The swift and mostly unplanned transition to online learning brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed the landscape of how we teach and assess English language proficiency. Traditional assessment tools like IELTS and TOEFL were built for controlled, in-person settings, based on the idea that conditions would be standardized, proctoring would be direct, and technology access would be consistent-assumptions that often fall apart in digital learning environments. This review paper brings together the existing research on English language assessment in online contexts, exploring its historical development, scrutinizing the structural limitations of traditional testing models, and assessing the new technologies-like computer-adaptive testing, automated grading, and formative assessment-that have emerged in response. Additionally, the review addresses equity and accessibility issues that are relevant to every technological advancement discussed, concluding with a spotlight on a significant research gap that still limits the field: the absence of a cohesive, evidence-based understanding of how effectiveness, technological innovation, and equity come together in real-world online English language assessment practices.