Planning Instruction and Assessment

1
Planning Instruction and Assessment

• Education 453

2
Detective Work
3
Variables to Consider

• The languages and cultures of everyday
  interaction
• The exposure to academic language outside of
  school
• Educational experiences outside the classroom
• Continuity of educational experiences
• Proficiency (including literacy) in the native
  language
• Academic achievement in the native language
• Proficiency and academic achievement in English
• Allotment of time per day for educational support
  services
• Amount and type of sustained support across years

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Primary Purposes of Assessment

• Identification and placement to determine
  eligibility for support services
• Monitoring progress of English language
  proficiency and academic achievement
• Teacher accountability
• Reclassification within or transition from
  support services
• Program evaluation to determine effectiveness of
  support services

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Assessment Plan

• Home language survey for newly enrolled students
• Oral language use survey
• Literacy survey
• District approved formal tests of English
  proficiency and academic achievement
• Accommodations
• Informal reading inventories
• Classroom assessment measures (portfolio)

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The Five Year Plan

• It takes at least five years for an ESL learner
  to achieve the same academic level as
  English-speaking age peers
• Many factors, such as interrupted education,
  emotional trauma, loss of self-esteem, lack of
  use of first language, lack of high-quality
  bilingual or ESL support etc, may affect their
  progress

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Developmental Continuum

• Most students progress very quickly through the
  early stages but continue to need considerable
  support to keep moving toward full academic
  proficiency in English
• Beginner intermediate advanced
• Often six stages used in Canada to assess levels
  of listening, reading, spoken interaction, spoken
  expression and writing skills (Text pages
  253-255)

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The Cummins Framework

• BICS basic interpersonal communication skills
  are acquired in two years
• CALPS cognitive academic language proficiency
  has not been achieved by an overwhelming majority
  of teenagers who arrive as beginners to complete
  high school

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Using Cummins Grid

• What level of cognitive demand and context
  (Quadrant A, B, C, D) is represented by a student
  who performs each of the following activities?
• Reads for comprehension
• Acts out a historical event
• Points to items in the classroom
• Writes short paragraphs
• Watches a movie with academic content
• Participates in a baseball game
• Listens to a lecture on the atom

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Alternative Approaches to Assessment and
Evaluation

• Alternative Learning Outcomes

• Alternative Assessment Strategies
• Reduce language requirement
• Opportunities for practice and feedback
• Performance-based assessment tasks
• Portfolio assessment
• More thinking time
• Dictionaries