Bilingual Testing Communication Newsletter: Explaining Assessments to Multilingual Families

Assessment season creates stress in every school community, but the stress is often highest in families who do not speak English at home. These families typically receive test notifications in English, may not understand the difference between a state academic test and an English proficiency test, and frequently cannot interpret score reports that arrive in their child's backpack. A bilingual newsletter communication strategy that explains assessments clearly, before and after each testing window, makes a measurable difference in family anxiety and understanding.

Separating the Types of Assessments

One of the most common sources of confusion for multilingual families is the sheer number of assessments their child takes and the different purposes of each. A newsletter that clearly names each assessment, explains what it measures, when it happens, and what the results are used for gives families a framework they can use to make sense of the communications they receive throughout the year.

English learners typically take at least two major assessment types: the annual English language proficiency assessment that determines their EL status and program placement, and state academic assessments that all students take. These are completely different tests measuring different things, but families often conflate them or do not know why their child is taking two different standardized tests.

Before Testing: Preparing Families

A newsletter issue before each major testing window should tell families what test is coming, what it measures, approximately when it will happen, and what families can do to support their child. For many multilingual families, the most valuable message is the simplest: this test is important, make sure your child sleeps well and eats breakfast, and do not schedule appointments on testing days.

Address testing anxiety directly. Many families know their child is learning in a second language and worry that tests will not capture what their child actually knows. Brief explanation of what the test measures and what accommodations English learners receive helps families contextualize results before they see them.

After Testing: Explaining Results

Score reports mailed home in English with jargon-heavy proficiency level descriptions are nearly useless for multilingual families. A newsletter that accompanies or follows score reports, explaining in plain language in the family's home language what the different levels mean and what the scores indicate about their child's progress, converts a confusing document into actionable information.

Include specific language like: a score at level 4 or above means your child is developing strong English proficiency and may be approaching reclassification. A score at level 2 means your child is making progress and will continue in the EL support program this year.

Rights Related to Testing

Families have the right to request information about the assessments their child takes, to receive explanations in their home language, and to understand how results affect their child's placement. Including a brief rights section in testing newsletters empowers families to ask questions and participate in interpretation conferences.

Daystage supports sending assessment communications in any language, making it practical to reach every multilingual family in your school with testing information they can actually use.