Beyond a Test Score: How Do We Measure Young Learners' Progress?

What do young learners’ English test scores really tell us? This presentation by linguist Reza Dalman, an assistant professor in the ASU Department of English, explores how young learners’ opportunities to encounter and use English, at school, at home, and through technology shape their language learning and performance. 

Drawing on research with young learners in different educational settings in Mexico, Dalman discusses how family resources, access to technology, exposure to English, and everyday practices can create different pathways for learning. Rather than viewing test scores as simple measures of ability, we explore what lies behind those numbers and what they reveal about opportunity, inequality, fairness, education, and the experiences that shape how young learners learn.

Dalman's presentation is hosted by the Linguistics and Applied Linguistics / TESOL Program in the Department of English as part of ASU Humanities Week.