Domain 5: Assessment Syllabus Course Description The purpose of this course is to enable teachers to implement culturally responsive assessment practices suitable for use with students who are classified as Limited English Proficient (LEP). Participants will address challenges of NCLB and high-stakes testing for ELLs and develop strategies for creating authentic assessments to evaluate students and improve their content-area instruction. Competencies Upon completion of this course, teachers will be able to Understand the regulations, standards, and accountability mandates as they apply to English language learners (ELLs) Assess ELLs academic progress and English language acquisition Use assessment tools to inform instruction Develop a coherent ESOL assessment process Design rubrics to enhance student understanding Apply strategies to content area instruction to address culturally and linguistically different students needs ESOL Endorsement To earn your ESOL Endorsement, complete all courses in the series: 1. Domain 1: Culture 2. Domain 2: Language and Literacy 3. Domain 3: Methods of Teaching ESOL 4. Domain 4: ESOL Curriculum Materials and Development 5. Domain 5: Assessment To meet endorsement requirements, you must earn a minimum of 143 points in each course in the series. Course Requirements and Grades 1
Materials All materials are accessed via the NEX website using the PIN provided and the user name/password you create. All readings listed can be found by going to Class Materials Virtual Library (Search). If you do not have the most recent versions of the following software, please download each from the given sites. RealPlayer Adobe Reader QuickTime s Used Best of Both Worlds El Puente Academy for Peace and Justice Match Makers Ready or Not Room to Grow What Do You Expect? Course Schedule Typical course sessions run from Sunday morning through Saturday at midnight. Specific session dates may be found by clicking on Syllabus on the top menu bar. Course participants should read both the case and assigned readings prior to joining the online discussion. Participation in the discussion should be ongoing throughout each course session. For typical courses, final discussion postings, journals, and workbook assignments are due by Saturday at midnight unless otherwise noted. Please see the News Flash for any alterations of the course schedule posted by your instructor. 2
Session 1 Exploring the NEX Site Reviewing Standards and Legal Requirements None this session Read the Course Tutorial linked from the TUTORIAL menu, paying special attention to the -Analysis and Workbook Assignment Rubrics. These rubrics will be used by your instructor throughout the course to evaluate your entries, responses, and Workbook assignments where appropriate. The Florida Consent Decree: Identification and Assessment Explore the following sites, based on your content area and grade level assignments: o TESOL ESL Standards for Pre-K-12 Students http://www.tesol.org/s_tesol/sec_document.asp?cid=95&did=1886 o Florida - Comprehensive English Language Learning Assessment (CELLA) http://www.fldoe.org/aala/cella.asp o Florida Department of Education http://www.fldoe.org/ o English Language Proficiency (ELP) Standards http://www.wida.us/standards/elp.aspx First, introduce yourself to your classmates and describe your experiences with English Language Learners (ELLs). After reviewing the legal requirements outlined in The Florida Consent Decree: Identification and Assessment, discuss how your school and district handle Initial identification Eligibility Assessment Classification and reclassification Post-reclassification monitoring Describe any issues these requirements present for teachers and students and actions your school or district takes to address them. 3
Reflect on the challenges surrounding the assessment of ELLs using CELLA from both teacher and student perspectives. How might your work in this course help you address any issues related to these challenges? Note Use Mail to send a note to your instructor stating that you will be taking this course. To do so, click on Mail on the top menu bar and then Click here to create a new message. Use the marked link to look up an address. Continue linking down until you see the class list. Click on the instructor s name and then compose your message and hit Post Message. 4
Session 2 Understanding Standards and High-Stakes Testing for English Language Learners (ELLs) Match Makers NCLB Provisions Ensure Flexibility and Accountability for Limited English Proficient (LEP) Students English Language Learners and High-Stakes Tests: An Overview of the Issues Norm Referenced Achievement Tests Strategies and Resources for Mainstream Teachers of English Language Learners, pages 7-9, In Context: English Language Learners and No Child Left Behind and The Implications of No Child Left Behind for the Mainstream Teacher Types of Assessment Accommodation Describe the instructional and assessment consequences of NCLB testing and AYP requirements for Jennifer and her students in this session s case. Brainstorm specific actions that schools with growing ELL populations can take to ensure accountability and meeting AYP benchmarks. How might the perspectives of mainstream teachers be influenced by the inclusion of ELL s scores in test reports? Using knowledge from the readings, focus on one ELL you know and describe testing accommodations you feel would provide the most accurate picture of his/her knowledge and understandings. Workbook Testing Accommodations 5
Focus on one ELL student in your class or school. If you do not have access to students, focus on an ELL you have recently taught. Describe assessment issues related to a pre- or post-test for a unit of study, a standardized test, or a diagnostic test that will be administered before the end of this course. Consider the perspectives of various people involved in this situation, from the student, the family, other teachers, and administration. How might each view the testing situation? Propose possible modifications to the test to minimize language barriers so that the assessment targets the content knowledge or skills in question. Describe the original test and the accommodations you ve developed, administer the assessment, and reflect upon the consequences (positive, negative, intended, unintended) of your modifications. What additional actions are suggested by your analysis? Workbook is due at the end of this session. 6
Session 3 Developing an Assessment Process Match Makers Assessment in ESL & Bilingual Education Effective Reading Instruction for Struggling Spanish-Speaking Readers: A Combination of Two Literatures What's 'Normal,' What's Not: Acquiring English as a Second Language Assessment in ESL and Bilingual Education Collaborative teaching: Are two teachers better than one? Using knowledge from the readings, suggest actions Jennifer might take to implement an appropriate assessment process in this session s case. What role might Allen s mainstream, ESOL, and special education teachers have in this process? Offer three suggestions to improve the reading instruction Allen is receiving. How does your school currently assess language proficiency and what are the ways the results are used? Locate and read through two different assessment tools currently implemented by your school or district. Identify issues raised by each testing instrument and evaluate the tools by specifically referencing the checklist in the reading Assessment in ESL and Bilingual Education Checklist for English Language Proficiency Test Selection. Workbook None this session 7
Session 4 Assessing for Language Proficiency Match Makers Assessment in ESL and Bilingual Education Checklist for English Language Proficiency Test Selection Assessing ESOL Students Instruments to measure Oral Language Proficiency Learning Disability or Language Development Issue? English Language Learners with Special Needs: Effective Instructional Strategies Learning Disabilities in English Language Learners In this session s case, what actions might Jennifer take to ensure that Allen is appropriately placed and also to determine whether or not his learning difficulties are the result of a learning disability, due to a language barrier, or both? Debate the various perspectives as to why there is an overrepresentation of English Language Learners in special education classes using knowledge from the readings as well as your own experiences. Identify the ways reading assessment instruments both commercially available and teacher developed differ regarding the need to recommend an ELL for special education screening. Provide several examples of reading and writing issues or errors that are associated with acquiring a new language and distinguish those from types of errors associated with students with special needs. Workbook Assessment and Lesson Implementation Work with an ESOL teacher to identify an ELL who might benefit from one-on-one or small group instruction. Develop or utilize an existing 8
interview and assessment tool (modify as needed) to assess that student s oral and written language, reading, and understanding of English grammar. Provide the assessment, your analysis of the results, and a general description of this student s background (languages spoken, grade level, years receiving ESOL services, etc.). (If you do not have access to students, complete the remainder of the assignment based on a student you have taught in the past.) Then, create and teach a lesson targeting the particular needs of this student (either one-on-one or in a small group). Provide the following information with your plans: Description of classroom, content, languages spoken, and any other relevant information; Goals and objectives, including content, language acquisition goals, and state standards if appropriate; English proficiency level; Grouping of students; Materials; Procedures; Assessment (informal or formal); Rationale for your choices; and Brief reflections on your implementation of these lessons. Workbook is due at the end of Session 6. 9
Session 5 Understanding Literacy Issues in Assessment for ELLs Ready or Not Catch Them Before They Fall: Identification and Assessment to Prevent Reading Failure in Young Children Assessment in ESL and Bilingual Education Using Informal Assessment with ELLs Consider the perspectives of Joey and Anna from this session s case. How might alternative means of assessment have changed Joey s performance? What other actions suggested in the readings might Paula take to assess ELL s needs? Reflect on the ways literacy development needs of ELLs differ from those for whom English is a first language. Based upon knowledge from the readings and your professional experience, propose actions educators might take to address these needs and identify potential consequences of these actions on the literacy development of students. Workbook None this session 10
Session 6 Using ELP Standards Best of Both Worlds WIDA ELP Standards Overview Speaking and Writing Rubrics from the WIDA Consortium The Can Do Descriptors Identify the ways that students in this session s case are assessed (both formative and summative) and indicate how WIDA ELP Standards are reflected in these assessments. What language issues arise for these young students and how does Cathy address these issues in her instruction? Focus on one ELL you know and knowledge from the reading The Can Do Descriptors. (If you do not have access to an ELL, base this journal on a student you have recently taught.) Evaluate this student s progress in English language acquisition using the chart as a guide (from Entering to Beginning, Developing, Expanding, and Bridging) and defend your decisions by providing specific evidence and/or examples. Select one language domain as your focus, and suggest actions you might take or strategies you might use to help a student progress to the next level in that domain. Workbook Assessment and Lesson Implementation Workbook due by the end of this session. 11
Session 7 Linking Assessments to Instruction El Puente Academy for Peace and Justice, Focus on Guiding Student Learning How Classroom Assessments Improve Learning The Concept of Formative Assessment A Portfolio Assessment Model for ESL Critical Perspectives Dorothy Hardin In this session s case, discuss the ways teachers and administrators use assessments to inform their curriculum, instruction, and schoolwide planning. What might be the consequences of the assessments utilized in the school on student learning and standardized test scores? In this session s Critical Perspective, Dorothy Hardin argues that assessment needs to drive instruction. What issues does this statement raise specifically for ELLs? Compare the possible perspectives of ELLs and their families with those of teachers and administrators on the importance of different types of assessments. 12
Session 8 Using Authentic Assessments to Inform Instruction Room to Grow Practical Ideas on Alternative Assessment for ESL Students Effective Practices for Assessing Young Readers Authentic Assessment Toolbox Performance-Based Assessment: Promoting Achievement for English Language Learners The for Authentic Assessment Types of Assessment Identify and describe the types of assessment Christine uses with her students in this session s case. Using knowledge from the readings, evaluate her assessment strategies for ELLs. What actions might Christine take to modify these assessment strategies and tools to better target the particular needs of ELLs? Provide a rationale for your recommendations, citing information from this session s readings. Describe three assessment tasks you believe to be appropriate for an ELL. Identify strengths and weaknesses, issues surrounding their implementation, and the learning consequences of each task. Finally, reflect upon your choices from a student s perspective. Workbook None this session 13
Session 9 Designing Rubrics Room to Grow Practical Ideas On Alternative Assessment For ESL Students by Jo-Ellen Tannenbaum, Montgomery County Public Schools (MD) Evaluating Rubrics Authentic Assessment Toolbox Scoring Rubric For Assessment Of Writing Skills (ESOL) The Education Alliance: Teaching Diverse Learners: Equity and Access for All. Ongoing Assessment of Language, Literacy, and Content Learning. Specifically evaluate Christine s rubric in this session s case using knowledge from the reading Evaluating Rubrics. What actions could Christine take to improve her rubric to accommodate for novice, low-intermediate, high-intermediate, and advanced ESOL levels within her class? List five alternative assessment techniques or strategies that you use with your students on a regular basis and explain their consequences on the learning of ELLs. Then, select TWO of those strategies and compare and contrast what the related rubrics would look like. How would you ensure these rubrics would effectively measure what ELL students have learned in your class? Workbook Rubrics and Performance Assessment Target one unit or lesson that you currently use. Design a performance assessment task and related scoring rubric to use with ELLs. Include the following items for this assignment: o a brief description of your students, including grade o objectives/state standards/tesol standards targeted o materials needed 14
o teaching method/s and strategies o student grouping (if applicable) o student roles and expectations for the performance assessment task o a rubric and reflection on how this rubric will meet the unique assessment needs of ELLs Make sure you integrate assessment in all four skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking) into your performance task. Workbook is due at the end of this session. 15
Session 10 Acknowledging Student Perspectives on Assessment El Puente Academy for Peace and Justice Student Choice in Assessment How Students View Their Current Assessment Modes Practical Ideas on Alternative Assessment Indicate how the focus of assessment at El Puente High School serves the particular needs of the school s students and discuss how this philosophy compares with your own school s assessment philosophy. What might be some consequences of the Self-Directed Improvement System on the ways students view assessment? Assume the perspective of two students you have taught: an ELL and a native English speaker. Identify the types of assessments you regularly use and reflect on issues surrounding those assessments from each perspective. What you could specifically alter about you assessments to make them more meaningful for your students? Workbook None this session 16
Session 11 Assessing ELLs in the Content Areas What Do You Expect? The Education Alliance: Teaching Diverse Learners: Equity and Access for All. Ongoing Assessment of Language, Literacy, and Content Learning Resources for Content-Area Teachers Introducing a Text Before Reading Identify some of the challenges Mary Anne faces in assessing Marcos progress. How do you think teachers, schools, and communities could best assess the content-area learning of English Language Learners? What might be the perspectives of students, their families, school staff, and community members on the issues this question raises and how might these concerns be addressed? What adjustments and techniques can a teacher implement to provide ELL s with alternative ways of performing and showing what they have mastered in content-area classes? Develop an outline for general education, content-area teachers that will provide a summary of the knowledge about strategies and resources to use when instructing and assessing ELLs. 17