmental sequence and linguistic structure of General American English (Stockman, 2000; Washington & Craig, 2004). Children who speak a variation of English, such as African American English or Southern English, or children who are multilingual speakers, may be penalized for responses that do not match the linguistic norms of General American English.

Cultural Values: Test items in standardized, norm-referenced language assessments may involve asking children to make subjective judgements or express opinions. Children’s responses may be influenced by their cultural values and lived experiences that do not match those of the majority culture. As a result, their responses may be penalized based on the test’s scoring system (Wyatt, 2012).

Examiner Knowledge: Examiners must develop their own awareness and knowledge of cultural and linguistic diversity in order to conduct unbiased assessments of children’s language skills (Jackson & Pearson, 2010; Latimer-Hearn, 2020; Oetting, 2024).

Dynamic Assessment: Research has shown that incorporating dynamic assessment, which often utilizes an interactive, test-teach-retest approach, measures a child’s potential for language learning and helps in distinguishing children with and without language disorder (Peña et al., 2016).

Language Sampling: Collecting and analyzing a child’s spontaneous spoken language using culturally appropriate elicitation methods captures a more ecologically valid picture of a child’s language abilities. Examiner knowledge of the child’s language background and cultural-linguistic communication style is critical for accurate analysis (Heilmann et al., 2010; Oetting & McDonald, 2002; Washington, 2019).

Use of Dialect-Neutral Assessments: The Diagnostic Evaluation of Language Variation-Norm Referenced (DELV-NR; Seymour et al., 2018) is a standardized, norm-refenced assessment of children’s language development designed as a dialect-neutral assessment of English. Other standardized language assessments provide alternative scoring for common varieties of English (e.g., African American English; but see Hendricks and Adlof, 2018).

Collaborating with Families and Communities: Incorporating the perspectives of caregivers and other adults from the child’s cultural and linguistic community is a key step toward reducing bias in language assessment (Hamilton, 2020).