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Resources for assessing the home language competences of migrant pupils

Introduction
Why assess?
What are the principles of assessment?
Whose competences
to assess,
and how?
By
which means
 to assess?
How to get involved?
This page will be available in English soon. Please refer to the pages in French.

How can the heterogeneity of learning contexts be taken into account in language assessment?

Assessing home languages means taking heterogeneity into account:
learning contexts
contexts in which the language is used
the diversity of the status of languages
the objectives targeted by assessment
The assessment of home language competences has a positive aim. The major objective is to ensure recognition of the multilingual repertoires which home languages form part of (particularly in learning situations and formal education). This involves:
making young people's multilingual repertoires apparent to the educational establishment so that they can be taken account of, i.e. valued, during their schooling, particularly when the language of their home environment is not the language of schooling
valuing home language competences in a way that is more than symbolic, though this is nonetheless fundamental
identifying the different levels of competences (both partial and global) that learners have
assessing and certifying these home language competences so that they can be included in the curriculum and valued at institutional level, thus fostering inclusion and equity in learning
recognising and taking into account the dynamic and heterogeneous nature of plurilingual repertoires 
considering language competences as a resource that can be made use of and further developed 
where possible, assessing language competences as part of a certification process, with a view to facilitating access to the world of work
encouraging the learning of the language(s) of schooling 
fostering the development of competences in home language
The composite nature of the language repertoire associated with plurilingual competences is also unbalanced and evolving (Coste, Moore and Zarate, 2009). It can comprise:
languages of different types and families that are more or less similar to the language of schooling 
languages each with a different formal and informal status (depending on the countries or communicative situations in which speakers use them) depending on the context, plurilingual uses in contacts between languages, etc.
languages fulfilling different functions for learners

As we have seen above, the home language competences to be assessed are developed in very diverse acquisition or learning situations (formal, non-formal, etc.), at different times and in different contexts of exposure to and practice of the language(s). This implies that a heterogeneous mix of competences needs to be taken into account during assessment.

During assessment, the aims, principles, criteria, repertoires and levels of competences need to be addressed using assessment indicators. These can be linked to a reference framework such as the CEFR and its companion volume, the FREPA, etc.).

This involves considering overall communication competences in situations where there is contact between languages (linked to knowledge, know-how and interpersonal skills), and also communicative competences which can be assessed depending on learners‘ specific competences (written or oral) in each variety/language in their individual repertoire.

‘Global’ communication competences are competences which, whether as part of reflection or in action, mobilise knowledge, know-how and interpersonal competences. This is valid for any language and any culture and for relations between languages and between cultures (FREPA). They differ from language communication competences in that, among other things, they aid the development of the skill of learning to learn (languages). This skill, which is at the heart of pluralistic approaches, is always essential, particularly in situations of entry to and schooling in a new education system, when learners must rapidly develop their competences in the language(s) of schooling.
The assessment of home language competences can take different forms (de Angelis, 2021): diagnostic, formative, and leading to certification. In the following section, the types of assessment (of the three mentioned) that are most relevant to the stated objective are highlighted in bold.
identify and measure the different levels of learners’ competences (partial and overall) (diagnostic, formative, leading to certification)
recognise the dynamic and heterogeneous composition of plurilingual repertoires (diagnostic, formative, leading to certification)
view language competences as a resource that can be used and extended (diagnostic, formative, leading to certification)
certify home language competences, giving them a value that goes beyond the symbolic (diagnostic, formative, leading to certification)
motivate learners to make progress in using and developing their home language competences (diagnostic, formative, leading to certification)
In all senses of the term, make the most of learners' multilingual repertoires (diagnostic, formative, leading to certification)
provide learners with rapid, personalised and effective feedback on their learning, identifying any obstacles (diagnostic, formative, leading to certification)
encourage communication with parents and families (diagnostic, formative, leading to certification)

On the one hand, it is necessary to assess competences in order to aid and improve learners’ approach to learning and, on the other hand, it is also necessary to assess in order to be able to summarise and take stock of what learners have learnt at a given time or after a given period (Fernandes, 2011).

Highlighting competences learnt outside school or formal situations may mean adapting the usual tools and reference frameworks for language assessment, while maintaining a relevant framework of indicators according to set criteria.

Competency levels (CEFR) are stages in the development of competences that enable different kinds of linguistic and communicative events to be compared.

Please note: The degree of bilingual or plurilingual linguistic competence is independent of the learner’s age and depends on various factors, particularly in relation to learning situations:

  • their biography,
  • their schooling,
  • their migration background, etc.

This is why it is a good idea to assess and classify competences by skill level, not by age.