Final answer:
Under the No Child Left Behind Act, states had the option to conduct assessments in a student's native language, particularly for recent arrivals to the U.S. This testing flexibility has been continued under the Every Student Succeeds Act, with states determining their own policies related to ELL testing.
Step-by-step explanation:
Per the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), originally signed into law in 2002, states were required to administer testing in reading and math to students in certain grades to determine eligibility for federal funding. The Act includes provisions for English Language Learners (ELLs), allowing for some flexibility. States could administer assessments in a student's native language if they deemed it necessary, especially to those who had been in the United States for less than three years. However, NCLB was eventually replaced by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in 2015, which gave more control back to the states regarding testing practices and accountability systems.
It is important to note that while ESSA shifted the responsibility to the states, it maintained the requirement for annual testing but allowed states to define how they would approach accountability for ELLs, including whether to provide tests in their native language. Schools must still adhere to the requirements set by their state's educational standards and are held accountable based on their performance, including the performance of ELL students.