The Practice of Assessing Norwegian and English Language Proficiency in Multilingual Elementary School Classrooms in Norway

The increasing representation of young language-minority students in school settings around the world and recent insights into multilingualism as a potential reggsource for language learning and development call for a critical study of theoretical and practical implications for the field of language teaching and assessment. Relatively little attention has been devoted to exploring the assessment of very young students' language proficiency in the context of multilingualism. The current study explores the role of multilingualism in language assessment in the Norwegian school context. The study is based on teachers' perceptions and practices as regards the way centrally and locally mandated language assessment is carried out in EFL and Norwegian (language arts) in a multilingual elementary school in Norway. The results of the study identify factors that impact on the enactment of language assessment at the beginner level and the assumptions underlying these practices. The paper contributes to our understanding of issues of validity and social consequences in connection with assessment in a multilingual education environment.