Thirty-five states and the District of Columbia offer standardized assessments in languages other than English, according to a 2025 analysis by researchers at the Migration Policy Institute, a think tank.
States aren’t required to offer these native-language assessments, but researchers say these tools can help educators understand English learners’ academic knowledge by removing language barriers. (These students also take separate, mandated assessments focused on English-language proficiency).
Even as research points to the benefits of offering native-language assessments to English learners, availability of such tests varies by language and state.
Federal law requires defining significantly used languages
States are required to define languages other than English that students commonly speak under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, the primary federal law related to school accountability.
That definition varies by state and is focused on different thresholds. A language could make the list, for example, if 5% of the overall student population uses it or if 10% of English learners use it.
In 2025, 15 states used their total English learner or multilingual learner populations to set the threshold. Another 14 states and the District of Columbia set the threshold based on the total student population taking state tests. Students take state standardized tests annually from grades 3-8 and once in high school.
The chart below shows how each state determines its significantly used languages.
Discrepancy in identified languages and assessments
Once states have defined significantly used languages, they can identify which languages meet the chosen definition and then offer assessments in those languages.
Experts say these native-language assessments are just one of several accommodations states can offer English learners taking statewide exams.
Researchers found that, as of 2025, 28 states and the District of Columbia offered native-language assessments in the languages they’ve identified as significantly used.
Two states offer native-language assessments in additional languages as well.
Meanwhile 15 states don’t offer any native-language assessments for English learners.
Languages offered vary by state
Researchers also found variation between the languages states identified as significantly used and whether they made assessments available in those languages.
Thirty-one states and the District of Columbia offer assessments in Spanish and identify that language as significantly used.
Another 10 identify Spanish as significantly used but don’t offer assessments in the language.
One state, Montana, offers assessments in Spanish even though the language is not identified as significantly used.
