1555 wilson blvd., suite 515 | arlington, virginia 22209-2004 | telephone: 703.528.3588 | toll-free:...
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1555 Wilson Blvd., Suite 515 | Arlington, Virginia 22209-2004 | Telephone: 703.528.3588 | Toll-Free: 800.925.3223 | Fax: 703.528.5973 | www.ceee.gwu.edu
Charlene RiveraDecember 2, 2009
Assessment Considerations for English Language Learners
Race to the Top Assessment Program
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Key considerations
1. General design issues of the new assessment system
2. ELLs’ linguistic and sociocultural needs
3. Instructional context
4. Design of accommodated tests
5. State assessment policy
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1. General design advice
Design the entire assessment system with all students in mind, including ELLsRecognize that the language minority population is heterogeneousConsider the entire continuum of ELLs from early stages of English language learning to former ELLs
Recognize that the needs of students who are learning English are distinct from those of students with disabilities
The Race to the Top Assessment Program is an attempt to allow consortia of states to design comprehensive and inclusive assessment systems – scope is dauntingly challenging!
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General design advice continued
Consider the composition of the consortium
Establish priorities for implementation Modify curriculum to reflect new standards Provide professional development
Scale up assessment system in stagesEstablish reasonable timeline for development
and implementation in each stateEstablish clear expectations and approaches for
bridging from current state standards and assessment systems to new system
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General design advice continued
Consider extending the ELA test for students at beginning levels of ELP and who have been in U.S. fewer than 3 years – or using ELP reading and writing assessment as a proxy for ELA until student can meaningfully take the ELA test
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General design advice continued
Establish a reporting system
that provides timely, useful information About individual student achievement,
classrooms, districts, etc. About ELLs ELP proficiency and
proficiency in content About Former ELLs proficiency in content
Establish a system for monitoring progress of ELLs and former ELLs
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2. ELLs’ linguistic & sociocultural needs
ELL population has increased nearly 60% over past 10 years to over 5 million (NCELA, 2007)
Great diversity of languages spoken, cultures, and educational background including:
Migrants from Puerto Rico who are educated in SpanishChildren from U.S. territories Immigrants from all over the worldRefugees escaping persecution in their home countriesChildren born in the U.S. to any of these groups
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ELLs’ linguistic & sociocultural needs advice
Design test specifications with involvement of specialists who are knowledgeable about the academic language demands of content for ELLs at different grade levels
Involve stakeholders in each consortium who are knowledgeable about the continuum of needs of second language learners
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ELLs’ linguistic & sociocultural needs advice continued
Establish TACs to Review, provide feedback to designers of assessment system
Needed at consortium as well as SEA/LEA levels Include stakeholder representationInclude members who can provide input on the extent to which assessment design can address the continuum of ELLs at different levels of ELP
Each assessment must be valid and reliable For specific purposes For all subcategories of students, including ELLs at different stages of English language acquisition
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3. Instructional context advice
Assessment is an integral part of instruction, not an add-on
Teachers must be part of development teams, considering implications for teaching and learning
Teachers should also be involved in providing professional development to their colleagues to support quality instruction that will enable valid assessment of all students, including ELLs
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Instructional context advice continued
Expect that leaders in SEAs and LEAs have introduced the new standards and that teachers feel comfortable teaching the subject matter to be tested
Expect that leaders have the same high expectations for ELLs as for all other students
Require SEAs/LEAs to conduct professional development on how to teach academic language needed for ELLs to acquire content, especially at middle and high school
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Instructional context advice continued
Require each state in a consortium to conduct professional development for teachers and others responsible for administering assessments – before test administration - about:
The new assessmentExpectations for student performance
Require consortium members and test developers to consider how ELP outcomes can/should be used to inform the outcomes of content assessments
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4. Design of accommodated tests
Accommodations involve changes to testing procedures, materials, or situation to allow students meaningful participation in an assessment
Effective accommodations for ELLs address unique linguistic and sociocultural needs of the student without altering the test construct
Accommodated scores should be sufficiently equivalent in scale to be pooled with unaccommodated scores
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Design of accommodaed tests continued
ELL-responsive accommodations provide direct or indirect linguistic support
Direct – adjust language of the test, in either English or another languageIndirect – adjust conditions under which test is taken, e.g., extra time to process test items
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Design of accommodated tests continued
Universal design is good – but not always sufficient to make test items accessible to ELLs if second language testing experts are not part of the universal design team
Appropriate accommodation for ELLs should, at a minimum:
Be standardized Be ELL-responsive Include use of English and other languages,
as appropriate
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Design of accommodated tests continued
Consider whether an accommodation is intended to help students at low, moderate, or advanced levels of ELP
Research is needed to examine relationship between ELP level and effective use of an accommodation
Technology has the potential to standardize delivery of accommodations.
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Design of accommodated tests continued
With native language accommodations it is important to consider whether a student has oral knowledge of the language and literacy skills to take advantage of these
What is the student’s level of ELP?How long has the student been in U.S. schools?What is the student’s oral and literacy skills in the second/third language?Has, or is the student receiving instruction in the native language in the content tested?
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Design of accommodations continued
Most native language accommodations are designed for Spanish speakers
Spreading costs across a consortium may allow native language accommodations in multiple languages
Need more research about native language accommodations, e.g., use of commercial word-to-word dual language dictionary, customized dual language glossary, pocket word-to-word dual language translator, commercial dual language dictionary
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Design of accommodated tests continued
Native language accommodations - e.g., dual language test booklets, translated and adapted tests – allow students to demonstrate knowledge in either English or the native language, thereby reducing construct-irrelevant variance
Recorded audio translation is underutilizedAllows access to test content for students not literate - but with receptive capacity - in their native languageAvoids lack of standardization inherent in sight and oral translations done on the “fly”
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Design of accommodated tests continued
Accommodations to improve to test directions don’t help students access the content of test items
Other “accommodations” are administrative supports rather than true accommodations because they do not address students’ linguistic needs
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Design of accommodated tests continued
Studies should track effectiveness of accommodations so that decisions can be made about their use and improvements can be made to assessments
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Design of accommodated tests continued
Need research about implementation of accommodations
Which accommodations do students use?To what extent do specific accommodations support ELLs at different levels of ELP?
Accommodations are not a panacea, but they are a support that should be used
New assessment system should build into its design methods for monitoring use of specific accommodations, assessing utility, feasibility, and quality of accommodations to support ELLs at different levels of ELP
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5. State assessment policy
Lack of uniform implementation of assessments and accommodations for ELLs is due, in part, to:
Lack of clear state assessment policiesLack of communication by SEA to districts and schools about how to implement policies
Therefore, with the design of a new assessment system, each consortium should develop policy that can be adapted by each participating SEA, including a plan for communicating to LEA and school staff
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Final Thoughts
Hold ELLs to the same high expectations as all other students
Consider the needs of ELLs from the beginning of developing assessment system
Involve teachers, second language testers and content specialists in development of the assessment system
Involve teachers in professional development to address curriculum and roll out of the assessment system
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Final Thoughts, 2
Make sure that ELLs are instructed in the content tested
Make sure accommodations differentiate ELLs at different levels of ELP
Consider extending the continuum of English Language Arts assessments to include students at beginner levels of ELP and who have been in U.S. schools fewer than 3 years
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