Obtaining Necessary Parity through Academic Rigor (ONPAR): Research, Development, and Dissemination of a Parallel Mathematics Assessment for English Language Learners

On behalf of the 22-state World-class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA) Consortium, the Illinois State Board of Education is developing and implementing an accessible and valid assessment in mathematics for beginning English language learners (ELLs) that can be used for state accountability purposes to meet the requirements of federal law.

To achieve this aim, this project encompasses the following 5 goals:
(a) develop a prototype of a standards-based mathematics assessment instrument designed to measure the academic achievement of beginning ELLs;
(b) conduct scientifically sound research to ensure the validity, reliability, fairness, and comparability of the assessment;
(c) through research, explore links between English language proficiency (ELP) and academic achievement and chart student progress over time;
(d) disseminate information about this No Child Left Behind-compliant, standards-based academic assessment and the results of related research; and
(e) collaborate with states, institutions of higher education (IHEs), and other experts to ensure that all goals are met.