Assessments validated and standardized in the student's native language contribute to fair evaluation. This statement is:

• A. They are unnecessary for ELLs.
• B. They should be avoided if possible.
• C. They will always be identical to English norms.
• D. They contribute to fairness when validated in the native language.

Answer: (D)

When assessments are validated and standardized in a student’s native language, the test is more likely to measure the intended ability rather than language proficiency. Using items and norms that reflect speakers of that language reduces language bias, improves accuracy in what the test is measuring, and makes scores interpretable in a fair way for that linguistic group. This approach also provides appropriate norms for comparison, so a student isn’t misclassified due to English-only benchmarks. It’s not about claiming results will be identical to English norms; rather, it’s about using valid, language-appropriate standards to ensure fairness. Choices suggesting native-language tests are unnecessary for ELLs, should be avoided, or will be identical to English norms don’t align with how measurement fairness works.