RECOMMENDATIONS FOR LITERACY ASSESSMENT PRACTICES

FOR ALL TEACHERS OF ELLS THAT WILL INFORM INSTRUCTION

May 19, 2011Resource: “Assessing English-Language Learners in Mainstream Classrooms”

by Susan Davis Lenski, Fabiola Ehlers-Zavala, Mayra C. Daniel, and Xiaoqin Sun-Irminger

Prepared by Central Intermediate Unit # 10 Consortium ESL Specialists:

Elizabeth Whitehead, Rebecca Baney, and Victoria Butch – Bellefonte Area; Penny Diehl – Moshannon Valley; Rebecca Dugan – Curwensville Area; Crystal

Graffius – Harmony Area; Sarah Lugg – Keystone Central; Sheila Riggs – Loyalsock Area; Jessica Ross – Clearfield Area; Jan Sawarynski – Bald Eagle

Area; Ruth Vonada – Penns Valley Area; and Raisa Gray – Centre Learning Community Center

ESL Facilitator: Bobbie Pfingstler, Ed.D.Central Intermediate Unit # 10

WHY IS ASSESSMENT IMPORTANT?

• Assessment is a critical part of effective literacy development; therefore, it is important for classroom teachers to know how to evaluate ELL’s progress.

• The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 established assessment mandates that all teachers must follow and because ELLs are included in the testing and must make Adequate Yearly Progress, quality assessment will help determine student needs.

WHY IS ASSESSMENT IMPORTANT? (CONTINUED)

• NCLB legislation also drives state standards. Similar to assessing monolingual learners, teachers must document evidence of student learning and progress in accordance to those standards.

• Assessment of ELLS, however, is more critical and challenging given the wide range of educational experiences and academic backgrounds they bring to a school.

WHY IS ASSESSMENT IMPORTANT? (CONTINUED)

• Good assessment practices pave the way to making instructional and evaluative decisions.

• Teachers need to consider all these educational requirements.

• Whether ELLS are newcomers to the United States or from Generations of heritage language speakers, they are disadvantaged if assessment, evaluation, and the curriculum do not make allowances for their distinctive differences (Gay, 2001; Gitlin, Buendia, Crossland, & Doumbia, 2003).

WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ASSESSING STUDENTS?

Assessment practices pave the way to makinginstructional decisions and evaluating.

Consider all educational stakeholders when planningassessment of ELLs:Classroom TeacherStudents themselvesParents AdministratorsOther teachersConsider state standards or TESOL (Teachers of English to

Speakers of Other Languages) Standards PreK–12 English Language Proficiency Standards

QUESTIONS TEACHERS NEED TO ASK WHEN ASSESSING ESL

STUDENTS

Who am I going to assess?

How am I going to assess the students?

Why am I going to assess?

What specifics aspects of literacy am I going to

assess?

When am I going to assess?

Where am I going to assess?

English Language Learners come to our public schools with vastly different backgrounds. They fall into four

categories:1. Newly arrived students with adequate formal

schooling;2. Newly arrived students with limited formal

schooling;3. Students exposed to two languages simultaneously; 4. Long term English-language learners.

HOW CAN TEACHERS BETTER UNDERSTAND THE

BACKGROUND OF THEIR ELL STUDENTS?

• Have been in the country

for > 5 years.

• Have had an adequate

degree of schooling in

their native country.

• Perform in reading and

writing at grade level.

• Find it relatively easy to

catch up with their native-

English-speaking peers.

• Have difficulty with

standardized tests.

•Have parents who are educated

speakers on their L1

•Developed a strong foundation

in their L1•

Demonstrate the potential to

make fast progress in English

•Have found it easy to acquire a

second or third language.

1. NEWLY ARRIVED WITH ADEQUATE FORMAL SCHOOLING

Have recently arrived in

an English-speaking

school.

Have experienced

interrupted schooling.

Have limited native-

language and literacy

skills.

Perform poorly on

achievement tasks.

May not have had previous schooling.

May experience feeling of

loss of emotional and

social networks. Have parents who have

low literacy levels and

could have difficulty

learning English.

2. NEWLY ARRIVED STUDENTS WITH LIMITED FORMAL

SCHOOLING

Were born in the US but

have grown up in

households where a

language other than

English is spoken.

Live in communities of

speakers who primarily

communicate in their L1

or go back and forth

between languages.

Have grown up being

exposed to 2 languages

simultaneously.

May have not developed academic literacy in either

L1 or L2. Often engage in extensive code-switching. Have acquired oral

proficiency in a language other than English first but

may not have learned to read or write in that

language.

3. STUDENTS EXPOSED TO TWO LANGUAGES SIMULTANEOUSLY

Have already spent more than 5

years in an English-speaking

school.

Have literacy skills that are

below grade level.

Have had some English as a

second language classes or

bilingual support.

Require substantial and ongoing

language and literacy support.

4. LONG-TERM ENGLISH-LANGUAGE LEARNERS

REASONS FOR ASSESSING ELLSPurposes for assessment can be diverse.

• For student placement• To make instructional decisions• For program development & evaluation

It is critical that teachers identify the purpose for assessing before choosing the assessment instrument to be used.

Does the assessment connect to the language & content standards?

Is the assessment consistent with the teacher's instructional objectives & goals?

Teachers can use the language & content standards as the basis for what ELLs ought to know, which in turn can provide the purposes for assessment.

USING AUTHENTIC READING MATERIALS WHEN ASSESSING

Literacy in English, for ELLs, can be an extension of their identity both in school and at home.

Using authentic reading materials that connect to the students' real-life experiences affects ELLs in numerous and complex cultural, social and personal ways;

Assessments should also be adjusted to the students English proficiency level—if it is not comprehensible it will only measure the vocabulary that a students does not know.

Assessments results are more useful when using purposeful communication and authentic material.

WHAT IS A PREDICTABILITY LOG?WHY WILL THE USE OF PREDICTABILITY

LOGS HELP TEACHERS BETTER UNDERSTAND THE TYPES OF LITERACIES

ELLS BRING TO THE CLASSROOM?

• A PL helps teachers better understand their students’ prior literacy experiences and the factors that helped shape them.

• Teachers should target questions that are most relevant for the students’ situations.

• Data can come from interviewing students and their parents, observing in a classroom setting, and talking with others who know the student.

WHAT ARE THE PREDICTABILITY LOG CATEGORIES?

Predictability Log Categories to Better Help Teachers Understand their

Students’ Literacy Background

• Language Use

• Knowledge

• Events or experiences that matter to the student

• Narrative

• Relationship

• Aesthetics and ethics

PREDICTABILITY LOG COMPONENTS

Language Use

What language does the student know and use?

What types of alphabets does the student know?

What language and literacy experiences interest the

students?

PREDICTABILITY LOG COMPONENTS

Knowledge

What is the student’s cultural background?

What does the student enjoy doing out of school?

In what areas or ways has the student helped classmates?

What has the student said or what stories has the student

told?

PREDICTABILITY LOG COMPONENTS

Events or experiences that

matter to the student

What has happened to the student recently that has been important?

Have any major events occurred, especially recently, that have been of great

interest to the student?

PREDICTABILITY LOG COMPONENTS

Narrative

What kinds of stories does the student enjoy?

What specific stories does the student know well?

Can the student tell a story about a relative or a good friend?

What activities is the student involved in?

PREDICTABILITY LOG COMPONENTS

Relationship

What is the student’s family situation and who are the key members in

their life?

Has the student left anyone behind in his/her home country?

Who are the student’s best friends and is there anyone whom he/she

talks about often?

Whom might you contact to follow up on one of the student’s interests

or needs?

PREDICTABILITY LOG COMPONENTS

Aesthetics and ethics

What personal belongings does the student bring to

class or wear?

What objects or ideas appeal to the student?

What values has the student expressed through

actions or stories?

WHY ARE MULTI-DIMENSIONAL ASSESSMENTS IMPORTANT FOR

YOUR ELL STUDENTS?

T O F A I R L Y A S S E S S T H E P L A C E M E N T A N D

P R O G R E S S O F E L L S T U D E N T S A N D T O

P L A N I N S T R U C T I O N , I T I S E S S E N T I A L T O

C O N D U C T A M U L T I D I M E N S I O N A L

A P P R O A C H O F E V A L U A T I O N U S I N G A

V A R I E T Y O F A U T H E N T I C A S S E S S M E N T

T O O L S , S U C H A S :

•A N E C D O T A L R E C O R D S

•C H E C K L I S T S

•R A T I N G S C A L E S

•P O R T F O L I O S

Why use multidimensional assessments?

They:

• Identify and provide knowledge of a student’s literacy development.

• Fairly and appropriately highlight students’ progress and accomplishments.

• Drive instructional modifications which ensure student success.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR ASSESSING ESL STUDENTS

HURLEY AND BLAKE (2000)

Assessment activities should:

Help teachers make instructional decisions.

Help teachers find out what students know how to do …not what they cannot

do. Grow out of authentic learning activities.

Have a specific objective-linked purpose.

The holistic context for learning should be considered and assessed.

Best assessments of student learning are longitudinal…they take place

over time.

RECOMMENDED SUGGESTIONS FOR ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENT

PRACTICES

• Learn what constitutes alternative or authentic assessment of ELLs.

• Develop a philosophy of second-language acquisition that will assist you in

the evaluation of ELLs.

• Know your district’s curriculum of the program before planning

assessments.

• Implement the assessments once you have understood the features of the

tools available and have determined the appropriateness of implementation

at any given time.

RECOMMENDED SUGGESTIONS FOR ALTERNATIVE

ASSESSMENT PRACTICES (CONTINUED)

• Plan assessments that yield data that can be used for evaluative and

instructional purposes.

• Ensure that students understand how to use self-assessments.

• Use the results of your assessments to modify instruction.

• Communicate assessment results to the respective stakeholders in

clear and meaningful ways.

WHY ASSESS ELL STUDENTS IN NON-TRADITIONAL WAYS?

WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES?

Teachers should provide ELLs with opportunities to demonstrate

knowledge in nontraditional ways. These tools will provide direct insights

on the students’ literacy development and showcase students’ progress

and accomplishments.

Some ways to consider:

1. Performance assessment tasks

2. Organizers

Venn diagrams, charts, drawings, mind maps, PPT slides

Assessing ELL students in non-traditional ways (Continued)

3. Assess language learning in in participation activities

Provide oral assessment opportunities

Give credit for oral participation

4. Reading strategies

Help develop reading strategies that could be counted as an alternate

form of assessment (Lenski, Daniel, Ehlers-Zavala, & Alvayero, 2004).

5. Language Experience Approach

As students read their language-experience stories, informally assess

their oral reading fluency (Lenski & Nierstheimer, 2004).

Modifying Traditional Assessments

TEACHER MADE TESTS

CAN BE MODIF IED.

STANDARDIZED TEST

SHOULD NOT BE

MODIF IED.

MODIFICATIONS APPROPRIATE FOR NEWCOMERS

Students answer orally rather than in writing.

A qualified bilingual professional can assist with assessment.

Allow ELL to demonstrate reading progress and growth through group

assessments.

Allow responses in multiple formats – such as: discussions, diagrams,

drawings, or pointing to pictures or objects of correct answer.

MODIFICATIONS APPROPRIATE FOR NEWCOMERS (CONTINUED)

Allow students to answer in native language if translation support

systems exist.

Permit student to use a bilingual (word to word) dictionary during

testing.

MODIFICATIONS FOR DEVELOPING ELL STUDENTS

Student answers orally, paraprofessional or teacher records student’s

answers.

Divide into small chunks.

Use visuals.

Add glossaries in English or first language.

Simplify vocabulary.

Start the assessment with an example.

Write questions in the affirmative rather than the negative.

USING ELL STUDENTS’ NATIVE LANGUAGES AS AN

ASSESSMENT RESOURCE

• ELL students should be permitted to use their native language

abilities to complete literacy tasks.

• They need to be able to express their knowledge in the language

they are most familiar with when being assessed.

• By allowing ELLs to use their native language to process their

answers during assessment, their knowledge would be more

accurate.

Encouraging ELLsSelf Assessment

ELLs who engage in self-assessment practice learn how their past

learning is helping in developing their new learning.

Teachers need to be aware that ELLs may experience difficulties in the

beginning when attempting self-assessments.

ELLs need to be provided with support through substantial scaffolding

activities.

Responses should be modeled to self-assessment tasks and provide

students with group, peer, and finally independent practice.

A Connections Chart (Lenski & Ehlers-Zavala, 2004) is a strategy

that could be used for student self-assessment.

In this strategy, students are to read a story; stop at given points; and

make connections to other books, past learning, and themselves.

(CONTINUED)

COLLABORATIVE ASSESSMENT

Collaborative assessment allows students to collaborate with other

students. Collaboration sometimes helps ELLs to feel safe.

Collaborative assessment allows students to code-switch, which is

moving between the native language and English.

Note: Code-switching is a natural occurrence that helps ELLs to

stress a point or express a concept.

EFFECTIVE TEACHING = EFFECTIVE ASSESSMENTS

The literacy experiences that students have in learning their first

language greatly impacts their ability to acquire literacy in the English

language.

Most effective types of assessments that help teachers make instructional

decisions for ELLs are:

Authentic performance-based assessments:

Observations

JournalsPortfolios

Self-assessments

COLLABORATIVE ASSESSMENT AND THE COMMUNITY

• It is important that teachers invite family and community members to come

into the classroom to partake in literacy projects.

• Parents can help bridge language barriers and offer insight regarding their

child’s abilities and background knowledge.

• Both teachers and parents can seek assistance from community resource

centers.

EFFECTIVE TEACHING = EFFECTIVE ASSESSMENTS

Effective teaching is the key to sustained achievement of all

students, especially the ELL students who struggle with reading.

Without a complete understanding of the ELL students’

backgrounds and current literacy levels, teachers will have

difficulty providing effective instruction to meet the needs of ELL

students.

Only when measurement of literacy, assessment, evaluation, and

excellent teaching are preset in classrooms will ELLs make real

progress toward literacy.

REFERENCESLenski, Ehlers-Zavala,

Daniel, & Sun-Irminger X. (2006). Assessing English-

language learners in mainstream

classrooms. The Reading Teacher, 60

(1), 24-34.

Afflerbach, P. (2010). Assessment. Newark,

DE: International Reading Association.