Summary of Best Practices

What are some overall best practices for assessing heritage language learners? 

Although each of these types of assessment requires a different approach, a number of best practices apply to many testing situations with heritage learners. Here are some practices we recommend when assessing HLLs:

  • Understand the linguistic and cultural profiles of your students
  • Recognize the language varieties represented in your community
  • Use multimodal assessments with authentic, performance-based tasks
  • Incorporate an assets-based approach to assessment that recognizes and builds upon students’ strengths, including cultural competence
  • Utilize differentiated, alternative methods of instruction and assessment